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Potential Budget Reductions May Impact United States Directly

"Phil Robertson, a seasoned human rights advocate, labels the abrupt termination of numerous U.S. international aid programs as 'Armageddon'."

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Potential Budget Reductions May Impact United States Directly

Rebuilding a World: The Catastrophic Consequences of US Aid Cuts

Slap-bang in the middle of a global crisis, veteran human rights crusader Phil Robertson summons the term "Armageddon" to describe the abrupt halt of most US foreign aid programs globally.

In January, the man in the white house, Donald Trump, commanded a 90-day freeze on foreign aid, and shortly afterward, canned 90% of contracts worldwide that offered such aid, including in Thailand.

"Most staggering is the work conducted along the Thai-Myanmar border, particularly the refugee camps," expounded Mr. Robertson on the podcast Deeper Dive. "Once the cuts took effect, organizations like the International Rescue Committee were forced to shutter their hospitals that catered to refugees. Tragically, numerous elderly refugees perished due to the lack of necessary medical care."

"Switching gears to Myanmar, in neighboring Bangladesh, refugee camps housing the persecuted Rohingya faced a similar fate. US aid programs, initiated to help those escaping ethnic cleansing and atrocities in 2017 committed by the junta, were largely discontinued."

The aid blockade directly affected the US response to the March 28 earthquake in Myanmar, with several USAID staffers receiving termination notices shortly after arriving. The chopped foreign aid programs stretch far beyond disaster relief and medical treatment.

"A substantial Myanmar education consortium dedicated to educating children across eastern Myanmar was wiped out," shared Mr. Robertson, who once served as the deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch and now leads Asia Human Rights and Labour Advocates Consultancy.

"We've also witnessed the curtailment of democracy and governance programs run by Freedom House, that provided sanctuary for refugees fleeing the Myanmar military regime..." These fleeting programs have ceased to exist. "In essence, it's been a total and complete disaster."

Thailand's role?

Given that an upper-middle-income country like Thailand can fund these programs, you might wonder why it doesn't. "I wholeheartedly wish to see Thailand contribute to these programs," Robertson said on the podcast. "However, reluctance from Thailand to do so persists. Their argument is that we still have many poor people to take care of, and the refugees are a burden."

"Previously, US assistance urged Thailand to refrain from pushing the refugees back. We should recall the dark history on the Cambodia border dating back 40 years, where pushbacks occurred. The international community intervened, insisting Thailand uphold human rights and provide support for the refugees to stay."

"There's an effort underway by other donors to step up, but they simply cannot fill the void left by the US."

Beyond the immediate casualties, Robertson underscores that it's in America's best interest to remain actively invested in global affairs and tackle issues before they manifest on US soil, such as strains of antibiotic-resistant diseases.

"The common interest of the US lies in supporting malarial initiatives along the Thai-Myanmar border, where resistant strains of both tuberculosis and malaria are prevalent. If these strains infiltrate the US, it could lead to a major crisis."

"'America First' is not 'America Great.' It's 'America Isolated.' Isolation means a weaker America, one less connected and more susceptible to sudden, shocking threats on its borders."

Kick back, relax, and listen to Deeper Dive podcast by clicking below or visiting this link

Insights:- Reduced aid can result in the closure of essential healthcare facilities, increasing the risk of disease outbreaks and limiting access to medical care for refugees.- Lowered funding for aid programs typically diminishes educational opportunities for refugees, negatively impacting their long-term stability and development.- Cuts to democracy programs can undermine efforts to support democratic institutions and practices, limiting resources for related initiatives.- The ongoing political and humanitarian crisis in countries like Myanmar following the 2021 coup have further amplified the need for humanitarian aid.

  1. The International Rescue Committee was forced to shutter their hospitals that catered to refugees due to the abrupt halt of most US foreign aid programs, leading to numerous elderly refugees perishing due to the lack of necessary medical care.
  2. The aid blockade directly affected the US response to the March 28 earthquake in Myanmar, with several USAID staffers receiving termination notices shortly after arriving.
  3. A substantial Myanmar education consortium dedicated to educating children across eastern Myanmar was wiped out due to the reduced US foreign aid.
  4. Reduced aid can result in the closure of essential healthcare facilities, increasing the risk of disease outbreaks and limiting access to medical care for refugees.
  5. The ongoing political and humanitarian crisis in countries like Myanmar following the 2021 coup have further amplified the need for humanitarian aid, as the aid cuts have diminished educational opportunities for refugees, undermined efforts to support democratic institutions, and put the US at risk of disease outbreaks due to reduced malarial initiatives along the Thai-Myanmar border.

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