This article goes over the effects of the withdrawal of US foreign aid. Many low cost clinics and medical camps have had to close do to the lack of funds. This has exacerbated the loss of a central government and lack of centralised healthcare in the country. One of the workers gave his opinion that if funding didn’t resume that more damage would be done than could be recovered from. This also highlights how Trump’s foreign policy can affect other countries’ domestic issues to a large degree especially states that rely on US foreign aid to survive.
Trumps start in office has been a rough one on the international stage as the US swings to more towards off shore balancing than direct interventionism is directly shown. The idea that other countries need to turn away from US foreign aid may lead to some countries to go into the arms of foreign advisories. If China or Iran are able to swoop in and gain favor and more international sway. The US is relying on the ability of Israel and the Saudis to keep peace in the Middle East and to hedge independently against the Iranians.
This can connect to the shift in the Grand strategy of the US in the next 4 years. Currently Trump is shifting towards offshore balancing and less intervention to keep favor at home as the US is not in the mood for war on a large scale. Syria will need to shift it’s perspective internationally and is with the removal of the Assad regime. It may take a long time for Syria to get to a place where they are able to survive without a large chunk of foreign aid. Relating this to class more this just illustrates the extent to which the Middle East is a shatter belt as the countries of Syria and Lebanon both can’t handle natural disasters without external assistance.