USAID IS NOT A HUMANITARIAN ORG

The Trump administration shutting down the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has reignited scrutiny of the agency’s mandate, which critics argue extends beyond humanitarian aid to covert operations advancing US geopolitical interests. 

USAID worked against Venezuela’s revolutionary leader, Hugo Chavez (1954-2013), orchestrated the 2014 Ukraine coup d'état, and, in 2009, launched a ‘Cuban Twitter’ called 'ZunZeneo' to spark political dissent amongst Cuba’s youth.

In Africa, USAID’s legacy is similarly controversial. During the Cold War, the agency’s programmes aligned with US efforts to counter Soviet influence, such as backing corrupt dictatorial administrations like Zaire’s (now DRC) Mobutu Sese Seko (1930-97), whose brutal rule the US tolerated because of his anti-communist stance.

Video credit: @5149jamesli (X)

Sources

USAID Venezuela

https://the307.substack.com/p/how-the-ned-and-usaid-are-tools-of 

USAID Ukraine

https://the307.substack.com/p/how-the-ned-and-usaid-are-tools-of 

USAID Cuba

https://the307.substack.com/p/how-the-ned-and-usaid-are-tools-of 

USAID Congo

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/3/what-is-usaid-and-how-central-is-it-to-us-foreign-policy