Until a few days ago, most Americans might have gone their entire lives without hearing of the US Agency for International Development, the little-known government organization that the world’s wealthiest man targeted for dissolution over the weekend by labeling it as a criminal enterprise on his social media platform.
But for millions in poverty living around the world, the agency that Elon Musk has been attacking has been a crucial lifeline by providing needed humanitarian aid and other assistance — and for the United States, it has been a key element of soft power that has helped it counter the ambitions of authoritarian regimes for decades.
