Al-Arabi al-Jadeed, London, August 15
US President Donald Trump has been promoting several policy changes in recent weeks, many of which have been completely overlooked by the American and international media. One specific policy pertains to the cancellation of America’s international food aid program, which have been in place since the 1950’s, and have benefited many Arab states, including Jordan and Syria. Trump attempted to end the program, but faced immense opposition from farmer lobbies and agriculture unions, which forced him to reverse his decision. This opposition once again brings to the fore America’s food aid program, and reminds us that there is no such information as a free meal. America’s farmers benefit greatly from their government’s foreign aid programs, which are often nothing more than a way to dump excess crop abroad while regulating commodity prices at home. First, the United States refuses to assist recipient countries by buying and distributing local foods, and only provides American surplus crops as foreign aid. More often than not, this undermines local farmers and sends local food prices through the roof. Second, the shipment of food from the United States to the recipient countries usually takes several months, thereby reaching the country in need long after a state of emergency had been declared. Third, the United States picks and chooses its recipients based on political interests. It does not distribute food unconditionally around the world, but rather to places where it has economic and political interests. Thus, aid becomes a leveraging tool against local governments. Finally, and perhaps more importantly, America’s food aid program completely overlooks the country’s role in funding and spreading conflict. Sometimes the very beneficiaries of its food aid program are the very same people bombed by American warplanes and shot by American guns. This is the case in a wide host of African countries, whose leaders have been buying weapons from American arms dealers, or in countries like Syria, where American forces have been directly involved in the fighting. What good does it do to undermine local markets abroad, coerce weak governments, or bomb the very same populations it seeks to help? – Heifa Zanga