This morning, USGLC Senior Director Mark Green dialed in to Sirius XM Radio for a live interview on the POTUS political talk channel to discuss why U.S. global engagement is more important than ever in the post-bin Laden era.  Green shared his personal experiences as ambassador to Tanzania–the site of a bin Laden-plotted embassy bombing—and why our civilian-led tools are critical parts of our national security. Click here to listen to the interview. Also this week, Congress is in session, with budget discussions ongoing in both Chambers. As Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND) said last week, “I have never seen a more complicated budget picture situation than this one.” Stay tuned to the USGLC Budget Center for all the latest details.

Must Reads
Who’s In the News

‘Clean stoves’ would save lives, cut pollution (Hillary Clinton and Julia Roberts – USA Today)

This Mother’s Day weekend, most of us will enjoy a home-cooked meal — maybe even breakfast in bed. We’ll probably take it for granted that the meal was prepared in a clean kitchen, where the air is safe to breathe. But for nearly half of the world’s population, cooking at home is a deeply dangerous act. In fact, it poses one of the most serious health risks in the developing world, and it’s a major threat to the environment.

Leon Panetta heads to DOD on high note (John Bresnahan – Politico)

Panetta, 72, now seems poised to silence such talk. He is expected to win strong bipartisan support when his nomination comes up for Senate review. Although McConnell and other top Republicans haven’t formally said how they’ll vote, bin Laden’s demise and Panetta’s steady CIA tenure all but ensure he will become the 22nd man to hold the top Pentagon post.

Smart Power

MAMA knows best (Kate Otto – Huffington Post)

As Americans gather on Sunday to honor our mamas, we should also be celebrating “MAMA,” a new global health initiative launched by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). MAMA, the Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action, is an innovative partnership co-founded by USAID — who invests your tax dollars in foreign assistance programs — and mom-friendly corporate collaborator Johnson & Johnson.

Politics/Foreign Policy

A new breed of Senate hawk (Scott Wong – Politico)

Three Republican freshmen — Marco Rubio, Mark Kirk and Kelly Ayotte — share the tea party’s goal of slashing domestic spending but have rejected the movement’s isolationist inclinations and called for greater military action and tougher sanctions overseas in places such as Libya and Syria.

Lugar: Pakistan too important to cut aid (Jamie Klatell – The Hill)

Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), the ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said Sunday that it ‘a lot of people in Pakistan’ had to know where Osama bin Laden was, but that Pakistan is too important an ally in battling terrorism to cut off U.S. aid.

Whose foreign policy is it? (Ross Douthat – the New York Times)

For those with eyes to see, the daylight between the foreign policies of George W. Bush and Barack Obama has been shrinking ever since the current president took the oath of office. But last week made it official: When the story of America’s post-9/11 wars is written, historians will be obliged to assess the two administrations together, and pass judgment on the Bush-Obama era.