eCommerce WordPress Themes

USAID Deserves Defunding: What I Saw Firsthand In Afghanistan And Beyond

By Hedieh Mirahmadi , Exclusive Columnist Tuesday, February 11, 2025 Signage for the US government's humanitarian agency USAID is seen on a cargo container beside a tricycle in Manila on February 4, 2025. The US government's giant humanitarian agency USAID announced it was placing its staff in the United States and around the world on

By Hedieh Mirahmadi, Uncommon Columnist

Signage for the US executive’s humanitarian agency USAID is considered on a cargo container beside a tricycle in Manila on February 4, 2025. The US executive’s giant humanitarian agency USAID launched it became as soon as inserting its employees within the US and all over the world on administrative proceed as it moved to recall employees from foreign postings. | AFP by the utilization of Getty Footage/Jam Sta Rosa

I may presumably well now not ever omit the time I witnessed a assembly on the U.S. Embassy in Kabul when the ambassador became as soon as screaming on the USAID consultant for lying to him a pair of faculty they claimed became as soon as built on the outskirts of the country. He had in my opinion flown in a helicopter the day ahead of, and the supposed structures had been now not erected. There became as soon as nothing there. 

For those of us who dangle worked within the federal contracting map, every person knows that native organizations continually receive a really tiny percentage of allocated funds, in many cases honest 10%! The bulk of the funding ends up help within the hands of American for-revenue entities and non-governmental organizations to pay exorbitant administration and administrative prices, as well to the inflated prices for a complete differ of gives, tools, and transportation foreign.

Originally conceived to advance American foreign coverage aims, give a blueprint near American interests foreign, and present support, the US Agency for Worldwide Pattern (USAID) operations dangle strayed blueprint beyond this mandate right into a multi-billion-buck behemoth, unbridled by Congressional oversight and public accountability.

Calls to shut down USAID by Elon Musk and President Trump paint a record of an agency riddled with “radical left lunatics” and agendas that undermine American interests. Critics be aware cases of USAID funding projects love electrical autos in Vietnam, a “transgender health center” in India, and an LGBTQ worker’s team in Serbia.  Extra, there are claims that millions of bucks dangle been funneled to organizations with ties to foreign terrorist organizations, including Hamas and the Taliban.  

Now for the first time, USAID may be required to answer to for its actions publicly. This elevated transparency is crucial to make sure the organization stays guilty to the American taxpayers who fund its operations.
 
Transparency of USAID’s work is also major on our private U.S. soil.   I take note after I became as soon as working as a subcontractor for an licensed VolAgs, shorthand for volunteer agencies, that the Notify Department namely initiatives as a resettlement agency.  I discovered that the resettlement of good numbers of immigrants within the U.S. ends within the formation of “resettlement zones,” that are created by the VolAgs. These zones encompass immigrants from the an identical country being positioned in one geographical map, continually in tainted housing due to their lack of credit history. In consequence, they’re surrounded by other individuals that focus on their native language, which hinders their capability to learn English. 

Moreover, the immigrants receive inadequate financial support, forcing them into abject poverty or a existence of crime in expose to outlive. One young Afghan man, who became as soon as receiving drugs for PTSD prompted by his experiences in Afghanistan, sustained existence-threatening injuries one day of a mugging whereas strolling home from the grocery store. He advised our counselor that he would pretty return to Afghanistan and face dying from the Taliban than remain within the U.S. below such unhealthy and impoverished cases facilitated by the licensed resettlement agency.  

No topic whether or now not the USAID is folded into the Notify Department entirely or is reorganized right into a brand new agency, questions remain regarding the legitimacy of our efforts.

Americans on the total believed within the talked about plan of being charitable to impoverished nations and supporting democratic suggestions. Exposing all this corruption has shattered that illusion. So, if our plan became as soon as now not within the ruin benevolence, then how accomplish we present an explanation for our actions? The customary public has change into mindful that a taxpayer-funded entity did dreadful issues, reminiscent of funding the Wuhan Lab or lobbying to censor free speech in Europe to diminish the success of populism. We toppled governments which capacity that of they did now not give a blueprint near our ideals. It’s a labyrinth of lies. 

