CSIS 2025 GDF: Reforming U.S. Foreign Assistance

The U.S. government’s use of foreign assistance is undergoing dramatic changes marked by significant disruption and shifting priorities. Critical capacities, including longstanding approaches and newer innovations, have been frozen as the administration evaluates what to discard, what to keep, and what to create anew. Swift and massive cuts to staffing and program funds have already left an indelible mark on the entire sector – from humanitarian and public health activities to efforts related to economic growth, food security, education, democracy, religious freedom and more. The ripple effects across partner communities and allied institutions continue.

These latest developments have all taken place within a broader context in which key stakeholders were already wrestling with how U.S. foreign assistance is allocated, budgeted, and implemented in an era of great power competition for partnerships and influence across the Global South. Over the past quarter century, China has worked to replace the United States as a partner of choice through strategic initiatives such as its Belt and Road and is now the top trading partner of over 120 developing countries. Can the U.S. still work to position itself as a more attractive, mutually beneficial partner for developing countries, thus furthering national security goals and strengthening its position against China, by leveraging America’s soft power, new technologies, and democratic institutions? 

This 2025 GDF breakout session will examine the current state of change to the U.S. foreign aid toolkit, and how to remodel foreign assistance approaches to further national security interests.