Damien Cave
Appearances
The Headlines
The F.B.I.’s New Boss, and the Foreign Aid Fallout
A big part of what aid does in Vietnam is try to clean up the legacy of the Vietnam War. It's unexploded landmines and bombs. It's also dealing with Agent Orange, which was this really horrible herbicide that the American military used during the war and sprayed millions and millions of gallons of this all over the land to try and clear the area of leaves to be able to see the enemy.
The Headlines
The F.B.I.’s New Boss, and the Foreign Aid Fallout
It's one of the most noxious substances ever created, and even generations later, It creates birth defects and cancer at higher rates. And so the United States has been working hard with Vietnam to try and clean up this mess. Now, all of that has been stalled and suspended.
The Headlines
The F.B.I.’s New Boss, and the Foreign Aid Fallout
And all this help for Agent Orange victims, people who are dealing with severe health issues because of Agent Orange spraying, has been cut off as well.
The Headlines
The F.B.I.’s New Boss, and the Foreign Aid Fallout
Vietnam has been somewhat cautious in responding publicly because they fear the punishment of tariffs or something else from the Trump administration. But privately, they have been really outraged and becoming more and more vocal, basically telling the Americans that this is a bad idea that really hurts the relationship.
The Headlines
The F.B.I.’s New Boss, and the Foreign Aid Fallout
And what they're not saying, but which is implied, is that if the US can't be the partner that it's supposed to be, China is going to be right there instead.
The Headlines
The F.B.I.’s New Boss, and the Foreign Aid Fallout
For the past few weeks, I've been looking at the various ways that the dismantling of USAID affects countries that the U.S. is trying to court as allies, especially in Asia.