CHICAGO: The authors of a new book on how the US helped stabilize Egypt through “soft power” argue that the strategy could have helped avoid much of today’s regional conflict.
In an interview with Arab News, two of the three authors of “A Daring Enterprise: A US-Egyptian Partnership and the Case for Soft Power,” said Egypt represented one of the most successful American foreign aid programs in decades.
The book explores how the US created the Egyptian-American Enterprise Fund and injected $300 million into the Arab country, helping steer it back to economic stability.
“Right now, US engagement in the Middle East is once again defined by military and ‘hard power,’ and America’s role in the region is defined by conflict. Our model of non-military ‘soft power’ offers one rooted in investment,” said Cornelius Queen, senior vice president at the fund, which was established by the US Congress in 2011 to support Egypt’s private sector after the Arab Spring.
“Investment is much more effective than military intervention and results in long-term stability, which is why we’re stuck in the morass of the Strait of Hormuz today.
