John Glenn

John Glenn, Policy Director

John K. Glenn serves as Policy Director at the USGLC, where he leads engagement with the USGLC’s National Security Advisory Council, with the Executive Branch including the National Security Council, State Department, and US Agency for International Development, and with the think tank communities. He serves as a member of the Halifax International Security Forum Agenda Working Group and has also served as Adjunct Faculty teaching graduate seminars on transatlantic relations at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service and the Elliott School for International Affairs at George Washington University. He previously served as Director of Foreign Policy at the German Marshall Fund of the United States where he led programs to promote greater transatlantic cooperation and understanding during the crisis over the war in Iraq, and as Executive Director of the Council for European Studies. He has written numerous articles, briefs, and books on foreign policy, global development, transatlantic relations, and democratization. He holds a Ph.D. and M.A. from Harvard University and B.A. from Oberlin College.

Posts by John Glenn

  • May 27, 2021
    Blog

    Fighting Corruption and US Foreign Assistance

    John Glenn in Economic Prosperity, Global Development | May 27, 2021

    As Vice President Harris prepares for her upcoming trip to Central America, recent events have raised concerns about corruption not only as one of the root causes of migration but also as a risk that potentially undermines U.S. assistance to improve conditions on the ground.

  • February 5, 2021
    Blog

    President Biden Goes to Foggy Bottom

    John Glenn in Diplomacy | February 5, 2021

    President Biden headed to the State Department in Washington, DC’s Foggy Bottom neighborhood this week to talk about “restoring America’s place in the world” — his first visit to a cabinet agency as president. Since inauguration, the President has focused each day on a policy issue and Executive Orders, and he used this visit to make the case the United States must “earn back our leadership position” in order to “make big things happen” for American families and the world.

  • August 13, 2020
    Blog

    6 Foreign Policy Takeaways from the 2020 Democratic Party Platform

    John Glenn in Congress, Diplomacy, Global Development | August 13, 2020

    As the election approaches, foreign policy observers are starting to examine the state of the world the President will face in January 2021 and ask what the next Administration would or should do. The draft Democratic platform offers a glimpse into how foreign policy might figure into a Biden Administration’s vision to “build back better.”

  • July 12, 2019
    Blog

    On the Issues: Democratic Candidates Address Foreign Policy

    John Glenn in Diplomacy, Economic Prosperity, Global Development, National Security | July 12, 2019

    What have 2020 candidates been saying about America’s role in the world? Watch this space for updates on foreign policy on the campaign trail.

  • June 24, 2019
    Blog

    Five Questions for Prosper Africa

    John Glenn in Economic Prosperity, Global Development | June 24, 2019

    At the U.S.-Africa Business Summit in Mozambique last week, USAID Administrator Mark Green and Deputy Secretary of Commerce Karen Dunn Kelley rolled out more details on the Administration’s Prosper Africa initiative with the ambitious goal of doubling two-way trade and investment between the United States and Africa.

  • April 5, 2019
    Blog

    Seven Things to Know About NATO at 70

    John Glenn in Diplomacy | April 5, 2019

    Here are seven things to know about NATO at 70 which highlight that the alliance is much more than a promise to honor the principle “an attack on one is an attack on all.”

  • September 6, 2018
    Blog

    What’s Next After the BUILD Act Crosses the Finish Line?

    John Glenn in Congress | September 6, 2018

    The BUILD Act – which proposes a new International Development Finance Corporation (IDFC) that would double the financing authority of the existing Overseas Private Investment Corporation – passed in the House and out of committee in the Senate with broad bipartisan support. This is remarkable in today’s Washington and a step that has been widely applauded.  As we approach the finish line, the hard part lies ahead:  how do we ensure it is implemented well?  How can we ensure a newly empowered IDFC has the greatest development impact?  How do we promote strong coordination between the IDFC and other U.S. development agencies?

  • July 12, 2018
    Blog

    How Much Do America’s NATO Allies Spend on Global Development?

    John Glenn in Global Development, National Security | July 12, 2018

    At the recent NATO summit, much time was spent discussing whether America’s allies spend enough on defense. At a time when many of today’s global challenges do not have military solutions alone – from pandemics like Ebola to refugees driven by famines and conflicts – how does the debate shift if we consider not just military spending but spending on global development?

  • September 21, 2017
    Blog

    President Trump Goes to New York

    John Glenn in Diplomacy, Global Development | September 21, 2017

    While the coverage of President Trump’s first speech at the United Nations General Assembly has focused on his defense of his “America First” message, stress on “sovereignty,” and threat to totally destroy North Korea, close listeners may have also heard him mention America’s efforts to fight HIV/AIDS, stop preventable disease like malaria, and advance the rights of women and girls around the world for the first time in office.

  • June 9, 2017
    Blog

    “Your Eighty Dollars”: The Marshall Plan 70 Years Later

    John Glenn in Diplomacy, Economic Prosperity, Global Development | June 9, 2017

    Against the backdrop of today’s debate about America’s role in the world, it is striking to re-read the speech by Secretary of State George C. Marshall announcing the Marshall Plan on the 70th anniversary of its delivery. The Marshall Plan, which helped rebuild the economies of Western Europe after World War II, is often seen as the model for American global leadership. Secretary Marshall makes not a selfless appeal to support a new global order, but a calculated appeal to Americans’ self-interest, accompanied by a sophisticated series of short films to explain its benefits.