When the World Calls, Will America Answer?
On March 28, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit central Myanmar near Mandalay, killing upwards of 4,000 people and displacing tens of thousands. The quake struck a country already amid civil war, where government services are fractured, and many communities—like ethnic minorities such as the Rohingya—have long been left without consistent access to aid or protection.
In a surprising shift, the junta declared a state of emergency and welcomed international humanitarian aid, marking a departure from its rejections following Cyclone Mocha in 2023 and Cyclone Nargis in 2008, which killed over 138,000 people. Yet early signs suggest this openness is performative: aid access has already been blocked in opposition-controlled areas, and the military continues to control and redirect aid.
The earthquake comes at a time of Myanmar’s greatest humanitarian crisis—but it’s also the first major rapid-onset disaster to test the international humanitarian system since the Trump administration initiated massive cuts to U.S. foreign assistance. With USAID staff terminated mid-response and no U.S. Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DARTs) deployed ten days after the quake, the world is seeing the effects of America’s diminished humanitarian presence.
Even before the earthquake, millions in Myanmar required humanitarian assistance due to ongoing civil conflict and mass displacement. The region hardest hit by the quake, near Mandalay, was already sheltering 1.6 million internally displaced people. Now, survivors sleep outdoors in the rain, preparing for aftershocks, without access to adequate shelter, medical care, or food.
While neighbors like China, India, and Hong Kong quickly mobilized rescue teams and aid within 72 hours, their efforts alone are not enough. Reports of locals digging through debris with their hands highlight the lack of trained responders and equipment.
Emergency aid is more than altruism; it’s a tool of diplomacy. Past instances of “earthquake diplomacy,” Turkey and Sweden in 2023, show how humanitarian response can build bridges across geopolitical tensions. After the 2023 Turkey quake, U.S. leadership in the region was reaffirmed. In Myanmar, its absence is glaring.
The Trump administration has indicated plans to reconfigure USAID further, folding it into the State Department. But what this means for operational capacity remains murky. With U.S. responses becoming dependent on allies, other nations are asking: When the next crisis strikes, will America show up?
For allies in the Indo-Pacific like India, Japan, and the Philippines, nations the U.S. counts on to counterbalance China, this is a critical moment. The reduced American presence in Myanmar sends an eery message: that the U.S., once the gold standard in humanitarian response, may no longer lead when the world calls.