Global Impact Blog
The Civilians Take Over in Iraq: President Obama
By Jordan Smith at 1 September, 2010, 3:00 pm
In his Oval Office address on Iraq last night, President Obama highlighted the importance of elevating development and diplomacy moving forward in Iraq. “As our military draws down, our dedicated civilians — diplomats, aid workers, and advisors — are moving into the lead to support Iraq as it strengthens its government, resolves political disputes, resettles [...]
Passing the Baton to Civilians
By Richard Parker at 31 August, 2010, 4:52 pm
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 [...]
Secretary Gates and Veterans for Smart Power
By Jordan Smith at 26 August, 2010, 12:57 pm
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 [...]
David Rieff and the Global Health Initiative
By Joel Paque and John Glenn at 25 August, 2010, 11:28 am
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 [...]
Rajiv Shah Talks Innovation in Development
By Jordan Smith at 24 August, 2010, 8:57 am
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 [...]
Rajiv Shah is the Answer to Bill Easterly
By Joel Paque at 23 August, 2010, 10:40 am
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 [...]
Veterans for Smart Power
By Jordan Smith at 20 August, 2010, 1:32 pm
The USGLC has launched its Veterans for Smart Power movement, an effort to enlist America’s greatest heroes for the greatest mission yet: supporting a foreign policy that elevates diplomacy and development alongside defense as the three pillars of American foreign policy. We’re proud to announce thousands of veterans and their supporters have signed-on to this [...]
Independent Panel Reviews the QDR
By Hannah Kaye at 18 August, 2010, 1:38 pm
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.
The [...]
Former USAID Admin: Regulations are Problematic
By Hannah Kaye at 18 August, 2010, 11:06 am
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 Clinton on the Global Health Initiative
By Hannah Kaye at 16 August, 2010, 2:47 pm
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 [...]
