They do a lot more stuff to improve America's "image" that costs a lot more. At my graduate school there were students from a central Asian country (a moderately wealthy and advanced one, too). They got full tuition to get a post-graduate law degree, free housing, free healthcare, free books, everything.
What's the point of this? Spending $100,000+ per person? For what, so they can go back to their country and hopefully speak well of the US? And then our reputation improves there... so what?
Maybe these programs are just bargaining chips as part of a larger trade negotiation that brings in far more for the US. I'm not sure of that. But I really question the extent of our foreign involvement -- is it really for the best interests of the American people? Or just the best interests of American corporations?
Well, first of all, those are 5 to 6 people whose lives are immeasurably improved, regardless of what capacity they choose to serve the U.S. in....can we say that the 1 million "Likes" offered any improvement to the account holders?
You could argue the long game, I guess, that the State Department, in those 1 million likes, will inspire at least 100 Facebook users to the delights of the State Department who may not have paid attention through other channels...and that's the argument you can make with any PR campaign. In the defense of Facebook spending, you can at least argue that the eyeballs-reached/engaged is quantifiable, which you can't with most forms of glorified PR campaigns.
Sorry, I forgot to mention that those students weren't coming from poverty or lack of opportunity. They were middle to upper-middle class professionals in their home country with good corporate jobs. Not saddled with debt like their American counterparts. In fact they were mocking the plight of their US counterparts a bit.
What's the point of this? Spending $100,000+ per person? For what, so they can go back to their country and hopefully speak well of the US? And then our reputation improves there... so what?
Maybe these programs are just bargaining chips as part of a larger trade negotiation that brings in far more for the US. I'm not sure of that. But I really question the extent of our foreign involvement -- is it really for the best interests of the American people? Or just the best interests of American corporations?