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Dear USGLC Board,

Given the tragedy in Paris, it is no surprise that the election discussion has shifted to foreign policy and national security. I wanted to share a few items from the past several days.


1. Democratic Debate. In case you missed "date-night" with the Democratic candidates, Hillary Clinton and Martin O'Malley were spot-on in embracing the USGLC message during the foreign policy discussion Saturday night:


s CLINTON: There is no question in my mind that if we summon... all of the tools at our disposal, not just military force... but our diplomacy, our development aid... that we can bring people together... American leadership is essential.


Some of the bravest people that I had the privilege of working with as Secretary of State were our development professionals who went sometimes alone, sometimes with our military, into very dangerous places in Iraq, in Afghanistan, elsewhere.


s O'MALLEY: These are American soldiers and we fail them... when we fail to act with a whole-of-government approach with sustainable development, diplomacy, and our economic power in alignment with our principles.


2. GOP Raises Political Stakes. The Paris tragedy is already drawing attention to the handful of GOP frontrunners with limited foreign policy expertise vs. those with more fluency. Much of the attention is focused on responding to the immediate threat of ISIS and the question of Syrian refugees in the United States. A few items to share:


s Thoughtful piece in Politico in the wake of Paris: GOP field takes new shape after Paris attacks<http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/paris-attacks-2016-republicans-215913#ixzz3rmu16M84>


s Rubio's Super PAC criticizing Hillary Clinton's<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgYbGjJ2taY> Smart Power definition


s USGLC Board Member Bill O'Keefe on MSNBC<http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc-news/watch/backlash-against-migrants-after-paris-attack-567318083962> on the Syria refugee issues


We're continuing to track the candidates in light of the Paris tragedy and anticipate an increased focus on national security at our Impact 2016 event in Iowa next week.

More soon,

Liz
Liz Schrayer, USGLC