Tributes placed under the seal of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., on February 7, 2025. (Credit: AFP).
BEIRUT – U.S. president Donald Trump has shaken the world with a series of executive orders since he took office. Together with billionaire and current head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Elon Musk, the duo has led a fierce campaign against the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which they hope to shutter. The decision to freeze U.S. foreign aid for 90 days cast a long shadow over the entire world, with Lebanon and the region not spared.As looming funding and humanitarian crises take shape, recent events have sparked a renewed, broader debate over Lebanon's heavy dependence on foreign aid. “Most people don’t realize the extent to which the country has become dependent on foreign assistance,” financial analyst Mike Azar said, “And, it’s because they don’t concretely see where the money goes.”In 2024,...
BEIRUT – U.S. president Donald Trump has shaken the world with a series of executive orders since he took office. Together with billionaire and current head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Elon Musk, the duo has led a fierce campaign against the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which they hope to shutter. The decision to freeze U.S. foreign aid for 90 days cast a long shadow over the entire world, with Lebanon and the region not spared.As looming funding and humanitarian crises take shape, recent events have sparked a renewed, broader debate over Lebanon's heavy dependence on foreign aid. “Most people don’t realize the extent to which the country has become dependent on foreign assistance,” financial analyst Mike Azar said, “And, it’s because they don’t concretely see where the money...