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The Weekly GAB Friday, November 9, 2018
U.S. Global Leadership Coalition | www.usglc.org
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Who's in the News

THE DAILY CALLER
Food Security Is National Security
http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=bIpgoIxEemkUmDZYC7s9Hg

Catherine Bertini, former Executive Director, UN World Food Programme;
Dan Glickman, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture

This month the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's Food Price
Index, a prominent indicator of global food prices, reached its
highest level since records began in 1990, surpassing its previous
spike in 2008 that led to violent food riots in countries from India
to Egypt to Argentina... America cannot afford to stand idly by as
this crisis escalates. With global demand for food expected to double
by 2050, the problem of global food security and price volatility is
only likely to get worse. Short-term fixes without structural change
cannot begin to address the longer-term - and very real -
prospect of global food demand that outstrips production capacity.

TIME
Accountability Alone Will Not Solve Myanmar's Rohingya Crisis

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=-b509PboTO9YMSSm7D9y7g

Secretary Bill Richardson, former Secretary of Energy; former U.S.
Ambassador to the United Nations; former Governor, New Mexico

Accountability will be critical to overcoming decades of impunity in
Myanmar, where a U.N.-mandated fact-finding mission concluded that
senior military officials should be investigated and prosecuted for
genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity... But a singular
focus on accountability risks overshadowing the need to bring about
tangible improvements in Rohingyas' lives now. The international
community must focus on compelling Myanmar to respect and protect
Rohingyas' fundamental rights and on working with Bangladesh to
develop interim solutions that bolster the Rohingya and affected
Bangladeshi communities.

Development & Diplomacy

THE NEW YORK TIMES

U.S. Continues Giving Aid to Central America and to Millions of
Venezuelan Refugees |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=4Nohe9MqC3XyetG4SwLN-g

Edward Wong

President Trump has yet to follow through on a threat to cut off
hundreds of millions of dollars in annual aid to three Central
American nations from which migrants and refugees are moving toward
the United States border, according to the head of the main American
foreign aid agency. "I'm not aware of firm decisions being
made," Mark Green, the administrator of the United States Agency
for International Development, said Friday during a wide-ranging
interview at his office a few blocks southeast of the White House.
"I know it's under review... It's true that the
White House is taking a close look at all assistance that is provided
to these three countries," said Mr. Green, a former ambassador
and Republican congressman from Wisconsin. "Quite frankly,
that's not unusual. We're constantly examining and
re-examining our assistance programs."

NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER

Faith Leaders Call on US to Address Complicity in Causing Migrant
Caravan |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=bO5etFmV3vORU32udp_rcw

Maria Benevento

In an ideal world, members of a migrant caravan traveling from
Honduras would probably grant President Donald Trump's wish that they
stay home. But conditions in much of Central America are far from
ideal... Poverty and violence came up over and over again as faith
leaders with ties to Central America and Mexico discussed the factors
driving the caravan of thousands of migrants traveling on foot from
Honduras and currently located in southern Mexico. While they called
on Trump and other U.S. officials to stop using the caravan as a
political pawn, ensure due process for asylum seekers and treat all
migrants with respect, people of faith also said U.S.-based responses
aren't enough.

AMERICAS QUARTERLY

Central America Is as Violent as Ever. What Would It Take to Change? |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=JfvYSAjUjvLnEsHpVFqv6w

Richard Lapper

The pace of progress in Central America over the past three decades
has significantly trailed other regions in Latin America... Any
solution to the region's ills must address the mass of young
jobless people who are induced to either emigrate or join gangs.
Young, technocratic policymakers in the countries' capitals know
this... The $750 million U.S. aid package negotiated for the Northern
Triangle countries is less than the Barack Obama administration
originally sought. Relative to both past commitments and money pledged
elsewhere in the world, it is modest. Nevertheless, it is a useful
start. So the question is: What should the funds focus on?

