Member-only story
The Dark Side of USAID
After appointing insufferable Nazi oligarch Elon Musk to head his newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the Trump regime implemented massive funding cuts that have affected various federal government agencies. A lively debate has ensued regarding the importance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), with one side praising the institution as an indispensable, benevolent, humanitarian force and the other claiming it is deeply corrupt and brimming with radical leftists.
The truth is not somewhere in the middle, but somewhere else entirely. To paint a more accurate picture of the interests USAID serves, as well as the unique geopolitical role it has played, I have selected examples of its work in four different countries. I hope my analysis provides a useful window into an often overlooked aspect of this discourse — especially as it relates to leftist politics.
Afghanistan
The year was 1979. The United States was in the midst of the Cold War and the late Jimmy Carter was president. During the preceding years and decades, the CIA had conducted a series of successful coups against democratically elected governments in countries like Iran, Guatemala, and Chile — often using anti-communist paranoia as justification. After a socialist revolution in Afghanistan the year prior, the agency and its…
