"For decades, international aid mainly flew under the radar of public opinion. Politicians from across the ideological spectrum lauded programs that saved lives, nurtured democracy and promoted American values and interests. That changed on Jan. 20, 2025, when President Donald J. Trump issued an Inauguration Day executive order freezing all U.S. foreign assistance. Suddenly, aid was at the center of an intense debate over national priorities and America's place in the world."
"In a packed Lewis Auditorium in Goldwin Smith Hall on Oct. 22, campus audiences had an opportunity to join the national debate. This year's Lund Critical Debate , hosted annually by the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies , brought together Cornell faculty members Chris Barrett , an agricultural economist and food policy expert, and , an expert in international law and governance."
"Einaudi Center director chose the topic - "Is (Cutting) International Aid Good?" - for the debate and as a theme to guide the center's programming and provide a focus for its Undergraduate Global Scholars for the 2025-26 academic year. Lust, who is also a professor in the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy and the Department of Government in the College of Arts and Sciences, said she meant the simple, yes-or-no question to be provocative at a university where "everyone understands how complex these issues really are.""
"Lust recruited international development specialist Paul Kaiser to lead this year's conversation as the Einaudi Center's practitioner-in-residence. Kaiser has worked on public policy and education reform in sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, with agencies including USAID, the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the World Bank. "There have always been legitimate questions about aid dependency and corruption and the effectiveness of aid," Kaiser said, "but we're facing a much more existential quest"
An Inauguration Day executive order on Jan. 20, 2025 froze all U.S. foreign assistance, elevating aid to a central national debate about priorities and America's global role. A Lund Critical Debate on Oct. 22 at Cornell brought faculty and practitioners together to examine whether cutting international aid is justified and to frame programming for Undergraduate Global Scholars 2025-26. Participants noted longstanding concerns about aid dependency, corruption, and effectiveness while highlighting practitioner experience in development across sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands with agencies such as USAID, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and the World Bank.
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