USGLC Ohio Advisory Committee members Col. Frank Titus and Rev. Rebecca Tollefson talked about why America’s international engagement is so important to Ohio’s economy and security in the Columbus Local News.  They reminded Ohioans that “Competition in the world is stiff, and we can’t afford to fall behind. Our local businesses all the way up to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce tell us a strong and effective International Affairs Budget creates jobs and helps strengthen our economy.”

Must Reads

Who’s In the News

For Ohio’s Economy and Security, Support a Strong International Affairs Budget (Rev. Rebecca Tollefson, Col. Frank Titus)

It seems the world is getting to be a smaller place every day, and in Ohio, we have seen why it is so important for us to be engaged in today’s interconnected world.  Whether it’s the investments in the global marketplace that reap large benefits for our state and create more jobs or keeping our families safe, America must continue to be a beacon in the world.

Nothing But Nets: A Global Movement to Fight Malaria (Rick Reilly, the Huffington Post)

Turns out if sub-Saharan African kids six and under could just sleep under bed nets, they’d be almost entirely protected from malaria-carrying mosquitos. They might die of something else, but not malaria. And a net is only $10, the announcer said. I’m a sportswriter. All we do is write about nets. Cutting down nets, leaping over nets, surfing the net, watching New Jersey Nets and cheerleaders in fishnets. People dying for lack of nets? Impossible!

Smart Power

Civilians should lead security assistance with longer-term focus (Gordon Adams, the Will and the Wallet)

Events in the Middle East and the tangled US presence in Afghanistan and Pakistan have raised serious questions about the way in which the United States provides support for foreign militaries and security forces, known as “security assistance.” For the past decade, the responsibility for US support for foreign militaries has begun to drift from the State Department to the Defense Department, linking it ever closer to US operational military requirements, but further away from the overall goals of US foreign policy.

Fighting Malaria: Will U.S. Cuts Hurt Global Effort? (NPR)

International donors poured an estimated $1.8 billion just last year into fighting malaria and similar amounts in recent years. The investment is paying off. In the past 10 years, 11 countries in Africa have seen the number of new malaria cases and deaths drop by more than 50 percent; that, according to the World Health Organization.

Politics/Foreign Policy

Is Foreign Aid Ready for the iPad Era? (Good Magazine)

Imagine the aid worker of just a few years from now. She should be armed with a handheld broadband-connected computer—perhaps the iPad 5—that has the ability to perform a range of functions in the field that would are impossible today, from conducting instant blood tests to processing microfinance loans to measuring election fraud to delivering curricula to a rural school. Are foreign aid agencies ready?

How the U.S. can help Egypt (Editorial Board, the Washington Post)

Granting or lending billions more to Egypt would be a hard sell to a Congress that is slashing foreign aid. But the United States does have another option in the form of the $3.5 billion Egypt owes to Washington. A debt forgiveness program for Egypt could be prepared in cooperation with the European Union and Japan, to which Cairo owes another $14 billion.

National Strategic Narrative – what in the world! (Fareed Zakaria, CNN)

Today on GPS, Fareed mentioned The Sources of Soviet Conduct by Mr. X (later revealed to be George Kennan), and a new essay called A National Strategic Narrative by Mr. Y.

China says foreign aid about friendship, not resources (Ben Blanchard, Reuters)

China’s foreign aid programme is selfless and about helping countries abandoned by a cruel West in a hurry to dump their old colonies, a senior official said on Tuesday, dismissing suggestions Beijing’s primary aim was accessing raw materials. China has provided 256.29 billion yuan ($39.26 billion) in aid over the last six decades, with almost half going to Africa. Government figures do not include a state-by-state or yearly breakdown, though Beijing says aid has risen substantially since 2004.