Views & Voices
After the Senate Budget Committee took a big swipe at next year’s foreign-affairs budget, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will get a chance this week to defend President Obama’s request.
“While our military power can provide the logistics and organizational support to help those in need in times of humanitarian crisis, as demonstrated by our current efforts in Haiti, it can only help create the conditions necessary to allow the other tools of statecraft…”
As if the endorsement of Defense Secretary Robert Gates weren’t enough, the development community has rounded up 50 senior retired military officers to support its drive to shift money and authorities from the Pentagon to Foggy Bottom.
“Ex-generals urge Congress to fund Obama int’l affairs budget” By Laura Rozen Politico March 10, 2010 Joining recent calls by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen to expand U.S. civilian capacities to reduce dependence on the military, some 50 former three and four star generals and [...]
“Putting Smart Power to Work” By Dick Batchelor Orlando Sentinel March 1, 2010 The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition is a group of bi-partisan leaders who work to educate policymakers on the values of engaging with the rest of the world and support more resources for our tools of development and diplomacy. The current co-chairs of [...]
“Learning from the Sin of Sodom” Nicholas Kristof New York Times February 27, 2010 For most of the last century, save-the-worlders were primarily Democrats and liberals. In contrast, many Republicans and religious conservatives denounced government aid programs, with Senator Jesse Helms calling them “money down a rat hole.” Over the last decade, however, that divide [...]
“Raj Shah and America’s Development Future” Roll Call Bill Frist December 17, 2009 In most years, Senate deliberations over a nomination for administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, which leads American efforts to fight poverty and disease in the developing world, would pass without note. This year is different. American efforts [...]
How to hold the rich to their word Financial Times Jeffrey Sachs December 15, 2009 With days remaining in the Copenhagen climate talks, the rich have finally begun to discuss climate financing for the poor. The negotiating round has gone on for two years with little serious discussion on financing and many other topics, a [...]
Huffington Post “Time to Make U.S. Foreign Policy Assistance Work — for Women and Men” Ritu Sharma December 14, 2009 A year into the new Administration, there are hopeful signs that Washington is serious about elevating global development to be the third pillar of U.S. foreign policy, alongside diplomacy and defense. A year after being [...]
Foreign Policy Journal A Front Row Seat on Smart Development Ken Hackett November 14, 2009 Helping the world’s poor find their way to a prosperous and sustainable future is not an exact science. There is no formula that will produce the right answer. But this elusive goal is worth striving for. This week I end [...]
