EMAIL DETAILS

The Weekly GAB - Friday, March 25, 2016
U.S. Global Leadership Coalition | www.usglc.org
http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=isjh1hNZCh7y89bgHrs6fA

USGLC in the News

WIBC

Brooks: Building Roads, Agriculture Overseas a Key Component in Terror War |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=zBbibMXs2cPFuCSF-XxA8w

Eric Berman

Brooks warns if the U.S. pulls back from engagement abroad, it creates openings not only for terror groups but for global economic rivals. Much of the continent became independent from European colonial powers only within the last century, and is still making the transition to democracy. Brooks says China has been active in road-building in Africa, and says the influence and visibility it gains could push countries toward Chinese-style authoritarian government. Brooks spoke at an Indianapolis forum of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, a network of business and foreign policy leaders which promotes the importance of diplomacy and economic development as national security tools.

Campaign 2016

THE WASHINGTON POST

The Brussels Attacks Raise Foreign Policy Questions for the 2016 Candidates. Don't Expect Answers. |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=QAq5k-u4USqPEbFGQNVwdQ

Callum Borchers

The latest act of terror puts foreign policy and national security back at the center of the presidential campaign and will undoubtedly prompt a renewed effort by the media to squeeze specific proposals out of the candidates. It almost certainly won't work. There are some
legitimate reasons for the White House hopefuls to speak in generalities about Brussels specifically and national security and foreign policy proposals more broadly. A candidate's statements in a campaign are, by definition, made with considerably less available information than decisions made as commander-in-chief. You don't want to say something now only to realize - once privy to everything a president is privy to - that what you said on the trail was dumb, not enforceable or created more trouble than it
was worth.

CNN
All 5 Candidates Discuss Foreign Policy Ahead of Western Tuesday |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=JRTTDJLuCW8bBakKRKoUOg

Stephen Collinson

On the eve the next 2016 contests, each of the remaining presidential candidates appeared Monday night on CNN to take on issues ranging from foreign policy to their own political futures. The event coincided with Donald Trump's whirlwind day in Washington, in which he met with Republican officials, sat for a meeting with The Washington Post editorial board and gave a major address to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The CNN interviews also came on the same day that President Barack Obama held a historic news conference with Cuban leader Raul Castro, infusing the discussions with a lot of foreign policy talk."

MEDIUM
The Time to Take Action Against Zika Is Now

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=JZZp8mZUniIUKnoQQ4St_g

Secretary Hillary Clinton, Former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential candidate

There is a lot we need to do, and fast. First and foremost, Congress should meet President Obama's request for $1.8 billion in emergency appropriations to fight Zika. The president asked for this fundingover a month ago, but on Saturday, Congress will begin a two-week break without having allocated one penny. Instead, Congressional Republicans said the Administration should use funds left over from fighting Ebola-even though that money is still being used. Why would we lower our defenses against one public health threat in order to meet another one? That's senseless and dangerous. Congress needs to provide the funds to fight Zika now. Here's where that money shouldgo: developing a rapid diagnostic test for Zika; developing a vaccine;and developin g treatment. We need to increase our research into the
connection between Zika and microcephaly. And we need to step up mosquito control and abatement, and make sure the public knows how to protect themselves and their kids.

THE WASHINGTON POST

The Foreign Policy 'Experts' Who Will Flock to Trump Should Scare You

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=owvP-zhEK35geyVd6Kb3UA

Daniel Drezner, professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University

In weighing the costs and benefits of publicly supporting and advising Trump, foreign policy professionals have to balance the possible benefits of a plum job in a Trump administration with the shame of backing a know-nothing on foreign policy and the stigma of having
"former Trump foreign policy adviser" stamped on their tagline for the rest of their lives. Will some foreign policy folkcalcul ate that the benefits outweigh the costs? Sure, some. But the people who make that calculation are the ones who are frustrated with their current lot in life and are willing to take poor odds to advance their careers. And they will probably have the self-control that, say, Trump's campaign manager has demonstrated in recent weeks. To put it bluntly: When the GOP's foreign policy team starts to support Trump, it won't be sending Trump their best.

