Graduation Year
2026
Date of Submission
4-2026
Document Type
Campus Only Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
International Relations
Reader 1
Lisa Koch
Abstract
How does the absence of USAID affect the United States’ ability to achieve the Trump administration's national interest of becoming safer, stronger, and more prosperous? This thesis argues that USAID functioned as a critical instrument of U.S. foreign policy across all three objectives. Chapter I, “Safer,” demonstrates how USAID mitigated threats related to migration, terrorism, and disease through upstream preventative interventions. Chapter II, “Stronger,” illustrates how USAID expertise reinforced U.S. military efforts, enabled advantageous geopolitical positioning, and solidified the United States’ allied network through policy and situational information-sharing. Chapter III, “Prosperous,” explains how USAID expanded access to markets, supported domestic businesses, and expanded American intellectual capacities through innovation-driven competitions and knowledge exchange. The final chapter addresses longstanding critiques of development aid and contemporary claims of Waste, Fraud, and Abuse, arguing that while there is room for improvement, the U.S., without USAID, is considerably less powerful in its ability to project power abroad and shape foreign policy outcomes.
Recommended Citation
parizeau, annie w., "Undermining Development, Undermining Power: How Gutting USAID Threatens a Safer, Stronger, and More Prosperous United States" (2026). CMC Senior Theses. 4072.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/4072
This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.
