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This reputation has been destroyed by DOGE. They could claim that ZunZuneo was a one-time blunder and they were all about the goodwill of the American people otherwise: food, medicine and infrastructure, no strings attached. Except that suddenly Ukrainian journalists and Iranian activists start doomposting about their lack of funding. Who's going to let USAID back into their country after that?
I assume that covert influence operations are structured
90% food, medicine and infrastructure
10% subversion
and that looking inside the 90% food, medicine and infrastructure, it is actually 60% food, medicine and infrastructure 30% corruption and pay-offs.
The locals who benefit from the 30% corruption and pay-offs would be keen to let USAID back in, and either don't care about the 10% subversion, or consider it acceptable if it means that they get their cut.
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The same people who let it in before. That USAID members and advocates fancied it in a certain way never meant that other actors shared in that view. Iranian activists weren't exactly being supported from inside Iran, and the Ukrainians who are getting support aren't exactly at odds with the Ukrainian government.
I was thinking about unaligned third-world countries, the ones that have internationally recognized sham elections. The US used to be able to come and say, "here's our aid, but you will let USAID distribute it directly because your institutions are corrupt", which was true. But now some African president will be able to counter this with "we won't let USAID into our country because it's a known supporter of subversive activities, as reported by your own newspapers".
Do you think that westerners bearing ‘gender based violence reduction initiatives’ and ‘pro-democracy grants’ were generally beloved by tinpot dictators?
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'Used to'? 'But now'?
You're acting as if they claims didn't already exist. Conspiracies inflating USAID are more common in those countries, not less. There was nothing preventing the powers from making those claims or objections before, not least because they have made such claims before. This doesn't introduce a new dynamic.
Moreover, the reason most countries let in USAID regardless is stronger if USAID is rolled into the State Department, not weaker: picking a fight over it is picking a fight with the American embassy in your country. When USAID and the American Embassy are divided, it's a lower political cost (if at all) to block them- hence why there are more countries with US Embassies than USAID. When USAID and the Embassy are one in the same, blocking USAID now a constant issue with the Ambassador... who, of course, can block other aid / assets / diplomatic favors / etc. until you want in.
And sure, there are some countries that write that off... but these are countries where USAID was not active regardless.
Whereas for any country that wants to maintain American economic inputs in addition to all other sources (i.e. trying to maximize money gained), an argument of 'we won't accept your money because it comes with your influence efforts' is not particularly compelling if your country accepts significant amount of money from China which similarly comes with influence efforts. Unless, again, you are the sort of country where USAID is already not active regardless.
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