A devastating blow to global health: Professor Nicole Hassoun examines USAID's demise
Newly hired Hamilton Lugar School Professor of International Studies Nicole Hassoun authored "USAID's apparent demise and the US withdrawal from WHO put millions of lives worldwide at risk and imperil US national security" on February 25, 2025, in The Conversation.In the article, Hassoun argued that President Donald Trump's executive actions to withdraw the U.S. from the World Health Organization and freeze nearly all programs of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) would put millions of lives at risk and imperil U.S. national security. She noted that closing down USAID would have devastating consequences for global health, noting that the agency's stop-work order risked 500,000 metric tons of food from spoiling and halted funding for the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Hassoun also highlighted USAID's history of successfully fighting diseases like smallpox and polio. While acknowledging some past errors by USAID, she emphasized the organization's immense positive impact and argues that cutting foreign aid will negatively affect U.S. foreign policy objectives.
Hassoun is director of the Global Health Impact project, an initiative to help evaluate and address pressing international health problems and expand access to essential medicines for the global poor. She regularly provides media commentary on global health issues.
Read the full article at The Conversation.