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The Weekly GAB - Friday, February 5, 2016
U.S. Global Leadership Coalition | www.usglc.org


Top Quote This Week

ATLANTIC COUNCIL
America's Role in the World<http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/events/webcasts/america-s-role-in-the-world>
Representative Seth Moulton, Massachusetts' 6th District
"While our military tools are an import element of working with our allies and standing up to our adversaries, our diplomatic toolbox is just as important as our defense toolbox in confronting the world's most complex challenges."


USGLC in the News


POLITICO
Bipartisan Unity<http://www.politico.com/tipsheets/the-2016-blast> | Henry Jackson
In the Post and Courier<http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20160203/PC1002/160209826/1021/sc-wants-candidates-to-address-global-engagement>, the respective chairmen of the South Carolina Republican and Democratic parties come together to pen an op-ed pushing all candidates running in the state to talk about how America can lead in the world. "South Carolina voters recognize the United States faces growing threats overseas - and they want to know what the next president will do to confront the Islamic State, Iran and North Korea. But we also need to hear from all the candidates on how they will strengthen American global leadership to both grow our economy and demonstrate our values."

Campaign 2016

FOREIGN POLICY
For Democrats, Foreign Policy Decisive in Iowa Caucus<http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/02/01/sanders-closes-in-on-clinton-in-iowa-caucus-but-senators-arent-feeling-the-bern/> | Molly O'Toole
Clinton can play both sides, touting both her early role in pushing the Iran nuclear deal to its supporters while at the same time signaling to hawks that she'll be tougher on Tehran than President Barack Obama. It's this latter group, the party's foreign policy power center, most likely to express alarm at Sanders's statements on Iran, and deny him credibility on a key national security platform moving forward. Yet even some of those Senate Democrats said Sanders's foreign policy chops aren't as much of a liability as they are simply not his main forte in Congress.

POLITICO
U.S. General Blasts Cruz's Carpet Bombing as 'Inconsistent with Our Values'<http://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/ted-cruz-carpetbombing-us-general-reacts-218528> | Austin Wright
The U.S. commander in charge of the military coalition fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria said today carpet bombing the terrorist network would be "inconsistent with our values" - a remark almost certainly aimed at Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz, who has vowed to "carpet bomb them into oblivion." Army Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland told reporters the United States was "bound by the laws of armed conflict," after being asked to explain why carpet bombing would not be an effective strategy against the Islamic State.

FOREIGN POLICY
Hail to the Hugely Classy Commander-in-Chief<http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/02/03/hail-to-the-hugely-classy-commander-in-chief/> | Micah Zenko
It is difficult to summarize Commander in Chief Trump because most of his policy positions are not coherent, only roughly sketched out, and often contradict each other. He expresses an extremely dark and threatening worldview, believing, for example, that "[Iran is] going to take over parts of the world that you wouldn't believe. And I think it's going to lead to nuclear holocaust," but he simultaneously champions reduced military commitments in most regions, except Iraq, Syria, and North Korea. He is equally a non-interventionist and a humanitarian interventionist, and someone who supports preventive uses of force. He suggests he would build up a bigger and more technologically advanced military, while simultaneously slashing defense spending.

POLITICO
Paul's Demise: Score One for the Hawks<http://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/rand-paul-2016-campaign-over-foreign-policy-218688> | Burgess Everett
With the Kentucky senator's exit from the presidential race, the GOP's flirtations with a dovish foreign policy officially came to an end. Paul was the only candidate on the debate stage making the argument that military intervention isn't conservative - an approach that gained currency within the GOP after Paul's 2011 arrival in Washington and still looked viable a year ago. But as terrorism fears rose and attacks resonated with the GOP electorate, voters flocked to more hawkish voices and Paul's poll numbers sank.

