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The Weekly GAB Friday, April 21, 2017
U.S. Global Leadership Coalition | www.usglc.org
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Who's in the News

CNN
The Best Investment America Can Make

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Melinda Gates

The facts are this: Less than 1% of the US federal budget goes to aid,
and the dollars spent abroad reap dividends for our country, too.
That's why, when the White House first announced these cuts, some of
the loudest voices of protest came not from overseas, but here at
home. Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle, retired US
military leaders, and faith leaders all spoke up in defense of foreign
aid, arguing it is not just the right thing to do - it's also
vital to protecting American interests. The money we spend on foreign
aid is a long-term investment in Americans themselves.

THE WASHINGTON POST

The Risks of the Trump Administration Hollowing out American
Leadership

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William J. Burns, Deputy Secretary of State from 2011 to 2014

On the surface, much of President Trump's foreign policy seems
to be reverting to the mainstream upon first contact with reality.
Beneath the surface, however, lurk more troubling trend lines. Through
policy incoherence and not-so-benign neglect, the Trump team risks
hollowing out the ideas, initiative and institutions on which U.S.
leadership and international order rest. Likewise, draconian
reductions in assistance programs are penny wise and pound foolish.
Rather than helping key fragile states avoid the kinds of failures and
conflicts that often drag in the U.S. military, at far greater cost,
we will, through abdication, become less secure.

THE HILL

Ringing the Alarm in Congress: 20 Million Lives at Risk Due to Famine

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=YdMGBKq03Pzd_4P-3MhICg

Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA)

This president has an opportunity to demonstrate his ability to bring
people together by immediately acting on an issue with growing
bipartisan and bicameral support in Congress. Republicans and
Democrats are proposing supplemental funding to address famine in
South Sudan and to prevent famine in Somalia, Nigeria and Yemen.
President Trump should signal to the world that the U.S. will respond
and voice his support for a supplemental funding bill to address this
crisis.

Development & Diplomacy

THE NEWS & OBSERVER
Trump Budget Cuts Would Hurt N.C. Research
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Patrick Fine, CEO of FHI 360, and Wayne Holden, President and CEO of
RTI International

By cutting away at diplomacy and development, the administration
removes two legs from the national security stool. Our military
leaders know this is counter-productive. In a remarkable show of
force, more than 120 retired generals and admirals warned Congress
against cuts for their civilian counterparts on the frontlines,
writing that while the military will lead the fight against terrorism
on the battlefield, "it needs strong civilian partners in the
battle against the drivers of extremism lack of opportunity,
insecurity, injustice, and hopelessness."

THE ST. AUGUSTINE RECORD
Peace Corps Spreads U.S. Values in Far Off Lands |

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Ted Mooney

As a former Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal, and a Peace Corps
Country Director in Uganda and Lesotho, I have seen firsthand how the
work of Peace Corps volunteers extends the values and diplomacy of the
United States in ways no other organization does. I urge you to
support the base level funding of $410 million for the Peace Corps and
$60 billion for the International Affairs Budget for fiscal year 2018.
Moreover the value for these programs is astonishing when seen in
context of establishing goodwill, promoting viable markets for U.S.
goods and services, and contributing in a meaningful way to our
national security.

THE COMMERICAL APPEAL
Protecting Foreign Aid Shows Our Nation's Greatness

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Dr. Stephen Cook, Senior Pastor of the Second Baptist Church in
Memphis

What do the Archbishop of New York, a group of Nashville
singer/songwriters, the president of the National Hispanic Christian
Leadership Conference, and this ordinary pastor here in Memphis all
share in common? We, along with about 100 others, are using our voices
to call on our congressional representatives to reject recent
proposals put forward by President Trump in his budget blueprint. In
particular, we are calling on Congress to protect the International
Affairs budget.

THE WASHINGTON POST

Millions May Starve in Africa. The U.S. Should Do Something About It
|

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Editorial Board

The United Nations has rigorous and rarely met criteria for declaring
a famine: 1 in 5 households in an affected area must be severely short
of food; more than 30 percent of the population must be malnourished;
and at least two starvation-related deaths must occur per day for
every 10,000 members of the population. U.N. authorities did not
declare a famine zone anywhere in the world after 2011 - until
this year. Now there is one in South Sudan, and soon there may be
three more - in northern Nigeria, Somalia and Yemen. As many as
20 million people may face starvation. This extraordinary emergency is
attracting remarkably little attention, and alarmingly paltry funding.

