Which nations hate the U.S.? Often those receiving aid

None of these examples suggest cause and effect. In other words, U.S. assistance may not cause countries to dislike the U.S. But in these cases we’ve noted, U.S. money certainly doesn’t seem to help.

Also, the correlation between getting U.S. aid and disliking the U.S. is far from absolute. To cite just one counterexample, the leading recipient of U.S. aid is Israel, which gets more than $3 billion annually, and 83 percent of Israelis surveyed had a favorable view of the U.S., making it one of the most U.S.-friendly places on the globe.

Still, the findings raise questions about what the U.S. is getting for the $50 billion or so it sends out to the rest of the world in annual assistance. This ranges from food aid in drought-stricken lands to military hardware in countries embroiled in war.

The U.S. provides aid for many reasons, and winning popularity may be nice, but it’s not the main goal. The U.S. tends to provide assistance in places it considers strategically important, and they are often volatile as well.