Soumili Paul
The (non)dialogues regarding the stoppage of USAID by the Trump administration takes us to what Gee Semmalar had written regarding foreign aid. They had expressed their vexation over the foreign funding of clinics and healthcare, which seemed to create a neo-imperialist regime over the developing countries, only to channelise their imperial guilt, after enabling plunder of resources. The Republican administration seemed to be wary of no guilt and felt it necessary to put the USAID under a review for 90 days to supposedly keep “America First” and reduce all/any unnecessary expenses. The admittedly “unnecessary” expense included aid towards global humanitarian support consisting of funds toward transgender health clinics, food and relief in war-torn areas, support for refugees, etc.
While the republican administration stresses on making America great again, and celebrating the reduction of expenditure by stopping foreign aid, it failed to take cognisance of the employees who were deployed in conflict zones like the Democratic Republic of Congo, where a pregnant woman was denied prenatal care during her travel to Washington and the costs that she had incurred, seems to be on its way to forfeiture since the steps to reimburse keeps changing and conflicting, reported CNN. This not only goes against the ethos behind which Trump seems to stand: keeping their citizens first.
The denial of care from Washington also laid bare the proclivities women face in the workforce, more so, in remote situations for pregnant women, which seems to be hypocritical of the administration that insists on upending the abortion rights for women. The administration should be looking towards a lawsuit being filed by employees who have been sent on leave following the cessation of USAID, who fear the loss of their jobs. While government employees in India enjoy a fairly secure profile, the removal of USAID puts the coveted federal jobs at stake and exposes the capitalist enterprise that will seemingly dispose of an individual, when no longer needed.
(Dis)Empowering Healthcare:
What was known as the first clinic for transgender people in India, was shut down after the Trump government announced an end to USAID. The closure of the clinic had let down many people who used the clinics, not just for checkups but for ensuring community-building. Transgender people are often employed in extremely precarious situations with some engaging in sex-work. The clinics, in three different cities, were offering counselling services, support, and HIV treatment for thousands of trans people in India. Mitr clinics in Hyderabad, Thane, and Pune were shut down given the lack of monetary aid. The clinics are looking for donors to keep them up and running, reports BBC.
The marginalised status of trans individuals in India push them towards sex-work which increases the possibility of contracting sexually transmitted diseases. In essence, such clinics need to be made operational, for the lives of thousands are at stake. Donald Trump’s anti-trans rhetoric in the United States of America has come at a cost to fellow Indian citizens. Prime Minister Modi enjoys a cordial relationship with Trump and has failed to hold the administration accountable for its anti-trans rhetoric. It is thus necessary to introduce horizontal reservation for trans individuals in India to liberate them, without any dependence on foreign aid.
Mpox has been declared as an international health emergency and has been ravaging some parts of Africa, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Amidst political infighting, and the rebel group’s looting of the treatment centres, Trump’s decision to shut down foreign assistance has impacted hundreds of lives, and might lead to the spread of contagion among those who are healthy.
The administration seems to have become impervious to any humanity and must be held accountable on a global scale. Donald Trump has been reportedly against vaccination and his pledge of a million Mpox vaccination doses stand halted at the moment. His hesitancy towards vaccination has been passed on to his supporters who are also seemingly apprehensive of vaccinations. His anti-vaccination stance is wreaking havoc on a global scale.
In Ethiopia, the withdrawal of foreign aid, comes at a time when the country was starting to recover from a civil conflict and drought; the funding would’ve eased their suffering. Ethiopia was looking forward to foreign aid that was supposed to further the cause of basic sanitation and giving individuals access to menstrual health and hygiene. We are witnessing the aftermath of US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the deterioration of women’s rights. Withdrawal of foreign aid from countries dealing with extreme poverty would perhaps witness a promulgation of similar inequalities.
WHO is it about?
Trump’s announcement of withdrawal from WHO was predicted to be one of the worst steps that could’ve happened for mankind. The fear was not dumbfounded. An expert in National and Global Health at Georgetown University had predicted cataclysmic effects around the world, if the United States would withdraw from the World Health Organisation. His predictions are on the verge of seeing the light of the day. The country’s discontinuation from WHO, has also affected USAID, as it was prognos’d. It has been reported that Congo will have to suffer the wrath of the Trump administration since Action Against Hunger will stop supporting malnourished children leaving the doors open for “mortal danger”, reported abcNEWS.
What comes as a surprise (not really), is the continued aid that is going towards armaments in Israel and Egypt. Witnessing the deteriorating situation in Sudan, emergency food relief has been exempted from being discontinued but death looms over hundreds of lives, if immediate assistance is not provided. The shutting down of 1100 emergency food kitchens, at a time of turmoil, had people knocking on the doors of volunteers, reported AlJazeera.
We are reminded of the United States’ foreign policy that claimed to further the cause of direct aid to simply alleviate suffering, against China, who, they propagate, seem to aid countries for the sole purpose of financial profits. Amidst the geo-political strife between the two, Latin American theorists are having a field day! Andre Gunder Frank, in his understanding of the “development of underdevelopment” offers a critique to the modernisation theories that hold the underdeveloped nations culpable for their own state.
According to him, developed nations did not have to surpass the purgatories of colonialism, and hence, cannot be expected to conform to a straitjacket of development, as others. Without autonomous development, nations would remain as satellites for the metropolis’.
The United States’ rapid abandonment of conflict-ridden countries will only escalate the peripheral status of these nations, causing a great deal of pain to women, children, and the gender diverse individuals, who are already marginalized. It becomes all the more essential to divulge in talks on feminist foreign policies that need to be put on the forefront, to stand against gender apartheid, on a global scale.
About the Author: Soumili Paul has completed her BA (Hons.) and MA in Sociology, from Jadavpur University, India. She is interested in working on gender and politics across varied socio-economic levels. She has published papers and presented her scholarly work at international conferences. She is currently pursuing a post-graduate diploma in Human Rights and Duties Education from Jadavpur University, and has worked in the fields of policy and development in the capacity of a research assistant and intern, and has contributed opinion articles for organisations.
Disclaimer: All views expressed in the article belong solely to the author and not necessarily to the organisation.
Read more at IMPRI:
India-China at 75: Elephant-dragon tango and a history of complex relationship
Yunus Charts Bold Pivot: Bangladesh Eyes China Ties, Risks India Strain
Acknowledgment: This article was posted by Saniya Verma, a researcher at IMPRI.
