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The Weekly GAB Friday, February 8, 2019
U.S. Global Leadership Coalition | www.usglc.org
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USGLC in the News

THE WASHINGTON POST

Ivanka Trump's Plan Pledges $50 Million of USAID Money to Pull
50 Million Women from Poverty |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=Z-coVXYQ8c6qG7UIjqh6DQ

Adam Taylor

Ivanka Trump, the daughter of the president and a senior White House
adviser, announced a new global effort Thursday to help 50 million
women in the developing world by 2025... For the Women's Global
Development and Prosperity Initiative, the U.S. government will team
up with several private companies such as UPS and Pepsi to
"facilitate complementary private-sector investments to achieve
our shared goals," Trump said. But despite the
initiative's ambitions, it is unclear how the White House-led
fund would fit into the president's broader skepticism about
foreign aid... Liz Schrayer, president of the U.S. Global Leadership
Coalition, praised the measure and emphasized that public and private
funding should be involved. "It's terrific to see this
winning initiative on empowering women economically in the developing
world," Schrayer said. "And we know for it to achieve its
full potential, the public and private sector must step up and ensure
it has the resources it needs."

Who's in the News

FOX NEWS

Prayer Breakfast a Time to Remember Vital Role of American Foreign
Assistance

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=Ru59M_qGdRmbp83l4UDuWQ

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, and Reverend Samuel
Rodriguez, President, National Hispanic Christian Leadership
Conference

Over the last three decades, America has helped cut extreme poverty in
half around the world. 2.6 billion people have been blessed with
access to safer drinking water. Other interventions like vaccine
programs and improved nutrition have helped reduce child death under
age five around the world by more than half, an historic low...
Offering a hand up to the least of these is our biblical mandate. And
it is working. Americans in all 50 states serve with dozens of
faith-based organizations on the frontlines making up a faith
community that is an active and valued partner with the U.S. Agency
for International Development (USAID)... Unfortunately, Americans too
often misunderstand just how much our government spends on foreign
assistance to fight poverty and disease overseas. The reality is that
it is less than one percent of the federal budget.

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Empower Women to Foster Freedom

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=srE1R1AX5DjWV_88RQ8k3g

Ivanka Trump, Senior Advisor to the President

On Thursday President Trump will sign a memorandum establishing the
Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative, or W-GDP.
This new initiative will for the first time coordinate America's
commitment to one of the most undervalued resources in the developing
world-the talent, ambition and genius of women. This initiative
aims to help 50 million women in developing countries realize their
economic potential by 2025... When women are free to thrive, they
bring national stability, as well as more jobs and economic growth.
Expanding women's economic participation has the potential to
boost global economic output by an additional $12 trillion by 2025.

CNN
Welcoming Refugees Makes Total Economic Sense

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=O1xk0gChsdzqgeR1Bxbc7w

Madeleine Albright, former US Secretary of State; and David Miliband,
President and CEO, International Rescue Committee, former UK Foreign
Secretary

When given the opportunity to rebuild their lives in a welcoming
country, refugees make enormous contributions. Despite being among the
most vulnerable and destitute when they arrive, the data shows that
refugees work hard and quickly become net economic contributors in
their host societies... Yet today, the global refugee resettlement
system is breaking down... This moment demands bold action -- not only
to revive the bipartisan American tradition of resettling refugees,
but to broaden the coalition of countries accepting the world's most
vulnerable people.

THE FINANCIAL TIMES
Whoever Runs the World Bank Needs a Plan for Emerging Markets
http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=atyXhb28WWVE2XiURh5NwQ

Robert Zoellick, former President, World Bank

Governments are now selecting a new president of the World Bank. In
doing so, it should be considering the strategic economic context in
which the bank will operate. The retrospectives 10 years after the
global financial crisis dramatised events in the US and Europe, but
rarely cast an eye on developing economies. The next World Bank
president needs a better grasp of that history and must know what his
or her institution and others should be doing now to prepare for the
next downturn... When the next downturn or financial crisis hits,
emerging markets are likely to prove even more important than they
were a decade ago. The new World Bank president should help developing
countries to prepare now.

Development & Diplomacy

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Trump to Tap David Malpass, Critic of World Bank, to Lead It |
http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=fJhj39bfpV0sPnVm5Mq8qA

Darlene Superville and Josh Boak

The World Bank may be poised for a shake-up with President Donald
Trump planning to nominate David Malpass, who has been a critic of the
bank, to lead the institution focused on global poverty.
Malpass' selection was confirmed by a senior administration
official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official
wasn't authorized to comment publicly on personnel decisions.
Trump is expected to make the announcement later this week. Now the
undersecretary for international affairs at the Treasury Department,
Malpass has been an outspoken skeptic of the 189-nation World Bank, a
leading source of funding for economic development.

