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Dawn Johnsen Nomination Sent Back To White House For 'Reconsideration'

The Washington Post | Ed O'Keefe | Posted 12.28.2009 | Politics


If passing health-care reform was the Senate's Christmas present to President Obama, then the confirmation of more than 30 of his nominees might as we...

Some Contractors In Afghanistan Allegedly Paying Protection Money To Taliban

Politics Daily | David Wood | Posted 12.21.2009 | World


Some international contractors, hired by the United States to build roads and other large construction projects in Afghanistan, are paying Taliban ins...

Obama's Pick for Head of USAID: Forcing GMO's on the World's Poor

Eric Holt Gimenez | Posted 12.21.2009 | Politics


Eric Holt Gimenez

President Obama's choice of Rajiv Shah as the next USAID administrator reflects a disturbing tendency of this administration to grease the "revolving-door" between industry and government, contrary to campaign promises.

Time To Make U.S. Foreign Assistance Work -- for Women and Men

Ritu Sharma | Posted 12.14.2009 | World


Ritu Sharma

Despite so much hard work, Betilde remains one of the billion people in the world struggling to survive on less than a dollar a day. The majority of the bottom billion, about 829 million, are women.

USAID: Understaffed And Underfunded In Afghanistan

GlobalPost | C.M. Sennott | Posted 12.11.2009 | World


BOSTON -- A shortage of auditors and investigators combined with unwieldy budgets on rushed schedules in an active war zone have severely undercut the...

Impacting AIDS this World AIDS Day

Josh Ruxin | Posted 11.27.2009 | Politics


Josh Ruxin

World AIDS Day has become a time to reflect on the daunting challenges we face in the battle against this tenacious killer. Although huge strides hav...

The Right Choice For USAID

Dan Glickman | Posted 11.20.2009 | Politics


Dan Glickman

The selection of Dr. Rajiv Shah to lead USAID is a tremendous choice that underscores the Obama Administration's commitment to the vital role development plays in foreign policy and to the rebuilding of this vital agency.

The Shah Appointment at USAID

Mira Kamdar | Posted 11.16.2009 | Green


Mira Kamdar

With the appointment of Rajiv Shah to head USAID, it's deja-vu all over again for the Obama administration. Welcome to Camelot redux, the 1960's re-engineered for the 2010s.

Rajiv Shah To Be Named USAID Administrator

politico.com | Laura Rozen | Posted 11.10.2009 | World


POLITICO reported yesterday that the 36-year-old USDA chief scientist and undersecretary for research, education and economics, a medical doctor who p...

Women Farmers in the Developing World

Dan Silverstein | Posted 11.10.2009 | World


Dan Silverstein

In Sub-Saharan Africa, 80% of agricultural workers are women. According to the World Bank,They raise 90% of the food, but receive only 10% of credit extended for agricultural loans.

Troop Increases? What About the Other Side of the Foreign Policy Coin?

J. Brian Atwood | Posted 11.02.2009 | World


J. Brian Atwood

More than eight months after President Obama took office, and at a time when it is absolutely essential, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) remains without an Administrator.

U.S. Rushes Aid To Pakistan To Fight Taliban

nytimes.com | ERIC SCHMITT | Posted 10.29.2009 | World


WASHINGTON - Even as the Pakistani government plays down the American role in its military operations in Taliban-controlled areas along the border wit...

State's Human Rights Guy Needs to Man Up Fast

Jeff Ballinger | Posted 10.21.2009 | Politics


Jeff Ballinger

Now that Michael Posner has been officially installed as Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, it's about time we get started down the road to righting a whole slew of global wrongs.

Arrest Warrant Out For USAID Contractor In Afghanistan

The Nation | Aram Roston | Posted 11.30.2009 | World


While corruption by Afghan government officials here in Kabul has been widely condemned, corruption by Western officials in Afghanistan has received l...

Criminally Negligent Homicide: The Legacy of Wealthy Nations That Allow Millions to Die

Dan Silverstein | Posted 11.29.2009 | Business


Dan Silverstein

Two award-winning reporters have collaborated on a new book entitledEnough: Why the World's Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty. It is a page turner. Unless you simply don't give a damn, this is a must read.

Obama Launches Whole-of-Government Review of U.S. Global Development Policy

Sheila Herrling | Posted 10.17.2009 | Politics


Sheila Herrling

Lots of folks are asking how this White House-led PSD relates to State Department's recently launched Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR).

The Exit Strategy We Need at Home

Lorelei Kelly | Posted 10.17.2009 | World


Lorelei Kelly

No matter how much we love and trust the U.S. military, the American face to the world cannot be wearing a uniform.

Growing Businesses in African Soil

Dan Silverstein | Posted 09.28.2009 | Business


Dan Silverstein

It's in our own self-interest to jump start agricultural development with the goal of creating markets for ourselves.

Obama, Clinton: Elevating Women's Issues but Not Global Development?

Nandini Oomman | Posted 09.20.2009 | Politics


Nandini Oomman

The Obama administration has made separate pronouncements on global health, food security and women's rights. It's not yet clear how it will fit these together into a coordinated global development strategy.

Americans and Ramallah Youth

Daoud Kuttab | Posted 09.20.2009 | World


Daoud Kuttab

Has it become acceptable among Palestinians to wear a hat or a T-shirt praising Americans? The answer most respondents had can be summarized in two words: Barack Obama.

Stop "Crimes Against Humanity and Geological Scandals": Give AFRICOM a Chance In Congo

Georgianne Nienaber | Posted 09.19.2009 | World


Georgianne Nienaber

This is going out to the end of a very long limb, but contrary to the rumblings in progressive think tanks, let's suggest that AFRICOM must be given a chance in eastern Congo.

The Farmer Out of the Dell: Who's Next in the USAID Courtship Ritual?

Sheila Herrling | Posted 09.08.2009 | Politics


Sheila Herrling

An arduous vetting process coupled with diminished authority is a virtual perfect storm for leaving the post vacant and the elevation of development and reform of foreign aid stalled.

African Food Security? USAID Has Used Taxpayer Money to Fund GMOs Abroad Since 1991

Paula Crossfield | Posted 09.06.2009 | Green


Paula Crossfield

Africans can look to India to see what a future of relying on biotech seeds looks like. There, a depleted water table, poisoned waterways and farmer suicides have been the result of the first Green Revolution.

USAID Director Vacancy Threatens Agency's Future

Washington Post | Posted 09.05.2009 | World


As Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton begins a seven-country African trip with a visit to Kenya, the main U.S. foreign aid agency is in limbo, ...

Who'd a Thunk It? Bipartisan Consensus on Foreign Aid

Sheila Herrling | Posted 08.31.2009 | World


Sheila Herrling

Amidst of a month of partisan battles on Capitol Hill, a bill was introduced this week that rose above party lines in a major step towards strengthening and reforming US foreign aid policy.