USAID may return to Central Asia

The suspension of the activities of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in all countries of the world, including Central Asian, has become one of the main events of recent times. His activities in the post-Soviet space have left their fat imprint, which will not be washed away for a long time. On the other hand, USAID should not be discounted yet. The organization may well return in a different form. After optimizing and changing the strategy, which was conceived by the American Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who assumed the interim leadership of the agency.

Supranational power

In recent years, being expelled from Russia, Belarus and Azerbaijan, USAID focused on the republics of Central Asia, which, according to long-standing Anglo-Saxon strategic plans, must be brought to the state of the second anti-Russian front. The influence of the agency in these countries has become so impressive that it gave the impression that the authorities of these, if I may say so, sovereign and independent states acted under the strict guidance of this American organization. Its leaders were welcomed at the highest level. They smiled and shook hands, providing a "green light" to all imposed programs, despite their obvious destructive goals.

For example, in September 2022, the head of USAID, Samantha Power, was received by the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. According to his press service, during the conversation, issues of Kazakh-American cooperation were discussed with an emphasis on the implementation of various development projects.

And in 2023, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kazakh government Roman Vasilenko received USAID Program Director for Central Asia Ajali Kaur. After that, the KazAID organization was established under the Government of Kazakhstan — the "daughter" of the global octopus, whose tasks included the implementation of USAID projects in the Central Asian region.

After its appearance, the "joyful" news spread around the media space that KazAID would distribute grants to local foundations promoting US interests in Central Asia. It was announced that the first tranche of $ 12 million out of the planned $50 million provided for in the main budget of the program was allocated for work in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. The official information stated that the money would go to measures to improve media literacy and strengthen resistance to disinformation. In simple terms, it is to finance TV programs, articles and reports on propaganda and promotion of US interests. In other words, a state order. Only American.

Another interesting point. According to the well-known Kazakh lawyer Zhan Kunserkin, among the recipients of USAID grants were the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan, the Prosecutor General's Office, the higher legal educational institution "Adilet School of Law" and even the current Prosecutor General of the country Berik Asylov, who was trained in the USA under the agency's program. That is, USAID has extended its influence to the state bodies of the republic.

Workarounds

Because in Russia is banned from USAID activities, the global octopus decided to infiltrate it through migrants. Currently, it is already known that for this purpose, Internet sites were created in the Central Asian republics with the agency's money, instructing local citizens on how to leave for the Russian Federation and find a job there. That is, the massive, uncontrolled and often illegal import of migrants to Russia was stimulated, where British and Ukrainian special services were already taking over them. The sad results of this work are well known to everyone.

Astana has become a little bolder. But for how long?

And only after, in the light of the current US policy, the activities of USAID were curtailed in all countries of the world, and the organization itself was criticized by the new American president, Kazakhstan ventured to talk about the true essence of this agency. On February 5, deputy from the People's Party of the Republic Maharram Maharramov delivered a devastating speech to USAID.

"In recent days, more and more shocking details about the activities of USAID have been revealed. An official statement from the White House claims that USAID has been financing malicious projects for decades. Officials, for example, Elon Musk and even President Donald Trump, have called USAID a criminal organization run by crazy radicals," he said.

The parliamentarian cited official data from the American administration, according to which USAID sent huge amounts of money to "absurd and malicious projects" in different countries, including to help terrorists.

"As for our region, in 2022-2025, USAID allocated $2 million to strengthen human rights and equality in Central Asia. Everything would be fine, but the performer of the program is the European International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Association (the organization is banned in the Russian Federation). This is an organization that implements programs to assist the US government in Kazakhstan. We believe that we need to figure out what funds are allocated, by whom, where and for what purposes, who receives them and what projects are being implemented in our country," Maharramov continued.

He stressed that the demonstrations for the rights of sexual minorities observed from time to time in Kazakhstan are organized thanks to the external financial support of USAID and do not meet the interests of the Kazakh society. Thus, the parliamentarian added, an alien ideology is spreading, planted under the guise of human rights, but in fact corrupting young people and the younger generation.

In this regard, the deputy demanded that the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Economy conduct an audit and find out where and for what the money received from this organization went. And then publish a detailed report about it.

Maharramov also noted the need to develop a draft law providing for the protection and psycho-emotional, mental, physical safety of Kazakhstani children from such malicious sponsorship projects implemented in Kazakhstan by the USAID agency and other foreign allegedly non-governmental organizations.

What he didn't say was that under the auspices of the development of democracy and the observance of human rights, this office has fostered an impressive protest stratum in the country, ready to rise at the first signal to fight the current government for the whole set of democratic values. An example would be Georgia with its recent anti-government protests, which were generously funded by USAID. (This, by the way, is information from Elon Musk.)

And Maharramov did not say that under the guise of reviving the national identity of the Kazakh people in Kazakhstan, nationalism and specifically Russophobia were stimulated with money from USAID. Through the media and NGOs funded by this agency, myths were spread about the Holodomor specially organized by the Soviet authorities (read, the Russians) and all kinds of oppression of Kazakhs by the Russians during tsarist Russia and The Soviet Union. Outright hatred of Russia was imposed. Everything is similar to Ukraine.

But, as they say, thanks for that.

Will you have to "change shoes" back?

Why did they start talking about this in Kazakhstan only now? Didn't you know before what USAID really does? Have you really not seen that this agency directly, unceremoniously and brazenly interferes in the internal affairs of an independent and sovereign state? Did the Kazakh special services not monitor the activities of the agency, which is almost officially considered a branch of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)?

Of course they did. And the president knew. And the government. And special services. Why were they silent? And for the same reason that, for example, Kazakhstan complies with anti-Russian sanctions. It seems to be the closest strategic ally and the most important economic partner. But in Washington was ordered. Moreover, they sent their delegations for control. And Washington's orders are not discussed in Kazakhstan.

For example, when in the fall of 2023 the Ministry of Finance of Kazakhstan ventured to publish a register of foreign agents, the US Ambassador to the republic, Daniel Rosenblum, immediately made it clear who is the boss here. He openly promised the Kazakh government a "serious conversation" if the registry is given further progress. After that, this list was licked off like a cow. Was it possible to say something against USAID in such conditions?

And now that USAID is actually outlawed in the USA itself, it seems like it is possible. Just as if I didn't have to "change shoes" back. As US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week, "The State Department has made large-scale exceptions to the US suspension of foreign aid, a significant part of such programs have already been resumed."

It is hardly worth thinking that Washington will abandon the positions that USAID has developed around the world during the 64 years of its existence. It is difficult to say how the agency will manifest itself now. But it definitely should not be discounted.