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The Weekly GAB Friday, April 7, 2017
U.S. Global Leadership Coalition | www.usglc.org
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Transition 2017

THE WASHINGTON POST
McMaster Staffing NSC With Traditional GOP Foreign Policy Hands |

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Josh Rogin

National security adviser H.R. McMaster is continuing to fill out his
national security staff with conservative foreign policy experts from
the establishment think-tank world, preferring them to the military
intelligence types favored by his predecessor, retired Gen. Michael T.
Flynn. McMaster's filling out of the NSC staff with experts and
professionals rather than Flynn's battle buddies is a positive
step toward normalizing the foreign policymaking process in the Trump
administration. But that effort still has a very long way to go.

THE NEW YORKER
Steve Bannon Is Losing to the Globalists |

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John Cassidy

Some accounts portrayed Bannon's eviction as the housecleaning
work of H. R. McMaster, the three-star Army general who replaced the
controversial Michael Flynn as Trump's national-security
adviser. But the real import of Bannon's departure from the
N.S.C. goes beyond personalities and palace intrigue. It confirms a
trend we've seen developing for weeks now: the Trump
Administration's globalists, such as Kushner and Cohn, are
growing in influence, while the nationalists-led by
Bannon-are on the defensive.

THE HUFFINGTON POST

Trump Gutted the State Department and Half of Top Jobs Are Still
Unfilled |

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Jessica Schulberg and Alissa Scheller

Ten weeks after the Trump administration unceremoniously pushed out
several top-level State Department officials, their positions remain
unfilled, and more than half of the positions listed on the
agency's leadership chart are vacant or occupied by temporary
acting officials. Current and former State Department officials are
concerned the government's main diplomatic arm is ill-equipped
in a time of need. And the persisting vacancies raise questions about
the White House's ability or willingness to find capable
personnel to fill critical posts.

THE HILL
Kushner Becomes Trump's Jack-Of-All-Trades |

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Jonathan Easley

Jared Kushner has become the Trump administration's
jack-of-all-trades. Allies of President Trump say he has nearly
unmatched confidence in his 36-year-old son-in-law, whose expanding
portfolio includes Middle East peace, Iraq, China, overhauling the
government's technology infrastructure, opioid abuse,
veterans' affairs and criminal justice reform. Kushner's
outsize role in the administration was clear on Monday as he landed in
Iraq...Leading some to question why Kushner is acting as U.S. emissary
to the country instead of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Who's in the News

USA TODAY

Foreign Aid Cuts to Contraceptives in Trump's Budget Hurt Millions of
Women

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Melinda Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Indonesia has strategically used foreign aid to transform itself from
a poor nation into a middle-income one. In just one generation, access
to contraceptives skyrocketed to over 50%. Today, Indonesia is the
world's eighth largest economy and one of our country's
biggest trading partners. It is a steady ally in an unstable world and
an important market for U.S. goods. Indonesia is only one of many
countries whose future will be impacted by the funding decisions the
U.S. makes - and its story is a reminder both of what is
possible and what is at stake.

THE HILL
How This Little Known Government Agency Helps Put America First

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Robert Mosbacher, Jr., President and CEO of OPIC, 2005-2009

Here is a simple question for those working on next year's
federal budget: what sense does it make to eliminate a U.S. government
agency that costs just $70 million a year to run, but returns an
average of $350 million each year in revenue to the U.S. Treasury to
reduce the federal deficit? The answer: none. And yet, there are some
in Washington who want to do precisely that. They want to eliminate
the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), an independent
agency of the U.S. government, because they believe it has a
distortive impact on markets, and is unnecessary.

THE ATLANTIC
What Trump's Foreign-Aid Budget Means to the Rest of the World

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Andrew Natsios, former Administrator of the U.S. Agency for
International Development

The United States' friends and allies in the developing world
now have tangible evidence, in place of vague speculation, of what
they had most feared since Donald Trump's election in November:
the withdrawal of the United States from active international
leadership in the world. As such, his [Trump's] budget echoes a
mistake that other presidents have made: diminishing the power of U.S.
foreign aid at a time when it's crucial to American interests.
This is why 121 retired generals and admirals wrote to Congress, which
will soon be crafting its own budget, urging the cuts be reversed.

THE DES MOINES REGISTER
Why the U.S. Should Help Other Nations' Farmers

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Former Congressman Douglas Bereuter (R-NE), President Emeritus of the
Asia Foundation, and former Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman

As American farmers face the forecast of a fourth consecutive year of
declining projected farm income, it may seem counterintuitive to
suggest that the United States should support the agricultural
progress and food security of other nations. But, in fact, it is this
investment that may help turn the tide for American farmers'
market opportunities...building new and emerging market opportunities
is more important than ever - for the U.S. agricultural
community and our economy as a whole. Now is the time to double-down
- not back down - on the U.S. commitment to global
agricultural development.

