Dave Ainsworth

Great on-the-ground #SkollWF insights from
@devex.com @daveainsworth.bsky.social

#SocialInnovation @skollfoundation.bsky.social

pages.devex.com/index.php/em...

Hi @warinthefuture.bsky.social. Have you written about how practical it is for Europe to defend Ukraine without the US? How long would it take for European powers to build an effective infrastructure to replace the US?

I've read other analyses but they vary considerably. What's your view?

The US umbrella has allowed European nations to indulge in our pretty rivalries for a long time. It's now time to behave like grown ups and get on the same page.

In practice, it's a bit more difficult. We rely a lot on US tech. But obviously, the right thing to do is to just send whatever's needed to win the war in Ukraine.

You cannot mess around with your own security.

'God Bless America' and the death of 10,000 projects Over the last 48 hours, thousands of programs have been terminated — many of which had already been granted waivers to deliver lifesaving humanitarian aid.

It's generally important, as a journalist, to take a neutral and dispassionate attitude to the news. But this was a hard one to do that with.

"We're cutting off lifesaving support for babies. God Bless America."

www.devex.com/news/god-ble...

Emmanuel Macron has told the FT that Trump's return to the White House is the jolt Europe needs to 'muscle up' and secure its own future.

Read @roulak.bsky.social's exclusive interview with the French president here: www.ft.com/content/1ee4...

Judge orders Trump administration to unfreeze existing aid programs In a major ruling, a U.S. federal judge told the administration to restore foreign aid funding that had been paused pending a 90-day review.

This feels big. A judge has just ordered the reversal of the stop work order.

But it also feels like a test.

Can USAID comply? Has too much of the infrastructure been demolished?

Will State obey? Or will it just ignore this order? What happens then?

www.devex.com/news/judge-o...

The problem is interoperability. We’ve become more interconnected by comms. We have to be connected as markets. The US has reaped all the benefits of tech and finance sectors because of an interconnected economy.

Basically, Europeans need to get on the same page, or get used to being bullied.

"Coristine, as WIRED previously reported, appears to have recently graduated from high school and to have been enrolled at Northeastern University. According to a copy of his resume obtained by WIRED, he spent three months at Neuralink, Musk’s brain-computer interface company, last summer."

Scoop: USAID director of security, legislative staff placed on leave The move comes amid signs that hour by hour, the world's largest donor is being dismantled.

SCOOP: John Voorhees, USAID’s director of security, has been placed on administrative leave after refusing to allow officials from the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, access to the agency’s sensitive compartmented information facility. ⤵️
www.devex.com/news/scoop-u...

Over the next few months the US is going to look increasingly unhinged. It’s an opportunity for the UK.

We have to look like a better place to base your finance or tech business than the US.

Things that could need include:

a) Visa reform
b) Access to Europe
c) Good comms

Can we do that?

My colleague Elissa Miolene will be at #G20 this week for Devex. She's compiled a fantastic explainer on what's happening (£). TLDR here are the key issues:

1. Hunger
2. Climate
3. Taxation of the mega rich
4. Debt
5. MDB reform

www.devex.com/news/the-g20...