Author Archive

Haiti: A Long-Term Development Need

As the U.S. begins aiding in the recovery efforts in Chile after the devastating earthquake there last Saturday, we should not forget the long road that still lies ahead for Haiti’s own recovery efforts.  Now that the cameras are off and the news crews have turned their attention to other natural disasters elsewhere, the real [...]

Engagement at Work

While much of the media focuses on the military effort in Marja, Afghanistan, the importance of engagement and diplomacy is getting notice and good results according to National Security Advisor Jim Jones. In today’s Politico, Jones said, “The president’s guidance to us is be respectful, to engage, be transparent and try to bring people into [...]

Remembering Charlie Wilson

This week we lost a champion and friend of the International Affairs Budget with the passing of former Congressman Charlie Wilson (D-TX, 1973-1996).  As told in the movie “Charlie Wilson’s War,” he was a passionate believer in a smart power approach to foreign policy, particularly in regards to Afghanistan.  Commenting on Wilson’s death, Secretary of [...]

Condoleezza Rice Joins USGLC Advisory Council

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has joined all of the other eight living former secretaries of state as a member of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition’s Advisory Council.  Dr. Rice is currently the Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, where she is also a professor of political science. 
The USGLC [...]

State, Foreign Ops Budget Headed for Minibus

Majority of Americans Believe Funding Global Health Keeps U.S. Safe

The Kaiser Family Foundation’s Survey on the U.S. Role in Global Health Update says that “55 percent of Americans agree that U.S. spending to improve health in developing countries helps protect the health of Americans by preventing the spread of epidemics to the U.S.”  While funding for global health certainly demonstrates our nation’s humanitarian values, [...]

It’s Shah for USAID!

President Obama has made a fresh and energetic choice in selecting Dr. Rajiv Shah to be the next Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Dr. Shah brings unique expertise and experience to the position, including familiarity with the crucial areas of global development, global health and agricultural development.
As the President said in [...]

FY 2010 Appropriations Slowly Getting to the Finish Line

More than a month into fiscal year 2010, House and Senate Appropriators would like to finish all the FY10 Appropriations bills sometime before Thanksgiving, but reaching this goal is looking increasingly unlikely. While the House has passed all 12 appropriations bills, the Senate still hasn’t acted on five bills, including the $48.7 billion FY10 State, [...]

“Deal Colleague” Letters Circulate

Yesterday, “Dear Colleague” letters began circulating to all Members of Congress urging President Obama to request a robust International Affairs Budget for Fiscal Year 2011.  The USGLC is very excited about the strong bipartisan support from twenty House and Senate Democrats and Republicans who are leading the letter.  The letters stress the importance of the [...]

Bipartisan Support for a Robust International Affairs Budget

This week in both the House and the Senate, “Dear Colleague” letters began circulating to all Members of Congress asking them to sign on to a letter to President Obama urging him to request a robust International Affairs Budget in Fiscal Year 2011.  The letters are being led by Senators Kerry (D-MA) Feinstein (D-CA) and [...]