DEVEX
Will Trump's Nominee Turn the World Bank Against China? |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=BOt5snM_gmSJ27HKBB3mcA

Michael Igoe

In the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement on
Wednesday that he will nominate David Malpass to be the next president
of the World Bank, Malpass' record as a critic of the bank
- and particularly of its relationship with China - has
some staffers and development experts worried. As the United States
trade war with China continues, and as the administration's
global development leaders increasingly describe their missions as
part of a battle for influence with Beijing, many have interpreted
Malpass' nomination as a signal that the White House might
enlist the World Bank in this economic and geopolitical struggle.
Whether Malpass approaches his nomination as an opportunity to forward
this part of the Trump agenda, or with a commitment to the best
interests of an international institution could mean the difference
between his success or rejection.

REUTERS
U.S. Sends Aid to Colombia-Venezuela Border; Maduro Rejects Help |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=SMB1S7o6uPTst40BoUMQ9w

Lesley Wroughton and Roberta Rampton

The United States has sent food and medicine to Colombia's
border with Venezuela, U.S. officials said on Tuesday, although it is
still unclear how the aid will get past the objections of President
Nicolas Maduro, who has blocked shipments in the past. Two officials
who spoke on condition of anonymity said the aid will be staged at the
main Colombian-Venezuelan border crossing at Cucuta. One official said
more supplies would be staged in Brazil and in the Caribbean... A
senior U.S. administration official said it was up to Guaido to decide
when and how to move the supplies into the country. "We will
seek to help him to do so by whatever means possible," the
official said... The United States could attempt to seek the approval
of the United Nations Security Council to deliver aid without
Maduro's cooperation, but Russia would likely block such a move.

SOUTHWEST TIMES-RECORD
For a Stronger Economy, Empower More of the World's Women

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=CKDlrVvtC65H_FIs21H6RQ

John Boozman, U.S. Senator (R-AR)

Women make up the majority of the world's poor and are often
held back by gender-specific constraints to economic empowerment such
as lack of access to financial services and credit. In many corners of
the world, cultural and historical barriers make it difficult for
women to start businesses, build savings and make meaningful economic
contributions... I was joined by my colleague Sen. Ben Cardin, D-MD,
in introducing the Women's Entrepreneurship and Economic
Empowerment Act (WEEE Act) to provide an avenue to address economic
opportunity inequality by tapping into the proven abilities of
existing United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
programs.

THE ECONOMIST
Electricity Does Not Change Poor Lives as Much as Was Thought |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=g5jHYGLgUVxBJycesj2cAw

Economist Staff

Almost 140 years after Thomas Edison began selling filament light
bulbs, just under 1 billion people worldwide still lack access to
electricity, according to the International Energy Agency, a research
group. Almost two-thirds live in Africa, mostly in the countryside.
The UN believes all should have power, and has set a target date to
achieve universal access of 2030. That sounds plausible-since
2000 the number of people without power has fallen by 700 million.
Sadly, it is unlikely to happen. And recent economic research shows
that rushing to illuminate the world is a bad idea... If electricity
and light truly transformed people's lives, it might make sense
to offer large subsidies for solar systems and grid connections or
even to give them away... But there is little evidence of this.

CRUX
For Second Time in Months, CRS Forced to Cut Funding to Gaza |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=YKgUlI23m64Kf42CYgM6sQ

Judith Sudilovsky

Catholic Relief Services cut its services to needy people in the Gaza
Strip by closing a U.S. government-funded program because of the
Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act. This was the second CRS program in
Gaza affected the U.S. government decisions in recent months: The
first was the administration's freeze on funding to medical and
humanitarian aid providers and the second is ATCA, said Hilary DuBose,
CRS country representative for Jerusalem, West Bank and Gaza... The
Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act, signed into law last fall by the U.S
congress, would allow Americans to sue any entity receiving American
funding for alleged collaboration in acts of terrorism. Since there
has not been any clear exception for humanitarian funding, USAID asked
CRS to shut down the Gaza 2020 project, which provided temporary job
placements, food vouchers, entrepreneurship training and grants, and
emergency preparedness training.

STAT NEWS

Top WHO Official Sees Progress in Grueling Fight Against Ebola
Outbreak |

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Helen Branswell

Six months after the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic
of the Congo began, efforts to stop spread of the disease are
producing signs of progress, a senior World Health Organization
official told STAT on Thursday. Transmission has either been halted or
significantly reduced in a number of the areas where the disease has
spread, said Dr. Mike Ryan, assistant director of the WHO's
emergency preparedness and response program. But there is still
intense transmission in a large city, Katwa, and stopping the disease
there is not going to be an easy task, said Ryan. He described the
outbreak as more of a series of linked epidemics than one large
outbreak.

