# USAID's New Direction

> A former USAID official reveals how to rebuild foreign aid for real impact.
- Title: USAID's New Direction · Foreign Policy | Shortify
- Summary: A former USAID official reveals how to rebuild foreign aid for real impact. Jeremiah Carew, a 21-year USAID veteran, argues for shifting foreign aid from…
- Keywords: usaids, colombia, local partners, beltway bandits, natsios, transformative aid, land titles, kabul solar auction, afghan government, kajaki dam, USAID's, Direction
- Source: Foreign Policy — https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/11/02/usaid-doge-grants-development
- Author: Jeremiah A. Carew
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: usaids, colombia, local partners, beltway bandits, natsios, transformative aid, land titles, kabul solar auction, afghan government, kajaki dam
## USAID's Tragic End
The U.S. Agency for International Development closed its Colombia mission in August 2025 after 21 years of service.
## A Broken System
USAID spent millions on paperwork and low-risk projects instead of transformative partnerships with local governments.
## The Land Titles Problem
Over 40 percent of rural landowners in Colombia lacked proper land titles before USAID's intervention.
## Contractor Struggles
USAID contractors often focused on counting units like land titles instead of deeper reforms.
## The Natsios Critique
Former USAID Administrator Andrew Natsios warned in 2010 that USAID had become too focused on compliance and paperwork.
## Local Partners Underfunded
Only 5 percent of USAID funding in Colombia went to local partners, far below the global average of 12 percent.
## The Kabul Solar Moment
In 2016, USAID helped Afghan officials secure a deal for a solar farm at a world-class price without donor intermediaries.
## Kajaki Dam Success
The Afghan government tripled Kajaki Dam output with Turkish investors after USAID's solar auction pilot.
## Beltway Bandits
USAID relied on large international NGOs and for-profit contractors known as 'Beltway bandits' for most projects.
## The Localization Push
Former USAID Administrator Samantha Power aimed for 25 percent of funding to go to local partners by 2025, but only 12 percent was achieved.
## Colombia's Challenge
Colombia is an upper-middle-income country with a developed private sector but still needed USAID's support.
## The Field Model
USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) worked directly with communities on small projects without back-office contracts.
## Grassroots Success
The Inter-American Foundation supported small Indigenous-led NGOs and women's groups in Colombia with under $100,000 grants.
## The Real Solution
USAID should shift from counting units to measuring transformative outcomes like the Kabul solar auction.
## Global Threats
Foreign aid helps address migration, drug trafficking, climate change, and pandemics in developing countries.
## The Way Forward
USAID must prioritize transformative partnerships over bureaucratic processes to protect U.S. interests globally.
## Key takeaway

Jeremiah Carew, a 21-year USAID veteran, argues for shifting foreign aid from bureaucratic processes to transformative local partnerships.