Who's in the News

U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
Syria's Hunger Pangs<http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/world-report/articles/2016-02-04/syrian-refugees-need-humanitarian-food-assistance>
Rick Leach, President and CEO of World Food Program USA, Dan Glickman former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, and Hunter Biden, Chairman of the Board of World Food Program USA
In the weeks ahead, world leaders must address critical issues: Improving access to education so all children can attend school; encouraging private-sector investment in host nations like Lebanon and Jordan to create jobs for Syrian refugees as well as the local population; providing adequate housing and healthcare; securing access to besieged areas within Syria; among other major challenges. Failure to resolve the bigger conflict means the refugee situation could become permanent and ignite further instability across the region and worldwide.

FOREIGN POLICY
How Captain Jack Sparrow Explains the Problem with 'America's Backyard'<http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/02/01/caribbean-nato-latin-america/>
James Stavridis, retired four-star U.S. Navy admiral and NATO supreme allied commander, is the Dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University
Let's face it: the Caribbean is a sea of nations that by and large don't function terribly well...While the Caribbean Sea itself can be fickle and bring terrible storms during hurricane season, it is a natural "tropical silk road" that links all the economies and provides a shimmering tourist industry. Despite the overhang of colonialism, many of the nations in the Caribbean maintain strong links back to advanced nations and economies in Europe, including Britain, France, and the Netherlands. There is a good deal of material to work with in terms of advancing the societies of the region. What can the United States do? And perhaps more importantly, what are we willing to do?
THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
Carter Talks Guinea Worm in London<http://www.myajc.com/news/news/national-govt-politics/carter-talks-guinea-worm-and-donald-trump-in-londo/nqJT3/> | Jill Vejnoska
Jimmy Carter hasn't made any secret of it: He wants to see Guinea worm disease wiped out in his lifetime. On Wednesday, he got a big assist as Britain said it would provide £4.5 million (about $6.5 million) in new support for the Atlanta-based Carter Center's Guinea Worm Eradication Program. That announcement came just hours before the former president got the rare opportunity to deliver a lecture in the House of Lords in London... "A lot of people don't think foreign aid helps anything, but it helps prevent our own people from getting diseases," Carter said in the interview, previewing a key point he made in his lecture. "It's time consuming and a little bit costly now, but in the long term, it's a good investment."

Development & Diplomacy

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
US Pledges $97M to Combat Ethiopia's Drought<http://bigstory.ap.org/article/0bfac037cf1d4dbbbdaa18a12b8b7644/us-pledges-97m-combat-ethiopias-drought> | Paul Schemm and Elias Meseret
The aid is urgently needed to head off a humanitarian disaster brought on by the El Niño climate phenomenon that has affected seasonal rains, USAID administrator Gayle Smith said. "The funding for this is not where it needs to be and we are up against very tight timelines," she said at a briefing during the annual African Union summit... "This is the worst El Niño in history and it has affected the African continent in particular, most dramatically in Ethiopia where 11 million people have been affected."... The $97 million from USAID will include about 176,000 metric tons of food to be distributed to 4 million people... Smith said the U.S. will urge other international donors to step in and support Ethiopia's efforts to deliver food aid and preserve the development gains of the last two decades.

THE TOLEDO BLADE
Investing in Global Health<http://www.toledoblade.com/Featured-Editorial-Home/2016/01/31/Investing-in-global-health.html> | Editorial Board
Dozens of global anti-poverty and public health advocacy groups have worked with members of the U.S. House and Senate to craft legislation that would, without requesting more money, require USAID to reform its decentralized strategy on infant and maternal health programs... "This will put the United States in a position of global leadership on child and maternal mortality and health," Ken Patterson of RESULTS... told The Blade's editorial page. "Putting these reforms into legislation will help make sure that the United States stays focused on its goals for saving children and mothers." Ohio's congressional delegation must get behind this noble effort.

