While it's good to see the U.S. fostering relationships with international partners like Kenya, it's important we scrutinize the actual benefits and costs of these alliances. The grandeur of the state dinner, with its celebrity guest list and political heavyweights, seems more like a spectacle for domestic political gain rather than a genuine move towards meaningful diplomacy. We need to ensure that our foreign policy decisions, including the designation of 'major non-NATO allies', are based on national security interests and not just political showmanship as we approach an election year.