As America celebrates 250 years, nearly 500 business, veteran, humanitarian, farmer, faith, and bipartisan political leaders converged in Washington to share real stories of how America wins when America leads.

Since 2002, over 15,000 high school students have said “YES”, immersing themselves in a host country through the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program. These students live with host families and attend local high schools, sharing their cultures, learning critical languages, and building life-long relationships. The YES program facilitates citizen diplomacy through cultural exchange at a community level. The impact contributes to global security as students build positive ties between future leaders and their host countries.

In an increasingly digital world, technological access translates to power, prosperity and security. The proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) in the past five years alone has led to breakthroughs in human productivity, transforming global industries from healthcare to finance, government and education. With only 16% of the global population accessing generative AI tools, major technology powers, primarily the U.S. and China, are engaged in an intensifying race to secure market control and global influence.

The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition hosted three roundtables in Chicago, Detroit, and Dallas at the end of April with Paul Marin, Director of Public Affairs for the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA). Convening local business, nonprofit, agriculture, and government leaders, the discussions focused on how smart, strategic investments in international assistance and diplomacy—through agencies like USTDA—help America compete and win on the world stage.

On the heels of the nationwide events, USGLC asked Paul Marin a few questions about how USTDA strengthens America’s global competitiveness and why early-stage investment in emerging markets is key to unlocking opportunities for American businesses.

As China ramps up its control over the world’s critical minerals market – producing over 90% through separation and refining processes – the United States is facing an uphill battle in a critical mineral rivalry that poses a direct threat to America’s economic and national security.

The Indo-Pacific is a strategic arena for this rivalry, with Pacific Island nations as a specific focus. From resource competition to geographic advantages for American interests, American engagement with the Pacific Islands will be a major factor in outcompeting China…

I had the privilege of flying the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules (“Herc”) as a navigator while on active duty in the U.S. Air Force from 1996 to 2004. Distinguishing itself in Vietnam through its versatility and ability to operate on unimproved airfields, the C-130 proved there’s little it can’t do. From providing lethal close air support on the battlefield, to airdropping humanitarian assistance where security concerns preclude landing (recently, for example, in Gaza), to landing on blacked out dirt strips to offload essential cargo, the C-130 is a can-do platform with can-do aircrews that demonstrates the critical importance of using all the tools of American power—development, and diplomacy alongside defense— to build a better, safer world…

For the residents of Kapiri Mposhi, Zambia, the global competition between the United States and China is right at their doorstep. Both countries have selected the town as an endpoint for their African regional railroad projects, making it the nexus from which American and Chinese tracks will diverge. The people of Kapiri Mposhi are, quite literally, facing a fork in the road, and the path they choose will have real consequences for the Sino-American race for influence…

Concerns over the cost of living, especially rising grocery prices, emerged as a top priority for American voters during the 2024 election cycle. A plurality of both Trump and Harris voters ranked cost of living as their most important issue, while all voters said they were most affected by grocery price increases than any other inflation category. Nine months later, the issue has lingered in the political spotlight, as it remained on voters’ minds in the contentious NYC mayoral primary and sparked debates over the impact of tariffs on consumer prices…

During a Senate floor speech in May, Senator Jerry Moran emphasized Kansas’s legacy of global agricultural leadership: “A call to feed the world has been answered by many Kansans, and farmers, and ranchers.” This observation reflects a broader strategic reality: since the 1950s, Kansas has played an integral role in the United States’ efforts to provide life-saving food to communities around the world…

When Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled to Latin America for his first trip as Secretary of State in February, he sent a signal about the region’s strategic importance to the United States. He described Latin America as “A prosperous region rife with opportunities,” one with which the U.S. can “strengthen trade ties, create partnerships to control migration, and enhance our hemisphere’s security.” In the last 50 years, there has only been one other first visit by a Secretary of State to Latin America. Secretary Rubio’s emphasis on the region demonstrates that some of the best opportunities exist in our own hemisphere…