A Daring Enterprise: A US-Egyptian Partnership and the Case for Soft Power

The United States has been implementing steep cuts to its overseas aid development programmes since Donald Trump became US president in 2024. In 2025, US Foreign Aid went from $200 billion to $174 billion with proposals for more cuts. Most of the aid effected include humanitarian relief as well as stabilisation projects, within the circles of the current administration foreign aid is treated as an unacceptable freebie or handout that gives the United States very little in return. While USAID is treated as a drain at best on America’s resources and at worst an attempt by the old liberal elite to benefit foreigners over Americans, few who demonise it understand what USAID actually does. Cuts to these programmes hamper global […]