What is foreign aid? What misconceptions do Americans have about how much is spent on foreign aid and where the money is spent? What issues have critics raised about foreign aid? How does the United States use foreign aid to advance its own interests?

Answer:

An ideal response will:
1. Define foreign aid as a form of soft power that involves providing assistance to other nations either directly or through the United Nations.
2. Discuss how the American public thinks the United States spends more on foreign aid than it actually does, and how many Americans do not realize that most foreign aid is actually spent in the United States to pay for the purchase of services and products that are being sent to other nations, thereby providing a subsidy for U.S. companies and employees.
3. Identify the criticisms that the United States does not do enough to help the world's poorest nations, especially those hit by war or natural disasters; that U.S. foreign aid has subsidized corrupt dictators; and that foreign aid money has been stolen or misspent.
4. Detail that most foreign aid goes to a few countries deemed to be of strategic importance to U.S. economic interests and national security and that foreign aid helps to advance U.S. interests by maintaining leverage with those key countries.