Politics & Foreign Policy

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

After Mattis, Acting Defense Chief Shanahan Is Trying Out for
Permanent Role |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=sGrXk6EHNNmgUtDxoYNTlQ

Gordon Lubold and Michael C. Bender

President Trump named Mr. Shanahan, 56, acting Pentagon chief
following the departure of Jim Mattis in late December. Now Mr.
Shanahan is on what many officials and experts consider an extended
audition to become the permanent secretary. Mr. Shanahan became the
Trump administration's acting senior official, joining the
acting heads of the Justice Department, Interior Department,
Environmental Protection Agency and Drug Enforcement Administration.
Mr. Trump in private conversations has voiced satisfaction with the
arrangement, saying interim leaders are more beholden to the Oval
Office, according to a person familiar with the conversation... Mr.
Shanahan has already begun handing his previous duties off to others,
in a sign he is leaning into his new role, said a senior defense
official, while steeping himself in issues such as Syria, Afghanistan
and Iran.

BLOOMBERG

How Vietnam Went from Cold War Foe to a Host for Trump and Kim's
Summit |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=my8IJun81oCtyRCz_JpjAg

Jihye Lee

President Donald Trump's decision to hold his next summit with
North Korea's Kim Jong Un in Vietnam carries a rich historical
irony: The site of the U.S.'s biggest Cold War quagmire may be
where America moves to finally end that era's most enduring
conflict. The Southeast Asian nation's selection for Trump and
Kim's second meeting on Feb. 27-28 says as much about how the
world has changed since the Cold War as it does about past rivalries.
Vietnam's journey from American foe to budding U.S. security
partner could offer Kim a road map for making peace with the
world's sole superpower... Today, the U.S. is Vietnam's
third-biggest trading partner -- behind China and South Korea -- and
security ties are close enough for an American aircraft carrier to
visit Danang in March. A big reason has been a desire to hedge against
Beijing, whose disputes with Hanoi have turned bloody over the years.
That evolution could prove instructive if Kim secures a peace
declaration to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War in his summit with
Trump.

DEVEX

New Chief of House Foreign Affairs Committee Outlines His Top
Priorities |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=npGHQJonQht31tvbzoP8tg

Adva Saldinger

The new chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee asked for
patience on Tuesday as he presented just a few of the many items the
committee will be juggling - including foreign policy
decision-making about Russia, North Korea, and China. Representative
Eliot Engel, a Democrat from New York, laid out his foreign policy
priorities at an event at the Carnegie Endowment for International
Peace. There was little mention of global health or development
issues, although Yemen will be the subject of the committee's first
hearing this week, and he suggested an ongoing focus to address
challenges in Central America causing migration to the United States.

POLITICO
House Dems Defy Trump on Yemen and Saudi Arabia |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=5sJwRf5hSWZ3UgWRTK-6KQ

Andrew Desiderio

Congress inched closer to a major foreign-policy rebuke of President
Donald Trump on Wednesday when the House Foreign Affairs Committee
advanced a bill to cut off U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition
fighting in Yemen's bloody civil war. In a party-line vote, the
panel's Democrats sent a War Powers resolution to the House
floor, where it is likely to pass overwhelmingly in the coming days. A
companion effort in the Senate will follow, but its prospects are less
certain as Trump administration officials are ramping up efforts to
discourage Republican defections... With the bill expected to easily
pass in the Democratic-controlled House later this month, all eyes
will soon be on Republican senators, who could soon force Trump to
issue the first veto of his presidency.

BLOOMBERG
Feud Between U.S. Allies Deepens as Trump Sits on Sidelines |
http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=N22vFXTIcy9C6KVRdUPjOg

Isabel Reynolds and Youkyung Lee

President Donald Trump's desire to put "America
first" has fostered new disputes between the U.S. and its
allies. In Asia, old rivalries are also roaring back. Ties between
Japan and South Korea -- two of the U.S.'s closest security
partners -- have arguably turned their most hostile in more than half
a century over a series of diplomatic disputes. Now, there are signs
that the feud, fueled by disagreements over Japan's colonization
of the Korean Peninsula decades ago, is beginning to damage economic
and military relations between the neighbors. During previous
nationalistic flare-ups, U.S. administrations normally intervened to
make sure such grudges don't spin out of control. Not any more.

THE WASHINGTON POST

Europeans Fear Trump May Threaten Not Just the Transatlantic Bond, but
the State of Their Union |

http://action.usglc.org/site/R?i=Iyttmt-0VNVLuUXRVh74bg

Dan Balz and Griff Witte

As President Trump prepares to deliver his second State of the Union
address, the leaders of the United States' closest allies in
Europe are filled with anxiety. They are unsure of whom to talk to in
Washington. They can't tell whether Trump considers them friends
or foes. They dig through his Twitter feed for indications of whether
the president intends to wreck the European Union and NATO or merely
hobble the continent's core institutions. Officials say Trump,
by design or indifference, has already badly weakened the foundation
of the transatlantic relationship that American presidents have
nurtured for seven decades. As Sigmar Gabriel, a former German foreign
minister, put it: "He has done damage that the Soviets would
have dreamt of." European leaders worry that the next two years
could bring even more instability, as Trump feels emboldened, and they
are filled with fear at the prospect that Trump could be reelected.
The situation has left the continent facing a strategic paradox no one
has managed to crack.


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