President Obama, Congress, the 2012 Republican candidates for President and the American public have all acknowledged that the United States must get our fiscal house in order and reduce the federal budget deficit. But this house cleaning shouldn’t entail shuttering the windows and bolting the door to the world. The recent debt-reduction deal has made [...]

Who’s In the News Comings and goings: Arms control (Laura Rozen, The Envoy) Moves afoot in the Obama White House arms control shop: National Security Council non-proliferation hand Rexon Ryu has begun work as the deputy to the U.S. representative to the United Nations, heading up the US/UN’s Washington office. Ryu, a former staffer to [...]

The latest news on North Africa, Afghanistan and budget cuts. Also, today is World Humanitarian Day!

With the recent departure of Robert S. Gates as Secretary of Defense, many have wondered about the future of the relationship between the Departments of Defense and State.  Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton often expressed remarkably similar views of U.S. national security, but in a time of fiscal austerity where security-related accounts will [...]

Who’s In the News Another Famine In Africa — Can We Ever Break the Cycle? (Ritu Sharma, Fox News) A crisis of the magnitude we now face in the Horn of Africa will rightly need a big focus on emergency assistance. However, what often gets forgotten is that we should also be helping prevent such [...]

In a conversation yesterday at National Defense University, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta made clear that there will continue to be close cooperation between their agencies, and that protecting our national security requires both military and non-military tools. Secretary Panetta said “Our national security is our military power, our [...]

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta will come together this morning for a televised conversation at National Defense University, moderated by Frank Sesno of George Washington University. We’ll be watching to hear their thoughts on the current budget situation and the importance of using both civilian and military tools to [...]

As Texas Governor Rick Perry jumps into the GOP race for President, former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty bows out after a disappointing third place showing in the Iowa straw poll.  As Governor, Perry has worked with USAID to deliver aid from Texas to children in both Haiti and Pakistan.  After meeting with former President of [...]