I didn’t think it could get worse than feeding USAID to the wood chipper. Then when Rubio announced that they would resume aid but cut out grants to nonprofits, I thought “well, that sucks for me and my people, but okay.” But then I realized that the reason for that is that they are going to use humanitarian aid as a commodity for trade, and well - like every other fucking day, I was shocked but not surprised.
Just read this piece, nice writing and your right. Trump will leverage the fuck out of those countries who are in a position to supply him with something
I have been writing more about this lately than the many other things that stick in my craw because this one is really stuck sharply. Only Donald Fucking Trump could be craven enough to pioneer transactional humanitarianism. And as I posted a few days ago, the State Department is encouraging other countries to follow suit.
A thoughtful and troubling piece. Though I found myself reflecting a bit on the line about the humanitarian system historically standing “outside” the crisis itself. Perhaps institutionally that has often been true in terms of supply chains, funding streams, and operational support. But for many aid workers on the ground, that distinction has long felt far less clear.
Living and working through the shelling in Sarajevo, the genocide in Rwanda, and later Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, and elsewhere, there was rarely a sense of standing outside the crisis. The crisis had a way of entering everything: movement, judgment, relationships, sleep, the body itself. Over time, the line between responder and environment could become very thin.
Which perhaps makes this moment even more concerning. If the larger systems that once buffered humanitarian response are themselves becoming unstable, then the pressures already carried by frontline workers and vulnerable communities alike may deepen in ways we still do not fully grasp.
Indeed, the crisis is never at a remove for the people who show up. It breaks my heart how many Americans who did that work are still unemployed, much more so how many people who used US assistance to build solutions in their own countries were simply left out in the cold.
I was reading a piece by Wayan Vota earlier saying that the math is in, and the total fall in ODA last year was around 23%. Not all the US, as I’m sure you know. That puts us back at 2015 levels, in a 2026 polycrisis environment. It all staggers the imagination and breaks the heart.
Trump will leverage the shit out of poor countries - not fucking right
I didn’t think it could get worse than feeding USAID to the wood chipper. Then when Rubio announced that they would resume aid but cut out grants to nonprofits, I thought “well, that sucks for me and my people, but okay.” But then I realized that the reason for that is that they are going to use humanitarian aid as a commodity for trade, and well - like every other fucking day, I was shocked but not surprised.
Just read this piece, nice writing and your right. Trump will leverage the fuck out of those countries who are in a position to supply him with something
I have been writing more about this lately than the many other things that stick in my craw because this one is really stuck sharply. Only Donald Fucking Trump could be craven enough to pioneer transactional humanitarianism. And as I posted a few days ago, the State Department is encouraging other countries to follow suit.
Truth spoken here ••• make NO MISTAKE ••• “TRUTH EXACTLY SPOKEN HERE”!
Your right - only ole Donny would do this and all for the “Trump Criminal Regime” which includes his family and his cronies
EXACTLY RIGHT.
A thoughtful and troubling piece. Though I found myself reflecting a bit on the line about the humanitarian system historically standing “outside” the crisis itself. Perhaps institutionally that has often been true in terms of supply chains, funding streams, and operational support. But for many aid workers on the ground, that distinction has long felt far less clear.
Living and working through the shelling in Sarajevo, the genocide in Rwanda, and later Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, and elsewhere, there was rarely a sense of standing outside the crisis. The crisis had a way of entering everything: movement, judgment, relationships, sleep, the body itself. Over time, the line between responder and environment could become very thin.
Which perhaps makes this moment even more concerning. If the larger systems that once buffered humanitarian response are themselves becoming unstable, then the pressures already carried by frontline workers and vulnerable communities alike may deepen in ways we still do not fully grasp.
Indeed, the crisis is never at a remove for the people who show up. It breaks my heart how many Americans who did that work are still unemployed, much more so how many people who used US assistance to build solutions in their own countries were simply left out in the cold.
I was reading a piece by Wayan Vota earlier saying that the math is in, and the total fall in ODA last year was around 23%. Not all the US, as I’m sure you know. That puts us back at 2015 levels, in a 2026 polycrisis environment. It all staggers the imagination and breaks the heart.
The amount of bad karma that Trump is generating should terrify Americans.
It’s pretty staggering.
I unfortunately don't have the money to upgrade to paid but if I did I would definitely do it for "every effing day" keep up the good work
That you read me is all the payment I really need.
I read everyone really like your work
Everyone of your articles
Thank you - that means a lot!
Just when I thought this administration could sink no lower, here we go.
Every effing day!