Who's in the News

THE HILL
Congress Has Saved Lives Before and Can Do It Again

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=tWk0l89KvZz7lttTWHSrhQ

Ann Vaughan, director of Policy & Advocacy at Mercy Corps

Now, more than two years since the height of violence in the Central African Republic (and the start of our program) peace is holding in Bouar and the parts of Bangui where USAID conflict-mitigation funds were deployed. The crisis in CAR is far from over, but the investments
made in community-level conflict mitigation continue to demonstrate a tangible return on investment to the American taxpayer. Communities are sustainably resolving disputes peacefully without further U.S. support, youth are mobilizing to engage peaceful transition and the
communities are actively repelling atrocities against their neighbors. This is the model for effective conflict reduction: strategic investments to help communities manage conflicts non-violently that act as a bulwark against future conflict and atrocities. We believe components of this model can be replicated to address other forms of violence, including violent extremism. As in CAR, we're seeing situations across the world in which armed groups are exploiting community grievances of marginalization to stoke violence. Proven peacebuilding tools can be tailored to help these communities resolve their differences peacefully.

THE HUFFINGTON POST
Water Turns the Tap On Human Potential

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=Ea2NIzq5A-6u9WLKksh3FA

Catherine Novelli, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment

The United States is one of the world's largest donors in the water sector, investing in infrastructure, technology, and financial instruments that bolster local capital. More than 20 U.S. government agencies and departments make major contributions to international water and sanitation challenges. The cornerstone of these efforts is the work of the United States Agency for International Development and the Millennium Challenge Corporation, which have allocated $6.3 billion for water-related projects in more than 60 countries from 2007 to 2014. These programs provided new or improved access to water and sanitation for some 52 million people across the globe. With proper management, water can be a unifying factor between peoples instead of
a source of friction.

THE HUFFINGTON POST
The Goal of Ending TB is Within Our Reach

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=YidGUTBVQCO7-C8cicxMkA

Ariel Pablos-Mendez, Assistant Administrator for Global Health and Child and Maternal Survival Coordinator, U.S. Agency for International Development

The next five years are critical in the fight to end TB. We have a historic opportunity to turn the tide on an age-old killer that has plagued mankind for generations, and the goal of ending TB deaths in our lifetime is within reach... There is good news as we have made significant progress in addressing the epidemic. Over the past 15 years, the global community has saved 43 million lives, cutting the number of TB-related deaths by almost half and reducing the number of new TB infections by over 40 percent.

Development & Diplomacy

KAISER FAMILY FOUNDATION

The U.S. Global Health Budget: Analysis of the Fiscal Year 2017 Budget Request

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=XFah2cz41b8PCaFN4ha-7g

Allison Valentine, Policy Analyst; Adam Wexler, Director of the Global Health Budget Project; and Dr. Jen Kates, Vice President and Director of Global Health & HIV Policy, at the Kaiser Family Foundation

The President's Fiscal Year 2017 budget request... included $10.3 billion in total funding for global health programs. This marks the first time in three years that the request for global health is higher than the previous year enacted level, and represents the largest request since FY12. If enacted by Congress, it would represent the highest level of global health funding to date (excluding emergency funding for Ebola provided in FY15). The majority of U.S. global health funding is provided as part of base funding for ongoing programs under the international affairs budget, which includes programs at USAID and the Department of State. While the FY17 request proposed increased funding for global health, it proposed decreased base funding for the international affairs budget. As a result, when measured as a share of the international affairs budget, global health would continue the recent trend of increasing as a share of the international affairs budget rising from 20% in FY14 to 23% in FY17.

