Soft Power

US Government Photo

There is a concept in foreign affairs called soft power. This wields influence on friendly, at times not so friendly, states with foreign aid. It’s trying to get good results in foreign affairs without force. The United States embraced this fully during the John F Kennedy administration. It is then that we saw two notable government examples: the Peace Corps and USAID. Both are likely targeted by this executive order:

REEVALUATING AND REALIGNING UNITED STATES FOREIGN AID
EXECUTIVE ORDER

January 20, 2025

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1. Purpose. The United States foreign aid industry and bureaucracy are not aligned with American interests and in many cases antithetical to American values. They serve to destabilize world peace by promoting ideas in foreign countries that are directly inverse to harmonious and stable relations internal to and among countries.

Sec. 2. Policy. It is the policy of United States that no further United States foreign assistance shall be disbursed in a manner that is not fully aligned with the foreign policy of the President of the United States.

Sec. 3. (a) 90-day pause in United States foreign development assistance for assessment of programmatic efficiencies and…