No matter how hard some people try to ignore the broader world and believe that the United States can simply go it alone, this has always been a fallacy. It is indisputable that without friends, allies, and partners who are willing to work with the United States, the world will not simply bend to our will. Some important priorities can be pursued unilaterally, but time and again it has been proven that broad coalitions can provide a significant counterbalance to hegemons.

At a critical time, the United States has appeared to have decided to give China a free opportunity to reshape the world to its liking. From pausing all international investments, to abandoning international forums, and attempts to bully friends and neighbors, the United States has demonstrated itself an unreliable partner and has undermined the influence it has spent the past 70 years building. When the United States refuses to lead, other countries will fill the void to shape the world in their own image.

Already, China is outcompeting the United States on the global stage and continues to increase their engagement with countries near and far. While opaque, it is estimated that China has increased its foreign aid to countries by tenfold since 2000 and the official number reached $4.8 billion in 2020. Several estimates indicate that this rose to $7.9 billion in 2022. No matter your feelings on the sustainability of these projects, the fact of the matter remains that China strives to build relationships with countries and leverage these investments into various forms of influence. The recent pause in all U.S. foreign aid for a 90-day review simply opens the doors to allow China to walk right through and increase their global influence even further. Why U.S. programs could not have continued while being reviewed remains unclear. This would have provided the opportunity to prevent massive disruptions to critical programs and the associated reputational damage that is currently ongoing, not to mention the untold number of people who will die due to these decisions.

In addition, by leaving global organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Paris Climate Accords, the United States only makes the issue worse. President Trump has openly complained that organizations such as the WHO are overly influenced by China, citing this as a reason to leave the forum. What better way to ensure that China solidifies that influence than by America taking our proverbial ball and heading home. As the largest funder of the WHO, the United States exerts the most influence on the organization, thereby providing itself with the opportunity to direct program funding.

In a climate in which there is bi-partisan support for competing with China on global priorities, now is not the time for leaving a gaping hole in international leadership.