How America's retreat from foreign aid is changing the world

It’s been over a year since USAID shut down, leaving a massive gap in the global humanitarian aid system and leaving the world’s extreme poor without desperately needed relief. On GZERO World, International Rescue Committee President & CEO David Miliband joins Ian Bremmer to talk about the ripple effects of such a drastic drop in foreign aid and what it means for the world’s most vulnerable societies. Overall, global humanitarian funding has dropped by over a third since its 2022 peak. The aid system has always been strained, but now we’re seeing the effects of such a significant pullback during two major crises. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, funding cuts have weakened efforts to contain a deadly Ebola virus outbreak. The war in Iran has sent food and fuel costs soaring, making sending aid to conflict zones like Sudan and Somalia even more difficult. Can the aid system recover from America’s retreat and is anyone stepping up to fill the vacuum?

“America was the anchor of the global system and it's no longer the anchor of the global system,” Miliband says, “There’s now a dawning recognition if you take away all but the most quote lifesaving aid, you take massive risks.