Take into yarn the instance of Bangladesh. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who governed the country from 2009-2024 accused the U.S. of orchestrating a coup which capacity that of she refused to present a blueprint near a U.S. naval nasty within the country.   In leaked documents, we fetch that a USAID-supported NGO, the Worldwide Republican Institute (IRI), explicitly talked about its plan of making an strive to destabilize the executive by supporting pro-democracy activists who may presumably well be exploited to prop up the political different. Share of that blueprint became as soon as to consist of the LGBT team, student teams, and ethnic minorities. They took U.S. funds from the Notify Department and USAID to fund Banghadelshi rap teams, sow resentment within the executive, and decrease its repute with the individuals. It became as soon as now not honest a haphazard effort to empower teams supported by left-leaning ideologues. It became as soon as done intentionally to undermine a political regime. 

This is now not the first time the U.S. executive has deployed the tactic of destabilizing an inferior regime to extra U.S. interests. Even handed one of many most essential cases of U.S. intervention occurred in Iran in 1953 when the CIA orchestrated a coup to overthrow Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh after he nationalized the Iranian oil commercial, threatening Western financial interests. In 1953, the CIA staged a coup in Iran to take away Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh from energy, a essential instance of U.S. intervention. Mossadegh’s decision to nationalize the Iranian oil commercial threatened Western financial interests, prompting the U.S. response. The success of this operation installed the Shah of Iran, a US-backed monarch who dominated with an iron fist. While this at first strengthened U.S. influence within the world and ensured procure admission to to Iranian oil, it also sowed deep resentment amongst the Iranian other individuals. This resentment sooner or later culminated within the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which ousted the Shah and established the Islamic Republic. We’re nonetheless reeling from the detrimental penalties of that intervention. 

The classes of history expose us that undermining a democratically elected executive to advance U.S. interests doesn’t within the in sure outcomes. We tried that in Iran and, more now not too lengthy within the past, in Afghanistan and Iraq. We did it with Al Qaeda and Bin Encumbered to stay communism. None of them had been worthwhile, and plenty lives had been lost within the technique.  

As a Christian, I accomplish now not imagine the ends present an explanation for the capacity. Empowering teams and activists who accomplish now not fragment our values below the concept that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” is now not magnificent. It’s honest a assorted enemy.

Destroying the social cloth of other nations whereas claiming honest superiority is hypocrisy. This support controversy highlights the need for a national conversation regarding the U.S. executive’s ethical habits on behalf of its residents. If such social engineering is appropriate in a foreign country, we may presumably well nonetheless now not be greatly surprised as soon as we scrutinize similar ways used domestically. Biden declared populism a threat to democracy, so the social media censorship and disinformation campaigns internationally ended up censoring free speech right here within the U.S. The reverberations of that coverage had been worldwide.  

Efficient administration of our tender energy may presumably well nonetheless prioritize global steadiness and financial enhance whereas adhering to our core Biblical suggestions. This methodology ensures that these suggestions serve as a guiding framework for every and every our nation and the global team. “Be taught to perform correct; search justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s motive.” Isaiah 1:17 

Hedieh Mirahmadi became as soon as a devout Muslim for 2 a long time working within the world of national security ahead of she skilled the redemptive energy of Jesus Christ.  She dedicates herself elephantine-time to Resurrect Ministry, an on-line handy resource that harnesses the energy of the Net to perform salvation by Christ accessible to other individuals of all nations, and her podcast LivingFearlessDevotional.com. She is the creator of the Worldwide Bestselling e book”Residing Brave in Christ-Why I left Islam to Assemble Battles for the Kingdom.”

Source:www.christianpost.com

Share:

Related Articles

High Court Judge Caught Falsely Charging Christians With Blasphemy In Entrapment Ring Resigns

High Court Judge Caught Falsely Charging Christians With Blasphemy In Entrapment Ring Resigns

High Court in Lahore, Pakistan, on June 1, 2010. | Wikimedia Commons/Raki_Man/CC 3.0/https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:High_Court-_Lahore_-_panoramio.jpg LAHORE, Pakistan — A high court judge in Pakistan resigned last week after a media report exposed his alleged close ties with a criminal gang falsely charging Christians and others with blasphemy, sources said. Justice Chaudhry Abdul Aziz of the Lahore High Court
Read More