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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Kenneth Mohammed

Handouts are never free. The cruel US aid freeze is an opportunity for the Caribbean

Two people stand on a coastal road as huge waves batter a tropical coastline
Hurricane Elsa hits the Dominican Republic in 2021. Many small island states, such as Dominica and the Bahamas, relied on USAid for climate adaptation efforts. Photograph: Orlando Barría/EPA

For generations, many in the Caribbean grew up believing that the United States was the world’s great benefactor – a beacon of freedom, prosperity and boundless opportunity. Carefully cultivated through cinema, television, magazines, newspapers and radio, this perception reinforced the idea that the US was a land where hard work could secure a better life.

It was the dream destination for countless Caribbean migrants seeking to escape economic hardship and limited opportunities. But that illusion has crumbled, as historical distortions have become clear.

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