I don't particularly enjoy posting current events on social media, but this one has had such a significant personal impact that I felt compelled to share it.
Many of you may have already seen it since GACKT posted about it on X, but I'm referring to President Trump's closure of USAID (United States Agency for International Development).
USAID is the equivalent of JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) in Japan—a government agency responsible for managing bilateral aid that the United States provides internationally. I hope that clarifies its role.
From my personal experience, when I worked as an environmental assessment specialist (dispatched by JICA) in East Timor, I had the opportunity to observe USAID projects firsthand. While I can't discuss specifics, they were large-scale undertakings, and we actually benefited from the outcomes of USAID projects.
My impression at the time was that USAID was an organization held in high regard by other aid agencies, including JICA. So when I heard about its closure, I was genuinely shocked. It seems the international development sector worldwide is in a state of panic as well.
To touch on a textbook concept: there's a principle called the "interdependence model," which posits that countries around the world are deeply interdependent through trade and other means, and that building peaceful, stable relationships leads to one's own stable development.
I understood this model to be the theoretical foundation of international cooperation. However, this situation makes it impossible to ignore the sense that these very premises are beginning to crumble.