Politics & Foreign Policy

WASHINTON DIPLOMAT
Omnibus Grab Bag Has Something for Everyone, Including Diplomats<http://www.washdiplomat.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13058:omnibus-grab-bag-has-something-for-everyone-including-diplomats-&catid=1541:february-2016&Itemid=428> | Sean Lyngaas
"There are a couple of huge pluses" for supporters of foreign aid in the omnibus package, said George Ingram, a senior fellow in the Global Economy and Development program at the Brookings Institution. One is the fact that appropriators gave agencies a relatively healthy dose of foreign aid funding to work with - $52.68 billion in "State and Foreign Operations."... Over the last four fiscal years, for example, funding for USAID and the MCC - two key pillars of foreign aid policy - has been relatively steady. Over that period, USAID's base budget has averaged $1.42 billion annually, while MCC's has averaged $887 million. Other areas that received a funding bump from 2015 figures include the Peace Corps, maternal and child health, and the PEPFAR. Yet development professionals celebrating the foreign aid budget should read the fine print. A significant portion of the foreign aid money - $14.9 billion - comes through the OCO fund, an end-around to budget caps. Ingram worries that the OCO trick may not be available to lawmakers in future years, meaning a lower base budget when it comes to foreign aid.

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
Congress Passes 'Electrify Africa Act'<http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/USA-Update/2016/0202/Congress-passes-Electrify-Africa-Act> | Bamzi Banchiri
After two years of failed attempts, Congress has passed the Electrify Africa Act, which seeks to address the massive shortage of electricity in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa. The bill, which will now go to President Obama for his signature, was introduced in the House last June by Rep. Ed Royce (R) of California and Rep. Eliot Engel (D) of New York, the chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Karen Bass (D) of California and Rep. Chris Smith (R) of New Jersey, the chairwoman and ranking member, respectively, of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations.

FOREIGN POLICY
A Plan Colombia for Afghanistan<http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/02/03/a-plan-colombia-for-afghanistan/> | Shawn Snow
If Afghanistan gains precision-strike capabilities, the military will then need to enhance its intelligence capabilities to provide forces with the skills and equipment to track, target, and neutralize insurgent leaders on the battlefield. As an outgrowth of Plan Colombia, the United States established the U.S. Embassy Intelligence Fusion Cell, an intelligence training and tracking network that allowed Colombia to push tactical intelligence to local commanders in real time, utilizing signals-intelligence intercepts. A similar network would help Afghanistan provide on-the-spot intelligence to battlefield commanders to target Taliban and Islamic State leaders.

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Dozen Nations Sign Pacific Trade Deal, Kicking Off Battle for Ratification<http://www.wsj.com/articles/dozen-nations-sign-pacific-trade-deal-kicking-off-battle-for-ratification-1454540449> | William Mauldin
For the U.S., Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam and five other countries, the formal signing completes a yearslong process that will lower tariffs and set commercial rules of the road for two-fifths of the world's economy-if the deal is ratified. The nations finished negotiating the deal in Atlanta in October... A major economic study forecasts a small but tangible boost to the U.S. economy from the TPP, and the deal could be a much bigger boon to smaller, more closed economies, including in Vietnam and Malaysia. The TPP also includes Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Peru and Singapore. China isn't part of the bloc, and President Barack Obama has said the trade agreement would let Washington rather than Beijing write the rules of commerce in the fast-growing Asia-Pacific, a key focus of foreign policy in his administration.

THE HILL
GOP Lawmaker: Use Ebola Funds to Fight Zika<http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/268108-gop-lawmaker-pushes-using-ebola-funding-to-fight-zika-virus> | Cristina Marcos
Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah) unveiled legislation on Wednesday to boost funding to research the Zika virus by giving federal agencies flexibility to use money originally allocated to combat Ebola. According to Stewart's office, close to half of the $2.4 billion in funding allocated by Congress in 2014 for fighting the Ebola outbreak was unused as of September. Under the provisions of his bill, agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) would have the option to use some of the remaining funds for Zika virus control efforts.


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