Mmiliki wa kampuni ya teknolojia, Elon Musk ametangaza kuwa Shirika la Maendeleo la Kimataifa la Marekani (USAID) linapaswa kufa kwakuwa ni shirika la kihalifu.
Musk, ambaye aliteuliwa na Rais wa Marekani, Donald Trump kuongoza Idara ya Ufanisi wa Serikali (DOGE), ametoa kauli hiyo baada ya maafisa wawili kutoka USAID kujaribu kuwazuia wafanyakazi wa Idara ya Musk kuingia kwenye mifumo ya usalama ya USAID.
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Elon Musk attacked the US Agency for International Development, calling it a "criminal organization" on Sunday, as Donald Trump said the agency was "run by radical lunatics" and said he was considering its future.
The assault on the agency tasked with humanitarian relief overseas marks a significant new front in Trump's move to give unprecedented power to Musk to upend government departments and counter what the pair consider wasteful official spending and overreach.
"USAID is a criminal organization," Musk, the billionaire owner of Tesla and SpaceX who has become the president's most powerful backer, wrote on his X ..
In a subsequent post, Musk doubled down and, without giving evidence, asked his 215 million X followers, "Did you know that USAID, using YOUR tax dollars, funded bioweapon research, including Covid-19, that killed millions of people?"
He did not elaborate on the allegations, which officials in the previous administration linked to a Russian disinformation campaign.
The United States Agency for International Development has "been run by a bunch of radical lunatics, and we're getting them out... and then we'll make a decision (on its future)," Trump said on Sunday without elaborating.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
By returning Trump to the White House, America has swallowed an extremely dangerous poison pill.
Trump’s America-first approach has been reshaping global power dynamics by prioritizing U.S. sovereignty and economic interests over traditional alliances and international cooperation. His recent attack on USAID, alongside Elon Musk’s amplification of conspiracy theories, signals a broader shift toward dismantling key institutions of U.S. global influence. The consequences of this approach are unfolding in several key ways:
1. Weakening U.S. Soft Power and Global Influence
USAID has long been a critical tool of American diplomacy, providing humanitarian aid, development assistance, and disaster relief to countries in need. By threatening to dismantle or defund it, Trump risks ceding influence to rival powers like China and Russia, which have aggressively expanded their foreign aid and infrastructure projects (e.g., China’s Belt and Road Initiative). This would accelerate a decline in U.S. soft power and diminish Washington’s ability to shape global events in its favor.
2. Undermining U.S. Credibility Among Allies
Longstanding allies who rely on American development aid—whether for public health programs, education, or economic stability—will see the U.S. as an unreliable partner. The move also fuels concerns among NATO allies and developing nations that the U.S. is withdrawing from its post-WWII leadership role, potentially pushing these countries to seek alternative partnerships.
3. Strengthening Authoritarian and Anti-Western Narratives
By attacking USAID with unverified claims of bioweapons research—an allegation linked to Russian disinformation—Trump and Musk are reinforcing narratives used by authoritarian regimes to discredit Western institutions. This plays into China and Russia’s strategic objectives, where they frame Western-backed democracy promotion and humanitarian assistance as tools of U.S. interference rather than genuine efforts to foster stability.
4. Erosion of U.S. Institutional Stability
Trump’s push to centralize power around figures like Musk, a private billionaire with vast business and technological interests, represents an unprecedented challenge to government institutions. Musk’s influence over key infrastructure—such as SpaceX’s Starlink, which has been critical in conflicts like Ukraine—already blurs the lines between private enterprise and state functions. If USAID and other agencies are dismantled or privatized, governance could shift toward an oligarchic model where unelected business figures exert greater control over foreign policy and resource distribution.
5. Potential Retrenchment from Global Humanitarian Efforts
If USAID is dismantled or severely weakened, millions of people who rely on U.S. humanitarian assistance for food, health, and disaster relief could face dire consequences. This could lead to increased global instability, more refugee crises, and even a rise in extremist movements that thrive in regions abandoned by international aid.
6. Domestic Political Radicalization
The rhetoric surrounding USAID reflects a broader trend of Trump and Musk mobilizing their base through inflammatory accusations against government institutions. By framing USAID as a “criminal organization” involved in secret bioweapon research, they are fostering further distrust in public agencies, reinforcing a conspiracy-driven worldview that could have long-term consequences for domestic governance.
All said and done, a More Isolationist, Less Stable World Order in Horizon
Trump’s America-first approach—especially when combined with the amplification of unverified claims by powerful figures like Musk—accelerates the U.S. retreat from its leadership role in the global order. This opens the door for adversaries to expand their influence, weakens democratic alliances, and shifts decision-making power away from established institutions toward a small circle of business elites. The world that emerges from this shift is likely to be more fragmented, unstable, and shaped by authoritarian interests rather than democratic ideals.