Monthly Archives: August 2010
In his speech from the Oval Office tonight, President Obama will announce a change in the mission in Iraq. While combat troops are being drawn down, the administration will increase the civilian presence in Iraq underscoring the need for consistent, robust funding of our civilian-led tools of development and diplomacy. David Brooks points out in the [...]
In a speech from the Oval Office tonight, President Obama will announce a change in the mission in Iraq. While combat troops are being drawn down, the administration will increase the civilian presence in Iraq, underscoring the need for consistent robust funding of our civilian-led tools of development and diplomacy. David Brooks points out in [...]
The President will have a busy foreign-policy week as he is scheduled to give an oval office address on Iraq tomorrow night in which he will mark the “official” end of combat operations and the transition to an “advise and assist” mission. Later in the week, the U.S. will host the launch of direct peace [...]
USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah announced an additional $50 million in immediate aid for Pakistan to assist with rebuilding communities impacted by the floods. This brings the United States’ total contribution to $200 million, in addition to considerable in-kind and technical assistance. This includes $150 million to support immediate relief efforts in Pakistan, through the Pakistan [...]
1. Congress Finalizes FY10 International Affairs Budget
2. Appropriators Set FY11 State-Foreign Operations Levels, but with Major Differences and an Uncertain Future
3. FY11 International Affairs Budget Snapshot
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates recently called on Capitol Hill to recognize “the critical role that agencies like State and AID play” and provide the resources needed in the International Affairs Budget to restore the drop in civilian personnel. Gates cited a drop from 16,000 employees at the height of the Cold War to the [...]
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates recently called on Capitol Hill to recognize “the critical role that agencies like State and AID play” and provide the resources needed in the International Affairs Budget to restore the drop in civilian personnel. Gates cited a drop from 16,000 employees in the Cold War to the low levels seen [...]
David Rieff’s recent blog post about the Global Health Initiative calls into question the wisdom of splitting oversight and programming for the $63 billion initiative across at least three government agencies, declaring that, “the administration has laid the groundwork for a bureaucratic calamity.” Looking at the GHI as a catalyst for development, Rieff raises the [...]
Last Friday, August 13th, nearly 500 people gathered at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle, WA, to hear USAID Administrator Shah discuss the role of technology and innovation in development with a panel of leaders from the local development community. In Administrator Shah’s opening remarks he emphasized USAID’s commitment to evidence-based development strategies and the need [...]
In a recent op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal, Bill Easterly questions the effectiveness of foreign assistance in Afghanistan given the level of corruption found across government there. Citing reports recently released by both the Afghan government and USAID, Easterly also highlights a high level of corruption and a lack of transparency among aid [...]
