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realglobalblonde@gmail.com's avatar

I worked with the Chinese Government as a language education consultant for 15 years, during which time the Belt and Road Initiative was unveiled. I understand the beneficial impact it will have on those at the end of the line--Europe, but also on all of the currently underdeveloped communities along it's vast route. I've visited global sites where China's soft power investments have won them the hearts of people in Costa Rica, Botswana, Australia and many more.

I have a very close relative who has regularly walked the migration routes of Yemenis fleeing to Africa. They have been displaced not only by fighting, but by environmental disasters such as flooding and storms. Changes in rainfall patterns have devastated its agriculture and access to food and water. As they cross the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait into Djibouti, they pass Africans (primarily Ethiopians and Somalis, who are making the dangerous trek in the opposite direction in search of a better life for their families.

The world is vast and complicated. Myopic approaches to how, or even if, we participate in supporting political and ecomomic stability and basic life-supporting infrastructure are not helpful. While we all argue on social media while comfortably seated on our couches, and while our legislators are reposting news articles about their cute paddles and sharing videos of themselves holding weak-ass press conferences, the vacuum our absence has created is being filled by governments who do not share our values for democracy and ndividual freedom and who will gladly win the friends we are shunning.

From my career and family's global life experience, I have learned one important thing, and it became my motto over the years:

It is cheaper and easier to win friends than to defeat enemies.

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Timothy Patrick's avatar

Thank you for sharing this, Elise! Even though starting off the week with a more nuanced understanding of how chaotic things are doesn’t feel awesome, I suppose it’s necessary to get the full context to inform how much we should or shouldn’t be dreading the future. Next thing my brain wants to focus on is preventing future dread. And while I do not see much I can do directly to change what’s happening, I do feel I can at least help get the word out to challenge the propaganda coming from the White House.

Reading this article, I imagine many of us are having distinctly different reactions based on our starting assumptions. If you generally believe government programs are worthwhile until proven wasteful, this article likely feels like yet another exhausting example of shortsighted destruction. If you tend to see government spending as suspect until proven essential, you might welcome this reset as an opportunity to rebuild only what's truly necessary.

I've been experimenting with approaches to bridge these divides online, both with strangers and loved ones. Here's what I've learned: I've never had someone reply, "You know what? You've completely changed my mind." That's not a realistic objective for most online interactions. Instead, I aim to balance discussions that have become one-sided, introduce reasonable doubt about absolutist positions, plant seeds that might sprout later when someone experiences contradictions in their chosen position, and model thoughtful engagement for the silent observers.

When someone repeats talking points about "wasteful" programs (like the Arab "Sesame Street" example mentioned in the article), I've found success with questions that invite genuine curiosity rather than confrontation: "Do you happen to know what the intent behind that program was?" or "I'm interested to hear what you think the alternatives might be if we don't fund this type of work? Are you concerned about China and Russia filling the voids of support we are leaving?" or "Have you ever met someone who worked in or benefited from these programs? I'd be curious about their perspective." Sometimes I'll ask, "What sources do you trust for evaluating the effectiveness of these programs?" which often reveals whether they've formed opinions based on specific information or general assumptions.

This approach builds enough trust to eventually ask more challenging questions: "If you generally distrust government officials, does that skepticism extend to all powerful figures including those you tend to support? Or is there a double standard at play?" or "What would convince you that a particular program actually serves our national interests rather than just being wasteful spending?"

People don't respond well to being told they're uninformed. The trope of repeating the words “facts” and “research” as if they are an argument in themselves is common, but absurd.

However, almost all of us are uncomfortable with inconsistency in our own thinking. Gently highlighting contradictions in someone's position ("You distrust bureaucrats but give complete benefit of doubt to certain politicians") will always be more effective than presenting contrary facts. “Facts” have almost no persuasiveness in these discussions unless someone is asking for them.

Even when the person you're engaging with seems unmovable, countless others are reading silently. They're often more persuadable because they're not publicly committed to a position. Success in these conversations isn't converting the staunchest opponents—it's ensuring that those with legitimate concerns about programs like USAID can see there's a substantive case for their strategic importance, even if they ultimately disagree. Right now, they likely only have propaganda in their ears.

I'm curious how others approach these conversations. Have you found effective ways to discuss complex policy issues like foreign aid with people who start from fundamentally different assumptions?

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