![Palestinian refugees living in Jordan hold placards during a demonstration against the planned cuts in services related to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)’s education program, August 5, 2015. [AFP]](/sites/default/files/styles/d08_standard/public/im/jordan/UNRWA.jpg?itok=MvKw3ekt "Palestinian refugees living in Jordan hold placards during a demonstration against the planned cuts in services related to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)’s education program, August 5, 2015. [AFP]")
US President Donald Trump has announced plans to slash the United States' budget for foreign aid, including funds sent to the Middle East, while at the same time upping defense spending (probably to keep all those Muslims out of ‘Murica!), according to The Guardian.
The move was condemned by some Twitter users, with multiple people stressing how miniscule foreign aid sums were compared to the rest of the United States’ budget (perhaps as tiny as Mr. Trump’s hands).
@th0usandsunnny But yup, Trump's going to gut our microscopic foreign aid spending to increase military. Absolutely nuts
— joey nabor (@a75donethis) February 28, 2017
Foreign aid is a tiny % of the US budget that pays large dividends. Trump's decision to slash it will create instability & hurt US interests
— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) February 27, 2017
Over 120 retired generals from the US Army also protested against the proposed cuts, using previous statements from newly-appointed US Secretary of Defense James Mattis to bolster their claims:
Citing Mattis, retired generals oppose Trump's proposed foreign aid cuts https://t.co/moDWclCSKP
— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) February 28, 2017
That ex-army officials would reject the probable reallocation of funds to the defense budget speaks volumes about the decision.
So, how does this relate to Jordan? Well, for one, the Hashemite Kingdom is set (was set?) to receive the second largest amount of US monetary aid in the world in 2017, with $632.4m reportedly intended for Jordan this year alone. The funds help meet the needs of Jordan’s sizeable Syrian refugee population. Additionally, US contributions have traditionally represented the largest proportion of funding for UNRWA, the UN body that deals with displaced Palestinians who have arrived at various stages as Israel gobbles up more land.
In short, this cash keeps things stable enough to prevent Jordan from being sucked into regional conflict. If we remeber who’s bordering the country—Syria, Iraq, Israel-Palestine, and Lebanon—the fact that Jordan has remained relatively stable is pretty impressive. It seems like a rash decision to risk maintaining Jordan's status as the lynchpin of security in the region.
LM
