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In the Issue |
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Features |
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Creating a Secure, Stable Middle East: Is There an American Role? On March 3, 2008, Ambassador Wendy J. Chamberlin, president of the Middle East Institute and former US ambassador to Pakistan (2001-2002), spoke to a crowd of students, academics, and community members as a part of the International Monday’s program at the Iowa City Public Library. In her speech, she addressed what the next US president can do to create a secure, stable Middle East.
Ask the Expert: Next Steps for American Public Diplomacy. As a part of our recent reader survey, we asked for your questions about foreign policy issues. One reader asked for suggested next steps for the American public diplomacy effort. Sherry L. Mueller, Ph.D., president of the National Council for International Visitors, offers her suggestion of what every American can do. Look for other reader questions in upcoming editions of think.
Principled Multilateralism: The Drive for Space Weaponization. Michael Kraig, Stanley Foundation director of Policy Analysis and Dialogue, outlines two main incentives the United States has for entering a space race with China. He also highlights why principled multilateralism is key to ensuring that a new Cold War over space weaponization doesn't occur. This is the sixth in a series of articles written by foundation staff that examines the cases where principled multilateralism has been or can be successful.
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Beyond the Headlines |
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HELP Commission Rethinks US Foreign Aid. Americans are a generous people who generally support foreign aid programs designed to help those in need around the world. At the same time, Americans routinely overestimate how much the United States actually spends on foreign aid each year. Much of the debate on this issue focuses on the dollar amounts given, including the call by many Americans to support the Millennium Development Goals. But there are bureaucratic and structural problems with US foreign aid as well. Congress created a panel in 2004 to suggest foreign aid changes. The Helping to Enhance the Livelihood of People Around the Globe (HELP) Commission included 21 members appointed by the president and bipartisan leaders of Congress. The group met for almost two years and delivered a 215-page report late last year. The panel offered some big options for change. One would be to supersize the US State Department so it becomes a true International Affairs Department. Another would be to break the foreign assistance responsibilities away from the State Department and create an International Development Department (as other Western countries have done). One panelist, well-known economist Jeffrey Sachs, opposed the HELP Commission's final report. He and two other members issued a separate document making an even stronger case for "...moving development assistance to a new separate Cabinet-level Department of International Sustainable Development."
Bush's Trip to Africa Yields Mixed Reactions. On his second trip to Africa, President Bush recently spent five days in five countries in an effort to assess the conditions, both in terms of US policy implementation and his personal concern for the continent. Inherent in his selection of countries visited—Benin, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana, and Liberia—Bush bore scrutiny for skipping over dire trouble spots in Sudan and Kenya. Issues that Bush addressed on his tour ranged from AIDS and malaria to US strategic interest à la AFRICOM, where Bush attempted to dampen sensitivities regarding US military base expansion. Meanwhile, reactions varied from locals across the world's most poverty-stricken, aid-dependent continent. Some acknowledged the progress in fighting infectious disease, praising Bush's pledge to double US foreign aid to Africa to $30 billion over the next five years. Others, however, voiced the opinion that Bush's individualized efforts in the region are insufficient. Many underscored that the greatest benefit to their homeland would be more trade, not aid. International media coverage of his trip might suggest that Bush's popularity in Africa surpasses that in the United States. For an unpopular American president, that's cause for celebration, yet the worth of his visit in the eyes of many Africans produced mixed reactions at best.
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Stay Active |
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| Watch & Learn |
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A dozen US newspaper and broadcast editors recently visited the Korean peninsula, a trip that included a rare peak into the isolated communist North. That was just one experience recipients of the International Reporting Project's Gatekeeper Fellowships, offered through Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, had during their November 2-14 fact-finding trip. The trip was done in collaboration with the Stanley Foundation. A short video about the experience is now available.
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| Tip of the Month |
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Many are often confused about the differences between advocacy, lobbying, and education. The Policy Matters authors offer concrete examples of each activity to help eliminate confusion and fear. This tip is from Policy Matters: Educating Congress on Peace and Security, a practical guide from the Henry L. Stimson Center for individuals, groups, and organizations that seek to engage members of Congress on critical issues affecting America’s role in the world, and on a wide array of national security policies.
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| Getting Heard |
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Now there's a new way to share your foreign policy concerns with your elected officials by creating a video advocacy message. You can get creative and peak their interest on the issues that you care most about. Check out others' video advocacy messages, read best practices, and learn how to upload your own today.
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