A Daring Enterprise by James A Harmon

A Daring Enterprise by James A Harmon

The inside story of one of the most successful U.S. foreign aid programs in the Middle East in recent decades

“This book offers a proven, bipartisan model for how the United States can foster a more peaceful and prosperous world.”—Hillary Rodham Clinton, Former US Secretary of State

What happens when the United States launches an unconventional foreign aid program in the aftermath of a national uprising? In this behind-the-scenes account of the Egyptian-American Enterprise Fund—a private investment fund created by the U.S. Congress to jumpstart Egypt’s private sector after the 2011 Egyptian revolution—A Daring Enterprise tells the story of one of the most effective, yet little known, U.S. foreign policy programs today in the Middle East.

Through the firsthand account of the Fund’s chairman James Harmon, a veteran investment banker and former Clinton administration official, the authors reveal how a small, U.S.-backed investment fund partnered with Egyptians to spark investment, create jobs, and expand opportunities for women in the Arab world’s largest country—all against a backdrop of political instability, anti-Americanism, and Washington dysfunction.

At a time when America’s budget deficit is rising and foreign aid is being scaled back, A Daring Enterprise reveals how a new model of foreign assistance can tackle urgent development challenges while delivering real returns for U.S. taxpayers. Most importantly, it is a powerful reminder of the value of foreign aid and why smart foreign investment is key to America’s future prosperity.

James A. Harmon is chairman of the Egyptian-American Enterprise Fund. He served as chairman of the Export-Import Bank of the United States during the Clinton administration from 1997 to 2001. Before entering government, he served as chairman and CEO of the investment bank, Schroder Wertheim & Co. He is chair emeritus of the World Resources Institute and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He received his BA from Brown University and his MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of Up and Doing.

Cornelius Queen is senior vice-president at the Egyptian-American Enterprise Fund. He previously managed a humanitarian aid program in Lebanon during the Syrian refugee crisis, served as a legislative aide in the U.S. Congress, and was a member of the Carter Center’s election observation mission during Egypt’s 2011-2012 elections. He holds an MA from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a BA from Johns Hopkins University. He is a term member at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Mark Warren was the longtime executive editor at Esquire before serving for several years as vice-president and executive editor at Random House. He is co-author with Harry Reid of The Good Fight, and he is the 2025 recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in Feature Writing.