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Key US Senator Pushes Back Against Trump's Proposed Aid Cuts |

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Justin Lynch

Face-to-face with victims of South Sudan's famine and civil war, the
Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee strongly
defended U.S. foreign aid on Friday despite President Donald Trump's
proposed deep cuts in humanitarian assistance. Sen. Bob Corker of
Tennessee visited the world's fastest-growing refugee crisis in
northern Uganda, just across the border from South Sudan, in a pointed
response to Trump's "America First" platform that would slash funds
for diplomacy and foreign aid.

VANITY FAIR

Niki Haley Led the Way on Syria - but Will She Set Off a War With
State? |

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Abigail Tracy

Trump, along with many of his advisers, have mostly come around to
Haley's position. But what looks like a policy victory and an
example of leadership for Haley has put her in bureaucratic peril.
"She is not only trying to make policy from the podium at the
U.N., she is in danger of alienating the entire State Department. . .
. What her big bold statements and trying to make policy are going to
do is just make her look like she is off on her own," a George
W. Bush era State Department official told me. "Although you
will get press attention...the danger with that is, inside the
Security Council, diplomats will know that you don't speak for
the president and you are going to be an ineffective advocate for the
United States government."

Politics & Foreign Policy

THE NEW YORK TIMES
One Country's War Changed the World |

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Anne Barnard

The world seems awash in chaos and uncertainty, perhaps more so than
at any point since the end of the Cold War. Authoritarian-leaning
leaders are on the rise, and liberal democracy itself seems under
siege. The post-World War II order is fraying as fighting spills
across borders and international institutions - built, at least
in theory, to act as brakes on wanton slaughter - fail to
provide solutions. Populist movements on both sides of the Atlantic
are not just riding anti-establishment anger, but stoking fears of a
religious "other," this time Muslims. These challenges
have been crystallized, propelled and intensified by a conflagration
once dismissed in the West as peripheral, to be filed, perhaps, under
"Muslims killing Muslims": the war in Syria.

THE WASHINGTON POST

Trump and His Aides Sow Confusion by Sending Mixed Signals on Foreign
Affairs |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=V6bofxGfBtNcf21U7OTDCA

David Nakamura and Karen DeYoung

As he nears his 100th day in office, President Trump's efforts
to appear decisive and unequivocal in his responses to fast-moving
global crises have been undercut by confusing and conflicting messages
from within his administration. Although every administration
experiences growing pains, the recent succession of mixed signals over
key national security issues has stood out, painting a picture to some
of an administration that has not fully developed its policies or a
broader international agenda and whose key agencies are not
communicating with one another - or the White House. It is a
situation that has led foreign diplomats and congressional lawmakers
to express uncertainty about the administration's goals and
about who is speaking on its behalf.

CNN
Venezuela's Capital Braces for More Anti-Government Protests |
http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=Jqe-xQbLaCTFvOnaiarRHQ

Jason Hanna and Ray Sanchez

Opposition leaders again are calling for protests in Venezuela's
capital on Thursday, a day after three people were shot dead in
demonstrations that have rocked the South American country following
weeks of unrest. Venezuela has been rocked by intermittent but violent
protests since the Supreme Court dissolved an opposition-led
parliament last month. The move was reversed days later, but
demonstrations had already erupted. The turmoil is set against an
economic crisis in which unemployment is set to surpass 25%, and
people have struggled for years with food and medical shortages and
skyrocketing prices. The economic crunch took another turn this week
as the government seized a General Motors plant, prompting the auto
giant to say it was halting operations in Venezuela.

THE NEW YORK TIMES
A 'Cuban Missile Crisis in Slow Motion' in North Korea |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=xCSO4shu-nyYdI01DZ6FTg

David E. Sanger and William J. Broad

All the elements of the North Korean nuclear crisis - the
relentless drive by Kim Jong-un to assemble an arsenal, the propaganda
and deception swirling around his progress, the hints of a covert war
by the United States to undermine the effort, rather than be forced
into open confrontation - were on vivid display this weekend.
What is playing out...is "the Cuban missile crisis in slow
motion." But the slow-motion part appears to be speeding up, as
President Trump and his aides have made it clear that the United
States will no longer tolerate the incremental advances that have
moved Mr. Kim so close to his goals.

USA TODAY
Why Turkey's Referendum Matters to the U.S. |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=kMPVDb9b17_hAQJMcfeRCg

Jessica Durando

Turkey held a constitutional referendum Sunday that would radically
change President Recep Tayyip Erdogan country's system of government
and give the president vast, new powers. So, why does that matter to
the United States? Here are three major reasons: 1) Opponents
campaigning against the referendum say Erdogan would undermine
Turkey's democracy and secular traditions and institute a religious
authoritarian regime in the mostly Muslim nation 2) The U.S. military
has a vital air base in Turkey that is used for operations throughout
the Middle East 3) The NATO member is a valued ally in the fight
against ISIS and the defense of Europe.


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