I came to international development and the U.S. Agency for International Development as an optimistic 20-something-year-old, shaped by the fallout of 9/11 and the 2008 financial collapse. For those who graduated with me in 2009, uncertainty was at its height — job markets were bleak, two U.S.-led occupations in Afghanistan and Iraq were in full force, and the world felt like it was teetering on the edge of no return. It seemed that the only possible direction was forward.
In our view, rebuilding needed a radical rethinking of how we approach the world and how we tackle wicked problems. Though I grew up in Ithaca, I was born in Baku, Azerbaijan and came to this country when I was six years old. The drive to give back and uplift others is not just what I do, but who I am. That calling is what led me to want to work for USAID and serve in this way.
Like many in the “aid” world, I started small and worked my way up. The industry attracts those willing to sacrifice for the greater good, and my experience was no different. A great majority of my colleagues are former Peace Corps volunteers. My social science training was always well-received because aid workers care deeply about sustainability, making every dollar count and thinking through every intended result and unintended consequence.
For nearly 15 years, I built expertise in performance monitoring and program evaluation, designing data collection systems for programs across East Africa and Asia, including the Indo-Pacific Strategy. And while I came to USAID and stayed at USAID as a real pragmatist, I am not blind to its deep-seated challenges: the white savior complex, jaded conversations about aid effectiveness, heavily earmarked funding and burdensome compliance requirements. You might expect that our experience and training would lead us to more lucrative opportunities in the private sector. But truthfully, we choose this path not for profit, but because we believe in the work we do — and we’ve seen its impact firsthand.
We work alongside America’s diplomats and service members overseas, as a key part of national security and soft power. As a former marine general said, “If you don’t fund the State Department [diplomacy] fully, then I need to buy more ammunition, ultimately.” I am part of USAID's non-political career workforce and partners who respond to crises, help uplift communities to become free from poverty and hunger, and support human rights for people living under repressive regimes.
Despite criticism, USAID delivers real, quantifiable benefits that strengthen both the U.S. economy and global stability. Many of America’s key trading partners, including South Korea, were once aid recipients. USAID programs open markets for American businesses, curb the spread of infectious diseases through programs like the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and win over hearts and minds by demonstrating America’s values abroad and pivoting away from malign actors. Yet, despite proven success and a budget of just $38 billion in 2023 — less than one percent of all federal spending — USAID is being cast aside. For comparison, Americans are expected to spend nearly $28 billion on Valentine’s Day this year. And yet, the agency responsible for international food security, disaster response and economic development is deemed expendable.
Cutting USAID is an attack on American farmers, food producers, businesses and universities. Partners like Cornell play a critical role in agricultural innovation and food security, such as the Feed the Future program. But the stop work order on USAID partnerships combined with the near-total elimination of USAID staff will have devastating consequences — hitting farm communities and American producers the hardest with an estimated cost of 200,000 jobs and $65 billion in exports.
Since USAID has become vilified as an enemy of the people, I find myself in the uncomfortable position of defending work that always had bipartisan support. Programs that were mandated and overseen by Congress for decades are being slashed. Over 100,000 USAID studies and reports have been removed from public view. Just last week, we were allotted 15 minutes to collect our belongings from the office.
These realities don’t seem to matter. As former Cornell astronomy professor Carl Sagan wrote in The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark:
“One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.”
As I watch this institution being torn apart, I can’t shake the fear — are we witnessing another 2008, or something far more sinister? Is this the deliberate, calculated dismantling of one of America’s most effective soft-power tools for global stability, leaving us weaker, more isolated and unprepared for what comes next? I urge my Cornell community not to get taken by the bamboozle. Speak up. Call your representatives. Show up at their offices. Demand that Congress wake up and do its job. We cannot sit idly by while 60 years of American leadership and goodwill are extinguished.
Lala Kasimova is a Senior Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Advisor at USAID/Asia Bureau. For any questions, please contact lkasimova@proton.me.
