Turning the ‘rules-based world order’ on its head

On 20 January this year, Donald Trump was inducted President of the US for a second term. Within hours of his taking Oaths of Office, the ‘new’ president was busy signing a raft of Executive Orders addressing concerns he raised during his presidential campaign. Many of the revoked executive actions concerned those made by former US President Joe Biden. Trump also exited the US from the World Health Organisation. 
By 1 February, Trump had effectively shut down the organisation USAID—the relief arm of the American government. In September 2022, US Ambassador Julie Chung announced that the United States, through USAID, would provide an additional estimated $65 million (more than 23 billion Sri Lankan rupees) in assistance to Sri Lanka over a five-year period. 
This funding was in addition to over $60 million (21 billion Sri Lankan rupees) of new humanitarian and fertiliser assistance. Chung went on to remark “The United States and the American people are proud of our enduring and robust partnership with the people and government of Sri Lanka”.
However, with a stroke of the pen so-to-say, by 2 February 2025, US President Trump had ripped up those agreements, without any consultation with USAID’s local partners. 
A number of Lankan Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) both big and small, ranging from election monitoring bodies to small village-level NGOs have been left hanging fire in the middle of their programmes. 
There are many lessons we need to learn from the experience. It exposes the danger of becoming dependent on foreign partners, especially if the funds come from foreign government agencies. Unwittingly sometimes, even governments become dependent on these agencies. 
The worst part of these aid programmes is that local people and groups unwittingly pass on sensitive information to these funding agencies. We see this happening in the Middle East where Israel is waging a genocidal war on Palestinians. Many countries in the Middle East eg Saudi Arabia and Jordan are dependent on the US for military aid. 
Because Lanka is not a big receiver of US funds, the latest action of the new US president in cutting US-backed programmes in Lanka is mild compared to the effect his actions are causing in other countries around the world.

The new US president is demanding that the land of Palestine, be handed over to the US for development in the aftermath of Israel’s bombing of large sections of that country to the dust. Trump’s state aim is to turn Gaza into the “Riviera Of the Middle East” without consultation with the Palestinian people.
The US President is demanding Saudi Arabia and Jordan absorb Palestinians displaced by Israel’s bombing of the Gaza Strip into their country. No condemnation of Israel’s crimes. Simply a demand that Saudi and Jordan accept the consequence of Israel’s activities, while at the same time evicting Palestinians from their homes, land and country. 
The US president is forgetting the lessons of Vietnam where it attempted to impose a US-friendly regime on the Vietnamese people. In the end, the US had to hastily retreat from that country. More recently it faced the same situation in Afghanistan.
Today, the US is demanding Greenland -the world’s largest island, located off the northernmost point of land in the world- be handed over to the US. He also demands Canada give up its independence and become a state within the US. 
An attempt is also being made by an American President to turn the ‘world order’ on its head. 
Our government needs to heed these warning signs as it seeks friends to extricate our country from its economic difficulties. Over-dependence on a single source may result in situations which have overtaken many countries in the Middle East. 
Not too long ago both the US and Britain threatened our country when it nationalised its lands, and again when it evicted the Israeli embassy from this country.
Today the situation is much more dicey we are just emerging from bankruptcy. We need friends but need to ensure we do not exchange our independence ‘for a few dollars more”.