{"id":12544,"date":"2025-02-09T11:48:11","date_gmt":"2025-02-09T11:48:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.watanserb.com\/en\/?p=12544"},"modified":"2025-02-09T11:48:11","modified_gmt":"2025-02-09T11:48:11","slug":"usaid-the-soft-power-tool-of-u-s-influence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.watanserb.com\/en\/2025\/02\/09\/usaid-the-soft-power-tool-of-u-s-influence\/","title":{"rendered":"USAID: The Soft Power Tool of U.S. Influence"},"content":{"rendered":"

Watan<\/strong><\/em>-The primary American institution for humanitarian aid and international development projects has managed most of the official U.S. government spending on foreign aid since its founding in 1961, with an annual budget estimated in the tens of billions of dollars and a workforce of approximately 10,000 employees worldwide.<\/p>\n

It is an independent government agency that has served as one of the United States’ soft power tools globally, operating under the guidance of the State Department and playing an active role in advancing U.S. foreign policy objectives.<\/p>\n

Since his inauguration for a second term in January 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump has targeted the agency, placing it under the direct supervision of the State Department and temporarily freezing its foreign aid as part of a reassessment of its operations. He accused it of wasting money, running projects that do not align with U.S. interests and may contradict American values, and claimed that it contributes to destabilizing global peace.<\/p>\n

Origins<\/strong><\/h3>\n

USAID was established in 1961 by former U.S. President John F. Kennedy during the height of the Cold War. Its purpose was to manage U.S. foreign aid as a soft power tool to expand American influence abroad and counter Soviet power globally.<\/p>\n

In 1961, the U.S. Congress passed the Foreign Assistance Act, which mandated the creation of a government agency to oversee foreign aid spending. Following this, Kennedy issued an executive order establishing USAID, which began operating after receiving congressional approval for its programs.<\/p>\n

In 1998, Congress passed a law making USAID an independent institution. Under this law, the Secretary of State provided policy guidance and contributed to setting its budget and financial allocations, which were approved by Congress in alignment with U.S. interests worldwide.<\/p>\n

The agency\u2019s director is appointed by the U.S. president with Senate approval and reports regularly to the Secretary of State on its operations.<\/p>\n

USAID gained greater significance during former U.S. President Joe Biden\u2019s term (2021\u20132024), when its director was granted a permanent seat on the U.S. National Security Council. Previously, the agency had only participated in council meetings related to its work and development issues.<\/p>\n

\"the
U.S. foreign aid policy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Objectives<\/strong><\/h3>\n

USAID aims to achieve two main objectives through its development activities:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Improving living conditions in developing communities.<\/li>\n
  2. Advancing U.S. interests worldwide.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Based on this, USAID has implemented numerous humanitarian and development projects, along with programs aimed at improving conditions in impoverished communities. These initiatives have focused on:<\/p>\n