{"id":14505,"date":"2026-04-16T13:35:32","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T10:35:32","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-04-16T13:35:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T10:35:32","slug":"us-pressures-foreign-nations-to-sign-trade-instead-of-aid-declaration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harici.com.tr\/en\/us-pressures-foreign-nations-to-sign-trade-instead-of-aid-declaration\/","title":{"rendered":"US pressures foreign nations to sign trade instead of aid declaration"},"content":{"rendered":"

The United States is exerting<\/a><\/span> pressure on foreign governments to sign a joint declaration advocating “trade instead of aid,” according to a diplomatic cable dispatched Wednesday to all US embassies and consulates.<\/p>\n

In the directive, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered American diplomats to issue a formal demarche to foreign nations, seeking their support before the initiative is presented to the United Nations in late April.<\/p>\n

The cable provides diplomats with specific talking points designed to assist in conveying the administration\u2019s worldview to their counterparts. These points begin by stating that under the leadership of President Donald Trump, the US has entered a “new Golden Age” underpinned by a rapidly growing economy fueled by “business-friendly policies\u2014including deregulation, tax cuts, and a liberalized energy sector.”<\/p>\n

The full text of the declaration is included in the document. While much of the declaration consists of a relatively uncontroversial defense of free-market values, it simultaneously targets the existing global aid framework. The document alleges that the current system “frequently leads to dependency, inefficiency, and corruption.”<\/p>\n

“It is the private sector, not state aid, that has developed every successful economy in the world,” the declaration continues.<\/p>\n

According to the cable, the US mission to the United Nations will host an event before the end of April to formalize the signing of the declaration. Ambassador Mike Waltz provided a preview of these efforts during testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

In the instructions seen by the Washington Post, Rubio characterized the “trade instead of aid” initiative as an opportunity to leverage the UN system to “promote America First values and create business opportunities for US companies.”<\/p>\n

This move comes as part of the Trump administration\u2019s efforts to fundamentally restructure the global aid architecture. Arguing that such programs result in “waste, corruption, and dependency,” the administration has dissolved the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and withdrawn funding from multilateral initiatives at the UN.<\/p>\n

Other major foreign aid donors, including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, have followed the Trump administration\u2019s lead by scaling back their own efforts, contributing to what some observers have termed the “great aid recession.”<\/p>\n

While the global aid system has long faced criticism regarding the dependency it can create, skeptics argue the Trump administration\u2019s approach will allow for-profit corporations to exploit impoverished nations.<\/p>\n

“This solidifies our position on cutting aid entirely and allowing companies to thrive in new markets,” a State Department official said.<\/p>\n

Aspects of the “trade instead of aid” declaration were first reported by Devex, which published a report Tuesday revealing that the US proposal was circulating at the United Nations.<\/p>\n

The effort to persuade other nations to sign the declaration may serve as an indicator of the skepticism foreign capitals hold regarding the administration\u2019s initiatives.<\/p>\n

“As someone who has led many diplomatic initiatives over time, I don\u2019t think this will be well-received because it is perceived as undermining the UN,” said Sam Vigersky, an international relations expert at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and former senior humanitarian advisor to the US mission to the UN.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The United States is exerting pressure on foreign governments to sign a joint declaration advocating “trade instead of aid,” according to a diplomatic cable dispatched Wednesday to all US embassies and consulates. In the directive, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered American diplomats to issue a formal demarche to foreign nations, seeking their support […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14506,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[176],"tags":[2354,7003,5018,17945,319,4287,6645,726,17944,3583,3584,6685,17943,3280,17942,502,821,5875],"class_list":["post-14505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-america","tag-america-first","tag-council-on-foreign-relations","tag-deregulation","tag-devex","tag-donald-trump","tag-economic-development","tag-energy-sector","tag-foreign-aid","tag-great-aid-recession","tag-marco-rubio","tag-mike-waltz","tag-private-sector","tag-sam-vigersky","tag-tax-cuts","tag-trade-instead-of-aid","tag-united-nations","tag-us","tag-usaid"],"yoast_head":"\nUS pressures foreign nations to sign trade instead of aid declaration - 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