Since the fall of the USSR, a large part of developing world elites, middle classes, and intellectuals have been effectively transformed into ideological parrots of US liberal propaganda through USAID-funded NGOs, educational and media projects.
In the absence of any competing political or intellectual framework, support for US economic doctrine and political liberalism has remained unchallenged.
Yet USAID’s emphasis over the last three decades on white American liberal ideas about multiculturalism, gender and sexual rights is now anathema to American conservatives.
This, more than anything, has prompted the administration to discard the agency altogether.
For Trump, there is no need to continue indoctrinating developing world elites and middle classes in capitalism and anti-welfare policies - they already believe in them, especially if objectionable liberal American ideas must accompany such indoctrination.
The US, he realises, can now solely rely on hard power to impose its will, sparing itself the cost of investing in “soft power”.
I’m not going to start a discussion about liberal versus conservative propaganda, that’s best left for another discussion entirely.
The abdication of soft power though is extremely short-sighted and so on par with the Trump Administration.
As an example of soft power, consider any number of Third World countries that have issues with feeding their population. This leads to instability and easy influence by outside powers. That influences usually used to enrich the elite at the top. The ones at the top see the instability and realize that their political lives as well as actual lives may be shortened by that issue, and so do their best to enrich themselves as quickly as possible.
By using the soft power tactic of providing food for the masses basic foodstuffs, an outsider would provide stability to that country and reduce the possibility of the elite being bought up by another country. In addition, the people in the countryside see food being brought in that has a particular logo or other emblem indicative of the provider. They and their children grow up knowing that their health and future were due to this provider. They thus become somewhat more friendly to that provider.
Ask the Houthis what they think of hard power. Yes, they are being bombarded by high explosives and many are dying. Each time though that a family dies, their extended family says that the one who attacked needs to have revenge visited upon them. It’s a never ending cycle.
USAID brought starvation not food.
