The development aid community is viewing the US election results with optimism as Joe Biden, 78, has frequently stressed his willingness to further engage in diplomacy and development aid to bring it to the same level to that which it was when he served as Vice-President. He also promised to rejoin the World Health Organization and restore funding, admitting that the agency was not perfect and that US would resume its leadership role and promote reforms.
Prominent think-tanks, former USAID executives, and columnists also expect the newly-elected Democrat US President to enhance the US aid programs.
Currently, the United States plays a vital role in the development aid system and, being the country that is the largest foreign assistance donor in the world and the biggest contributor to the World Food Programme, many people in underdeveloped countries rely on US donations.
Trump’s presidency was not the most fruitful period for development aid as his administration aimed to reduce foreign aid spending rather than increase this. Trump frequently tried to decrease the USAID budget by more than 20% although his attempts were rejected by Congress. Furthermore, some media reported about Trump utilizing development aid as political leverage to achieve his short-term goals whilst ignoring the long-term consequences.
His decision to temporary suspend development assistance for the countries of the Northern Triangle of Central America – Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador – serve as an example when he decided to implement this approach in order to force governments to curb the wave of migration that was a result of violence and poverty which, of course, made the situation even worse. His administration adopted the approach of “self-reliance” which in fact meant that financial aid for developing countries was limited.
In turn, Joe Biden is expected to enhance international cooperation and put more effort into reinvigorating development assistance activities which is very much needed bearing in mind the existing crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic which is expected to further worsen.
Americans are safer when America is engaged in strengthening global health. On my first day as President, I will rejoin the @WHO and restore our leadership on the world stage. https://t.co/8uazVIgPZB
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 7, 2020
“We’d bring aid back to the center of our foreign policy,” Antony Blinken, a foreign policy adviser for the Biden campaign was quoted as saying in May 2020.
The well-known and prominent US think-tank, Brookings, predicts that Biden will nominate new experienced leadership for USAID and the agency will be given the responsibility for a comprehensive response to the pandemic, delivering vaccines, diagnosis, and treatments to developing countries. The Brookings analysts also expect Biden to be more willing to listen to international partners when shaping the development aid strategy of the United States and he will take into consideration the recommendations of senior political experts on the matter.
Development aid experts forecast that Biden will bring expertise back to USAID and that this will significantly change its effectiveness. Joe Biden also announced on his website that he intends to increase the development assistance budget as he perceives this to be a ‘vital investment’ for the success of other countries. He also claims that helping underdeveloped states to be more prosperous will mean more security for the United States. While Donald Trump reduced funding for Central America during the migration crisis thereby exacerbating the situation, Joe Biden plans to significantly increase the development aid program devoted to this region from $750 million to $4 billion, believing that this strategy will allow the roots of the extensive migration from Northern Triangle countries, i.e. poverty, violence, and corruption, to be dealt with effectively.
