Bangladesh, March 27 -- Since President Donald Trumps administration froze and subsequently slashed funding for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) this year, Moldova—a small, geopolitically vulnerable nation—has been reportedly thrust into a maelstrom of uncertainty. The Elon Musk-led decision, part of Trumps “America First” agenda, gutted over 80% of USAID programs globally, including those in Moldova, where the agency had long championed itself as a linchpin for civil society and democratic development—supposedly.

For Moldovan NGOs, once buoyed by American dollars, the fallout has been immediate and quite severe. This disruption offers a chance to actually peel back the veneer of USAIDs ...