As the recent U.S.-Iran war demonstrated, public opinion is a global battlefront that requires governmental attention, strategy, commitment, and funding. Soft power is often exercised by non-governmental organizations that ostensibly proclaim worthy humanitarian goals. The reality, however, can be very different.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has long occupied a unique place in the architecture of global humanitarianism. Founded in 1853 and located in swanky Geneva, Switzerland, wrapped in the language of neutrality and shielded by a reputation built over more than a century, it is often treated in Washington as a moral compass. That is no longer sustainable.

Times have changed. Conflicts often involve states and non-state actors that are not signatories to the Geneva Conventions and have no regard for the constraints they impose or for maintaining an international reputation as law-abiding. In these scenarios, the ICRC's silence in the face of monstrosities has arguably made it more a party to moral hazard than a beacon of humanitarian concern.

In 2024, the United States provided roughly one-third of the organization’s CHF 2.14 billion budget (the U.S. contribution was approximately $910 million). The budget appeal for 2025 totaled CHF 2.17 billion, and the U.S. reportedly remained the largest donor.

An America First approach demands measurable returns on spending. What exactly is Washington buying? The answer, increasingly,........

© Townhall