Six months later, Trump's dismantling of foreign aid has had devastating effects in Africa
On March 10, without waiting for the end of the 90-day freeze intended to review the use of funds committed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Washington confirmed that 83% of programs would be abandoned and that the independent agency, created in 1961, would be closed. The agency officially shut its doors on July 1, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio took the opportunity to eliminate any remaining doubts about the US determination to break with the policy previously pursued by what had been the largest donor of official development assistance.
"Beyond creating a globe-spanning NGO Industrial complex at taxpayer expense, USAID has little to show since the end of the Cold War. Development objectives have rarely been met, instability has often worsened, and anti-American sentiment has only grown. Americans should not pay taxes to fund failing governments in faraway lands," he said, singling out Africa, which, in his view, has shown particularly little gratitude for American generosity.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
China urges global consensus on balancing AI development, security
His remarks came just days after US President Donald Trump unveiled an aggressive low-regulation strategy aimed at cementing US dominance in the fast-moving field, promising to "remove red tape and onerous regulation" that could hinder private sector AI development. Opening the World AI Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai on Saturday, Li emphasised the need for governance and open-source development, announcing the establishment of a Chinese-led body for international AI cooperation. "The risks and challenges brought by artificial intelligence have drawn widespread attention... How to find a balance between development and security urgently requires further consensus from the entire society," the premier said. Li said China would "actively promote" the development of open-source AI, adding Beijing was willing to share advances with other countries, particularly developing ones. "If we engage in technological monopolies, controls and blockage, artificial intelligence will become the preserve of a few countries and a few enterprises," he said. "Only by adhering to openness, sharing and fairness in access to intelligence can more countries and groups benefit from (AI)." The premier highlighted "insufficient supply of computing power and chips" as a bottleneck. Washington has expanded its efforts in recent years to curb exports of state-of-the-art chips to China, concerned that these can be used to advance Beijing's military systems and erode US tech dominance. For its part, China has made AI a pillar of its plans for technological self-reliance, with the government pledging a raft of measures to boost the sector. In January, Chinese startup DeepSeek unveiled an AI model that performed as well as top US systems despite using less powerful chips. 'Pet tiger cub' At a time when AI is being integrated across virtually all industries, its uses have raised major ethical questions, from the spread of misinformation to its impact on employment, or the potential loss of technological control. In a speech at WAIC on Saturday, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Geoffrey Hinton compared the situation to keeping "a very cute tiger cub as a pet". "To survive", he said, you need to ensure you can train it not to kill you when it grows up. In a video message played at the WAIC opening ceremony, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said AI governance would be "a defining test of international cooperation". The ceremony also saw the French president's AI envoy, Anne Bouverot, underscore the "an urgent need" for global action. At an AI summit in Paris in February, 58 countries including China, France and India -- as well as the European Union and African Union Commission -- called for enhanced coordination on AI governance. But the United States warned against "excessive regulation", and alongside the United Kingdom, refused to sign the summit's appeal for an "open", "inclusive" and "ethical" AI.
LeMonde
5 hours ago
- LeMonde
US criticizes French inquiry into social media platform X
US officials issued a harsh condemnation Friday, July 25, of France's criminal investigation into the social network X, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, on suspicion of foreign interference. "As part of a criminal investigation, an activist French prosecutor is requesting information on X's proprietary algorithm and has classified X as an 'organized crime group,'" the US State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor wrote on their X account. "Democratic governments should allow all voices to be heard, not silence speech they dislike. The United States will defend the free speech of all Americans against acts of foreign censorship." Paris cybercrime prosecutors called for the police probe July 11 to investigate suspected crimes – including manipulating and extracting data from automated systems "as part of a criminal gang." The social media company last week denied the allegations, calling them "politically motivated." X also said it had refused to comply with the prosecutor's request to access its recommendation algorithm and real-time data. The investigation follows two January complaints that alleged the X algorithm had been used for foreign interference in French politics. One of the complaints came from Eric Bothorel, an MP from President Emmanuel Macron's centrist party, who complained of "reduced diversity of voices and options" and Musk's "personal interventions" in the platform's management since he took it over. X said it "categorically denies" all allegations and that the probe "is distorting French law in order to serve a political agenda and, ultimately, restrict free speech." Tesla and SpaceX chief Musk has raised hackles with his forays into European politics, including vocal backing for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party ahead of February legislative elections. "Democracy is too fragile to let digital platform owners tell us what to think, who to vote for or even who to hate," Bothorel said after the investigation was announced.
LeMonde
7 hours ago
- LeMonde
'European citizens under US sanctions are being erased economically and socially within the EU'
In recent months, the US has added several judges and International Criminal Court prosecutors to the list of "Specially Designated Nationals" maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which is responsible for enforcing US international financial sanctions. On July 9, Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, joined them on the list. The individuals listed have had their assets frozen in the US, and American nationals and companies are prohibited from doing business with them. Neither criminals nor fugitives, but rather respected professionals in international law who have been sanctioned – not for wrongdoing, but for carrying out their duties, in ways that are clearly displeasing to Washington. This development is not just a diplomatic affront; it is an alarming signal. A small but growing number of European citizens – who are innocent under all legal standards of the European Union (EU) – also appear on the OFAC list. They are not under investigation in their own countries. No court has convicted them. And yet, they and their families have been treated as pariahs. Not only in the US, but – more seriously still – in their own countries, within the EU itself. These individuals have become Europe's living dead: legally alive, but erased economically and socially. They are victims of a kind of "civil death" penalty. Their inclusion on the OFAC list, often for opaque or arbitrary reasons, triggers a cascade of consequences far beyond American borders. It is in Europe that banks close their accounts; that IT companies cut off access to email, software, and cloud services; that delivery companies refuse to drop packages at their door. Families have been ruined. Careers destroyed. However, it is perhaps understandable that people subject to OFAC sanctions should be restricted in their travel to, or trade with, the US. After all, it is the prerogative of the US government to exercise sovereignty on its own territory. It is unacceptable, however, that European citizens – some of them above any suspicion in the eyes of their own authorities – lose everything at home due to excessive caution on the part of European companies. These businesses blindly enforce US sanctions. Two trends explain the phenomenon.
