When the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review was released in February, we blogged about its emphasis on building U.S. civilian capacity. Now a bipartisan Independent Panel asked by Congress to review the QDR has elaborated on this conclusion, making numerous recommendations and conclusions that urge the U.S. government to strengthen U.S. civilian personnel, resources, and authorities—soon. [...]
Are regulations and efficiency measurements ever counterproductive? According to former USAID Administrator Andrew Natsios, the answer is an emphatic yes. In the world of international development, misguided attempts at oversight are “now so intrusive that they have distorted, misdirected, and disfigured USAID’s development practice to such a degree that it is compromising U.S. national security [...]
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton discussed the Administration’s Global Health Initiative (GHI) today before an audience at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Calling attention to the successes and shortcomings of U.S. global health investments in previous years, Secretary Clinton promised a new approach in the $63 billion GHI that will build on [...]
On June 29, the House Foreign Affairs Committee began circulating a draft of the Global Partnerships Act of 2010, which will establish a framework for effective, transparent, and accountable U.S. foreign assistance. The legislation is being designed to replace the complicated and outdated Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. The draft document is only the first [...]
Last Friday at the G8 summit, President Obama outlined a new approach to development and announced that he will issue a new policy directive on global development “in the near future.” The policy directive will follow the completion of the Presidential Study Directive on Global Development (PSD-7), a comprehensive review of U.S. development policy begun [...]
Looking at the background of the soon to be commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, General David H. Petraeus has consistently aligned himself with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen on the importance of rebuilding US civilian capacity.
The Obama Administration released its first National Security Strategy today, and the document is heavily rooted in smart power principles.
The Obama Administration released its first National Security Strategy today, a document heavily rooted in the smart power principle of strengthening development and diplomacy alongside defense to meet the security challenges facing the United States.
In his Saturday commencement address at the United States Military Academy at West Point, President Obama outlined a new national security strategy based on international engagement and global leadership. Included in the speech were four principles to guide American security strategy. The first was a recognition that “influence abroad begins with steps we take at [...]
As many people surely saw, a draft of the Presidential Study Directive on Development was leaked last Tuesday on the Cable blog. While not the final version, the draft outlines a new approach that elevates development as “a central pillar to our national security, equal to diplomacy and development.” The draft calls for a “deliberate [...]