THE HILL
This World TB Day, Tuberculosis is Still a Global Threat

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=etGbapyXzWL7X-VZdzVhsg

Former Rep. J. Phillip Gingrey, M.D., senior adviser at the District Policy Group

American servicemen and servicewomen are stationed in many parts of the world with high rates of TB disease, particularly in places with MDR-TB and XDR-TB, which have been reported in more than 105 countries. As our military men and women return to the U.S., and
global travel increases among civilians, the risk for TB transmission and outbreaks is extremely concerning. Without more research into developing new vaccines and treatments to combat the drug-resistant strains of TB, outbreaks could lead to drug shortages, economic losses and fatalities. A single country, government or institution cannot do this alone. We need to unite as a global community to encourage policymakers and funders to make TB a priority and devote more funding to vaccine technologies and treatments. Five-year planning by the Stop TB Partnership calls for $1.25 billion for vaccine R&D. While the final goal of a new vaccine may take 10 years, even doubling that number pales in comparison to the $8 billion annual cost the WHO estimates it takes to fully treat the TB epidemic.

MEDIUM
Clean Water Vision With Clarity |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=enLnmACUlWUkokSN7rwfEg

Elizabeth Holtan

"We wanted to build a filter that families were are proud to own and use for years in order to create the long-term health outcomes we all care about, because the long-term health outcomes are really important to us," said White. "At Kohler, the way we approach a challenge is through innovation and high-quality design that we hope will inspire people wherever they live." The result is a ceramic filtration system named KOHLER® Clarity(TM), which first began field tests with World Vision in India, Lebanon, Kenya, and Zambia this past November. The reservoir can be worn on the back for easy carrying, and doesn't need electricity, since it works solely based on gravity.

Politics & Foreign Policy

THE NATION
Barack Obama, Our Man in Havana
http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=_JvrWSHMyAof9IlAlxvS0g

Peter Kornbluh, Director of the Cuba Documentation Project at the National Security Archive

A new chapter has indeed begun in relations between the two countries, as the president completes a series of formal and informal meetings with Raúl Castro, while his business-oriented entourage holds talks with Cuban entrepreneurs and economic ministers, and the Tampa Bay Rays take on the Cuban national baseball team in a display of béisbol diplomacy. In timing, tone, and agenda, the trip represents Washington and Havana's high-profile effort to "seal the deal" after the dramatic accord to normalize relations, announced simultaneously by both presidents on December 17, 2014. Since then, the two countries have worked slowly but steadily toward normalizing diplomatic interaction as well as commercial relations, which remain limited by the economic trade bloqeo, as Cubans call the embargo. But with only 10 months left in Obama's presidential tenure, and the looming unpredictability of the 2016 presidential election, both governments recognize the need to consolidate bilateral ties and lock in the policy of engagement.

POLITIFACT
Did We Really Reduce Extreme Poverty by Half in 30 Years? |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=aTmR_nV6koEwvmukRzWVAw

Linda Qiu

[USAID Administrator Gayle] Smith said, "Over the last 30 years, extreme poverty has been cut in half." By World Bank figures, Smith actually understated the reduction. We've cut extreme poverty by 58 percent using the 2008 definition of extreme poverty, and 74.1 percent by the 2015 definition. While we don't quibble with Smith using that metric, our research shows that there are other ways of determining poverty, and those different ways show different declines. Moreover, defining poverty is not an exact science, experts say. Because of those caveats, we rate Smith's claim Mostly True.

POLITICO
Pentagon Muscles Out State Dept. On Foreign Aid |

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

Bryan Bender

The Pentagon is steering a growing pot of money, equipment and training to help countries fight terrorism, stem the drug trade and deter a rising China and resurgent Russia. Congress is poised to further expand the military's ability to ship arms overseas - causing the State Department and its supporters on Capitol Hill to warn that some of the aid may contradict broader U.S. interests, such as promoting human rights... "It is militarizing foreign policy," said one administration official, who described a "groundswell of a freak-out" bubbling up in Foggy Bottom. The official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, asserted that military officers eager to get results on the battlefield have become the face of the U.S. government in too many countries.


The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition
1129 20th Street NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036
Manage Subscriptions | Unsubscribe | USGLC.org

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=6rb6jfQ0uvcauQPcKJxbHw
http://action.usglc.org/site/CO?i=i0cZ8rVNIVZFOQ8Q2m87t3FXRSSZQ3Ze&cid=1181
http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=XfJyIJxhMq8tj57XVNfFng

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=EG3gLSY-mBht22mbZxX2Zw