DEVEX
The Next Battle for US Aid Is About to Begin |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=8FB9rxsWzIkyUKdGK9BpxA

Michael Igoe

The United States global development community is bracing for the
release of a Trump administration foreign assistance review that is
expected to set the tone for another round of harsh White House budget
proposals in the coming months. The classified review has been kept
under close wraps by administration officials, even to the point that
members of Congress who actually oversee development spending have
received little to no information about it.

THE ATLANTIC

Almost Half the Top Jobs in Trump's State Department Are Still
Empty |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=QJ1etg7a7Haj2u3UGdXNAA

Doyle McManus

For more than two years, the United States has failed to send an
ambassador to Canberra, and Australians who pay attention to foreign
policy see the omission as a slight... Australia isn't the only
U.S. ally that feels underappreciated... [Trump has] left dozens of
U.S. embassies understaffed, too. Two years after his election, the
president still hasn't nominated ambassadors to two of the most
important U.S. allies in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and
Turkey-as became apparent after the murder of the Saudi
journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul.

POLITICO
Pompeo Tries to Staff Up State Post-Midterms |
http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=AtiHsjhv97ty-kouygQhdA

Nahal Toosi

The Trump administration has named several high-level diplomatic
nominees and appointments this week - including a pick for U.S.
ambassador to Australia - amid hopes that expected Republican
gains in the Senate will speed up the confirmation process. A slew of
top State Department positions still lack nominees, however, and the
realities of the legislative calendar mean that it will likely be well
into 2019, if even then, that an already-frustrated Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo can point to having a full team in place.

THE WASHINGTON POST

The U.S. Has Pulled Back Its Ebola Response in Congo. Here's the
Story. |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=31t_s8LKzV5NKFsd0WcFLg

Jeremy Youde

On Aug. 1, the Congo Ministry of Health declared an Ebola outbreak in
North Kivu province, which is in the northeastern part of the
country... North Kivu is simultaneously dealing with an Ebola outbreak
and internal conflict. The region has been the site of ongoing
violence for more than 20 years... As a result, at least 1 million of
the province's 8 million residents are displaced, and many have
fled across international borders... This is where the international
community could provide assistance by offering personnel, diagnostic
assistance and financing. Instead, the U.S. government's
response has been to withdraw from the region - though other
governments have kept personnel in place.

RADIO FREE ASIA

Rohingya Leaders Appeal to US Diplomats to Put Pressure on Myanmar for
Basic Rights |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=2HZEIZCOfe0CFlIT87Bslg

Roseanne Gerin

Rohingya Muslim leaders appealed on Wednesday to a visiting U.S. State
Department official to press the Myanmar government to grant basic
rights, including citizenship and freedom of movement, to members of
the ethnic minority group who live in the vicinity of Rakhine
state's capital Sittwe, a Muslim who was part of the group said.
Richard Albright, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state who is
responsible for humanitarian assistance programs in Asia, is visiting
the ethnically and religiously divided region with U.S. Ambassador to
Myanmar Scot Marciel.

Politics & Foreign Policy

REUTERS
Trump Says Will Nominate New Ambassador to U.N. by End of the Year |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=MM6ZrKJHDaVyDwxKnZTpzQ

Roberta Rampton

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he would make a decision on
nominating a new U.S. ambassador to the United Nations by the end of
the year. He told reporters at the White House that he was considering
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert and other people for
the post to succeed Nikki Haley, who said last month she would resign
at the end of the year.

THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Trump Says Foreign Aid 'Probably Just Stolen' by Central American
Leaders |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=d_DjuO4g0ubvY-08NxbNLQ

Steven Nelson

President Trump vowed to reduce foreign aid to Central American
countries whose citizens are marching toward the U.S. border, saying
Sunday that the money "is probably just stolen" by corrupt leaders.
"We pay these countries by the way -- Honduras, El Salvador -- we pay
these counties hundreds of millions of dollars, which by the way we
will be stopping very soon," Trump said at a campaign rally in
Georgia. "They don't do a damned thing, they don't do a damned thing
for us," Trump said... "You know what's amazing?" Trump said Sunday.
"We give billions and billions of dollars to these foreign countries
that don't give a damn about us, and we can't get a couple of bucks to
farmers who get wiped out by a hurricane. And we're going to take care
of our farmers."

