Among the many tragedies that have followed the dissolution of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. government has lost three things that we will need to reconstitute if we are to have an effective development assistance function as an instrument of U.S. soft power in the future.
These losses extend beyond the budget cuts. They encompass a critical absence in strategic foreign policy planning, the abandonment of core capabilities that directly advanced U.S. economic and security interests, and a severe, potentially irreparable, blow to America's standing as a reliable partner on the global stage.
Recovering these essential components must be the starting point for any future strategy to reestablish U.S. leadership in global development.
About the author
Brian Frantz
Brian Frantz is a former USAID senior foreign service officer. He served in Washington, D.C, East Timor, Rwanda, Malawi, and Kenya, where he was covering Somalia. From late January 2025 until his separation from USAID in September, he was the acting assistant administrator for Africa.