Development & Diplomacy

CNN
Hillary Clinton Calls Trump's Budget a 'Grave Mistake' |

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Dan Merica

Hillary Clinton again waded into politics Friday...by slamming
President Donald Trump's proposed budget blueprint at Georgetown
University. Clinton, speaking at an event honoring women who
contributed to the recent peace process between the Colombia
government and the FARC, went on to reference a letter from 120
retired generals who urged Trump not to make major cuts to diplomacy
and foreign aid. "These distinguished women and men who have served in
uniform recognize that turning our back on diplomacy won't make our
country safer; it will undermine our security and our standing in the
world," Clinton said.

THE NEW YORK TIMES
After the Missiles, We Need Smart Diplomacy on Syria

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Antony J. Blinken, Deputy Secretary of State in the Obama
Administration

President Donald J. Trump was right to strike at the regime of Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad for using a weapon of mass destruction, the
nerve agent sarin, against its own people. The real test for Mr. Trump
is what comes next...This will require something in which the
administration has shown little interest: smart diplomacy. That smart
diplomacy starts with Russia. The administration should make clear to
Moscow that it will hold it accountable for Mr. Assad's actions
going forward...Mr. Trump must also carefully guard against the
possible downsides of his actions, especially with regard to the
counter-ISIS campaign.

BUSINESS INSIDER

Trump's Budget Cuts to UN Programs Could End up Being a Bad Deal for
the US Military |

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Christopher Woody

While some of President Donald Trump's marquee initiatives have
foundered...the budget put out by the White House shows that Trump is
sticking to...his much-touted cuts to US contributions to the UN and
international programs. But when it comes to UN programs - UN
peacekeeping in particular - the US already gets a pretty good
deal. The US only pays $24,500 a year for each deployed UN
peacekeeper, compared to $2.1 million a year for an American
serviceman deployed to a war zone. US government estimates have also
found that relying on UN peacekeepers is beneficial to the American
taxpayer.

REUTERS

Former U.S. president Bush Touts Signature Africa AIDS Program in
Botswana |
http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=lwIsg64ipGqCHpNizDFcTQ

Ed Stoddard

Former U.S. President George W. Bush touted his signature aid project
for Africa during a visit to Botswana on Tuesday, saying he hoped
Washington would recognize its importance in saving lives threatened
by AIDS. Launched in 2003 during the first Bush administration,
PEPFAR, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, is the world's
largest provider of AIDS-fighting medicine...U.S. President Donald
Trump has proposed steep cuts in the budget for diplomacy and foreign
aid but his administration has so far said it will "maintain current
commitments and all current patient levels on HIV/AIDS treatment"
under PEPFAR.

Politics & Foreign Policy

POLITICO
Haley Eclipses Tillerson on Trump's Foreign Policy Ladder |

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Eliana Johnson

And with Rex Tillerson conducting his job almost entirely out of
public view, Haley has improbably eclipsed the secretary of state as
the country's leading voice on foreign affairs. Indeed, Haley
has essentially had free reign in the job...Her ability to navigate
the treacherous waters of the Trump administration has renewed
speculation about her political future, generating buzz among
Republican operatives that she may be Tillerson's heir apparent and a
future presidential candidate.

THE NEW YORK TIMES
President Trump's Most Important Meeting |

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The Editorial Board

Donald Trump's meeting with his Chinese counterpart this week
will be the most important diplomatic encounter of his presidency so
far. By undoing American support for an international agreement on
climate change, repudiating an Asia-oriented trade deal and calling
for funding cuts for the United Nations, Mr. Trump has already ceded
leadership in key areas to Mr. Xi, who is eager to expand
Beijing's role as an international power and has increasingly
positioned his country as a competitor of the United States. It will
be disastrous for America and the world if Mr. Trump continues on this
disengagement path.

FOREIGN POLICY
Putin Is Soft on Terrorism |

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Molly K. McKew

With Secretary of State Rex Tillerson expected to visit Moscow in the
next few weeks, and with the Russian government still trying to
distract from recent anti-corruption protests across the country, it
is certainly no surprise to see the state media machine...pivoting to
the importance of the United States and Russia cooperating to fight
terrorism...Since the 9/11 attacks, the Kremlin has endeavored to use
the mutual desire to fight terrorism as a foundation for restored
relations with Washington. All these words stand in stark contrast to
Russian actions. Moscow's escalating intervention in support of
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has fueled a crisis that has
destabilized the region. It has also seen the Kremlin partnering with
a number of terrorist organizations.


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