What I stated is the essence of politics -- the promotion of self-interest. It is the duty of the leader of every nation to (ostensibly) act in the interests of his/her people. If you don't, no one else is going to look out for you and you get selected out of the international gene pool.

And if you seriously think that U.S. aid, whether it's in the form of money, or military strength, or whatever, is done for altruistic reasons with no strings attached, hidden or otherwise, I suggest that you're being highly ingenuous.