CAIRO -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry wrapped up a two-day visit here Sunday, in which he pledged 250 million U.S. dollars in budget aid to the country and appealed for a united Egypt.

The funding, however, comes with tight strings attached. The Egyptian government is required to carry on both economic and political reforms, cut energy and food subsidies, reopen talks with the International Monetary Fund and revive its economy.

Putting aside the political calculation behind the conditions set by Washington, the plan itself hurts the core interests of various groups, and thus will be difficult to carry out.

For a start, the proposal to slash subsidies on food and energy hit ordinary Egyptians with higher prices and thus risks arousing public outcry.

Secondly, at the heart of the political reform is shared power between the ruling Islamists and the leftist and liberal opposition parties. In such a highly polarized country, the offer carries too many political risks to be realistically implemented.

So far, the Egyptians and opposition parties have turned their noses up at Kerry's proposal. A number of prominent opposition figures, including Mohamed ElBaradei, refused to attend a round-table conference hosted by Kerry. Hundreds of local people also staged protests.

Obviously, there are political considerations lurking behind the U.S. offer. After pledging funds to the country's dilapidated economy, Kerry hinted that further aid would depend on whether Egypt fulfills promises to advance economic and political reforms.

As the most populous country in the Middle East, the fallout from Egypt's domestic stalemate is likely to further complicate the region's situation, jeopardize energy supply to the United States and threaten Israel's security. This is the last thing the United States wants to see.

If Egypt climbs out of the current political and economic quagmire, Washington could rely on the traditional ally to expand its leverage on issues of the Syrian crisis, the Middle East peace process and Iran's nuclear program.

To sum up, a stable Egypt serves the U.S. interests in the Middle East. That's why the Obama administration offers a cash-for-reform plan to its beleaguered ally.

The situation on the ground, however, is much more complicated than Washington had expected, indicating the plan is irrelevant and unlikely to succeed.