The Human Faces of the USAID Shutdown
Plus: Don’t Purge the Generals
Recently in The Bulwark:
BILL KRISTOL & ANDREW EGGER: Inside DOGE’s Dumbest Cut Yet
SONNY BUNCH: How to Watch the Best Picture Nominees
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NANCY CLAIR: The Human Faces of the USAID Shutdown
I WORK IN GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT, A FIELD that has suddenly become the focus of intense political controversy—even though most Americans still don’t know the basics of what it is, how it is conducted, or why it matters.
When we talk about global development or foreign aid, here—at the risk of oversimplifying—is what we mean: the strengthening of capacities in economic development, health, education, energy, food security and safety, and governance, by means of humanitarian and technical assistance, with respect for human rights, and in ways that are congruent with the cultures and traditions of host cultures. Putting it more simply, it’s using expertise to partner with host nationals on the ground to improve individual, community, and societal well-being.
JOSHUA LIVESTRO: What’s at Stake in Germany’s Elections
FOR MOST OF THE LAST HALF CENTURY, GERMANY has been a dominant force in Europe. Its economic strength, its large population, and its strategic location have made it a powerhouse in the affairs of the continent. But the geopolitical landscape has been shifting and old certainties crumbling, and some of the assumptions on which German dominance was built no longer hold. The illusion of a world governed by mutually beneficial commercial relationships has given way to the harsh reality of a renewed great power competition, leaving Berlin with the task of rebuilding the very foundations of its security and prosperity. As the country prepares to head to the polls this Sunday, it faces a reckoning—one that will determine not just its own future, but that of the European Union as a whole.
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MARK HERTLING: Don’t Purge the Generals
HISTORY IS FILLED WITH LESSONS on the dangers of political leaders purging military officers for the wrong reasons, yet Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is reportedly preparing to fire a host of senior military officers that the Trump administration has deemed “woke,” starting with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff CQ Brown.
Political interference in military leadership—especially dismissing generals and admirals based on ideological loyalty rather than competence—has repeatedly led to disastrous consequences. Whether driven by paranoia, sectarianism, or a desire for greater personal control, politically motivated purges have a history of weakening armies, undermining national security, and, in the worst cases, leading to battlefield defeat. While leadership overhauls are sometimes necessary, history shows that political “purges” often leave a country vulnerable to both external threats and internal instability.
SAM STEIN: He Took Musk’s Resignation Offer. He Was Fired Anyway. [And then after this article was published, his firing was reversed!]
A TOP-RANKING REGIONAL FEMA OFFICIAL who took Elon Musk’s resignation deal was fired thirteen days later by the Trump administration, raising questions about the integrity of the program that the White House put together to off-ramp tens of thousands of federal employees.
SAM B. GIRGUS: Don’t Give Up on America
IN 1988, I TAUGHT A CLASS ON AMERICAN STUDIES to about 250 students, many of them from countries around the world. After discussing the theme of the Exodus, redemption, and renewal in American culture, one student came up to me and told me he was from Southeast Asia. He said, nervously but fervently, his voice cracking, “We have lived that story. We immigrated here, we worked our way out of poverty, it has become our home.” In those years before the complete collapse of the Soviet Union, I also had the good fortune to visit and work with students in Eastern Europe. Those students didn’t need to be told about the American idea. I distributed books by Thoreau and Hemingway and Faulker to great applause from students eager to learn more about America—not about its geography or even about its people, but about what it stood for, what it meant.
🚨OVERTIME🚨
Happy Friday! I am disappointed I can’t make this weekend’s Principles First Conference, but I’m already hearing that it is PACKED. Hope you guys have fun. If you’re going, be sure to say hi to our people at the happy hour after Saturday’s events.
🎵On the Jukebox…🎵 Caamp - Let Things Go
Congrats to Canada! What a game. I’m biased because I am a Blues fan, but never underestimate Jordan Binnington. Ask Boston. Tickets were going for more than $2k, and a lot of those games, it seems like a gamble that it was worth it. Even though the US lost, I think everyone in attendance got their money’s worth.
Elon Musk Can’t Stop Talking… About Penises (The Atlantic🎁 )
Iowa Pollster Sued by Trump Over Bad Results Files Scathing Motion to Dismiss: ‘Fatally Flawed on Every Level’ (Sarah Rumpf, Mediaite)
AP sues 3 Trump administration officials… citing freedom of speech (AP).
The American Who Went Undercover in Ukraine—for Moscow (WSJ)
RIP: Roger Mandigo, Who Made Chicken Nuggets and the McRib Possible, Dies at 85 (WSJ)
The Trump Backers… Who Have Buyer’s Remorse (The Atlantic🎁)
Florida congressman investigated… for alleged DC assault as police probe their own handling (NBC4)
Elon Musk has a problem with X’s Community Notes… when he disapproves of the results (CNBC)
I cannot describe how strange Elon Musk’s CPAC appearance was… So here’s a literal transcript instead. (Sarah Jeong, The Verge)
Dr. Drew is an asshole… SFGATE columnist Drew Magary outlines the downward spiral of one of America's most well-known doctors.
BlazeTV Host Thanks Violent Jan. 6 Participant… For ‘Storming The Capitol’ (Angry White Men)
‘Cowardliness at the top’: Science agency staff revolt over cuts (Politico)
A month before March Madness… Kentucky shrinks sports betting enforcement team (WCPO). Three managers and one compliance officer, for the entire Commonwealth? What could go right?
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Editorial photos provided by Getty Images. For full credits, please consult the article.