REUTERS

North Korea Postponed U.S. Talks Because 'They Weren't Ready' - Haley
|

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=19VQRH90ooXTUGS0SQPXbg

Michelle Nichols

North Korea postponed talks with the United States on Thursday
"because they weren't ready," U.S. Ambassador to the
United Nations Nikki Haley said as she urged Pyongyang to implement a
June deal between the two countries. Speaking to reporters before and
after a closed-door U.N. Security Council meeting on North Korea
sanctions, Haley said it is now North Korea's turn to act. She
also criticized Russia for trying to lift banking restrictions that
are intended to curb the Asian nation's nuclear program.
"There's no time to stall or no time to delay or try and
get past not going through with what was agreed in Singapore,"
said Haley, who will step down at the end of the year.

SAN DIEGO TRIBUNE

How an Island Nation's New Leaders Are Trying to Unravel a Web
of Secret Deals with China |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=m559cOhAk1anNW12K1-j6A

Shashank Bengali

As Beijing has pursued a mammoth infrastructure-building program
spanning dozens of countries, it found perhaps its most pliant partner
in the president of the Maldives, Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, who
silenced opposition and shrugged off corruption allegations while
steering his country firmly into China's orbit... Details of the
debt - and how much might have been stolen - will only
begin to emerge after [President-elect] Solih takes office Nov. 17 and
his aides gain complete access to documents that Yameen's
government hid from lawmakers and the public. But information already
collected by Solih's transition team indicates that the
liabilities are greater than initially believed and will soon outpace
the islands' ability to pay.

FOREIGN POLICY

Victorious House Democrats Pledge to Probe Trump's Foreign
Policy |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=oaz5HRtstNdwltjvFNjHYA

Michael Hirsh

Perhaps President Donald Trump's vision of the United States as
nativist and isolationist isn't so appealing to Americans after
all. That was likely the reaction of many foreign
governments-U.S. friends and foes alike-as they watched
the Democrats retake control of the House of Representatives in
Tuesday's midterm election, ushering in what is certain to be a
rocky two years of harsh oversight for Trump and a tough re-election
challenge in 2020.

USA TODAY

Iran Open to Talks with US If Trump Changes 'Approach' to
Nuclear Deal, Top Diplomat Says |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=_gF1wJ-KF5d5nqCyIsNYMg

Kim Hjelmgaard

As Iranians braced for the full restoration of economic sanctions
imposed Monday by the Trump administration, their government signaled
it would be open to talking to the United States about a new arms
nuclear accord if Washington changes its "approach" to discussing the
agreement it abandoned earlier this year. Foreign Minister Mohammad
Javad Zarif, Iran's top diplomat, told USA TODAY in an exclusive
interview over the weekend that his government would consider fresh
diplomacy if there were "foundations for a fruitful dialogue" on the
Iran nuclear reduction deal... Zarif's comments provided a rare
indication from Iran's senior leadership that Tehran might consider
joining talks with Washington if certain diplomatic conditions were
met.

VOICE OF AMERICA
Taliban, US Will Join Russia-Hosted Conference for First Time |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=GhDFrrv7ZkDrgwje6QZZrg

Ayaz Gul

The United States and the Taliban are both set to attend for the first
time a multilateral conference Russia will host Friday in Moscow to
discuss how to achieve peace and national reconciliation in
Afghanistan. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova,
said on the eve of the meeting that delegates from 12 countries,
including the U.S., will participate in the second "Moscow
format consultations." ... Washington had turned down the
invitation to the first meeting Moscow hosted last year, while the
Taliban also had stayed away from it.


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