The U.S. is giving Switzerland and Liechtenstein, two of the wealthiest countries in the world by GDP per capita, $60,000 to strengthen cultural ties with the U.S.
The U.S. Mission to Switzerland recently announced the grant will fund “cultural and exchange programming that highlights shared values and promotes bilateral cooperation and dialogue.”
Swiss and American nonprofits can apply, with programs that receive funding including elements of American culture that increase understanding of U.S. policy and perspectives. Programs should also reflect U.S. strategic priorities like STEM education, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, climate change awareness, cybersecurity, and other topics, according to the grant announcement.
The programs should be targeted toward residents aged 14-35, emerging and established opinion leaders, young entrepreneurs, or underrepresented minority groups.
The U.S. State Department often funds similar grants to other countries, but typically in those cases, the U.S. is sending money to strategic allies that need help financially. Neither of these two countries meet either criterion.
Switzerland and Liechtenstein are two of the wealthiest countries in the world, with the pair of countries ranking #4 and #2 in the world for GDP per capita, respectively. These countries are some of the last in the world to need international aid.
Additionally, both countries are geopolitically neutral, meaning strategic relationships with these countries bring virtually no benefit to the U.S. in terms of strategic international diplomacy. They are not members of the European Union, NATO, or other western alliances.
Spending tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars to teach American culture to small, wealthy, and neutral European countries isn’t helping anyone. Yet, year after year, wasteful programs like these continue to be funded.
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