When Donald Trump declared that he was cutting funding for the World Health Organization, Richard Horton -- the editor of the Lancet -- called his decision "a crime against humanity." Others have also condemned Trump. Martin McKee writes:
Simon Coveney, the foreign minister of Ireland, a country with exceptionally close ties with the United States, described Trump’s decision to cut funds to WHO as an “indefensible decision, in midst of global pandemic. So many vulnerable populations rely on WHO – deliberately undermining funding and trust now is shocking.” Heiko Maas, the German foreign minister was slightly more restrained, tweeting that: “Blaming does not help. The virus knows no borders”. In the UK, however, where ministers are still hoping for a post-Brexit trade deal, a Downing Street spokesman rejected an invitation to join the condemnation, although they did voice support for the WHO.
World leaders -- as illustrated by the Brits -- have tiptoed around the Mercurial Moron. But there is good reason to call him out now:
The decision will clearly damage the WHO. First, there is the loss of funding. As the world’s richest country, the United States contributes 40% of the WHO’s core budget, although this only amounts to 20% of its total spending. The US also contributes the largest share to the remaining 80% of voluntary contributions.
The irony, of course, is that Trump is repeating the very actions that got him impeached. Congress has approved funding for WHO and Trump cannot impound it. Congress has the power of the purse, not Trump. So much for Susan Collins' claim that Trump had learned his lesson.
There is one lesson, however, that the world must take from this debacle. McKee writes:
The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the weaknesses of individual leaders and international cooperation. In a world where Jair Bolsanaro can threaten the world by allowing the Amazon to burn, or Donald Trump can undermine those leading the response to a pandemic, the need for a new international order has never been more urgent.
It has to be a world order that excludes the United States. Admittedly, it's a tall order. But unless we re-organize the way the world works, Trump will not only bring down his own country. He'll bring down the planet.
Image: Common Dreams
