Fixing a "Hollow Service"

The Henry L. Stimson Center and the American Academy of Diplomacy have unveiled a new report on how the next President can strengthen American diplomacy.

Titled “Foreign Affairs Budget for the Future,” the report finds that:

“The State Department, USAID, and related organizations lack the tools to meet today's complex global challenges. It calls for urgent investments in diplomacy and development assistance to rebuild America's foreign affairs capability. The report's recommendations in the four major categories of foreign affairs activity — core diplomacy, public diplomacy, economic assistance, and reconstruction/stabilization — include:

• Greatly expanding public diplomacy activities, especially educational and cultural exchanges to achieve a more positive global attitude toward the United States.

• Transferring authority over selected Security Assistance programs — totaling $785 million annually — to the Department of State from the Department of Defense.

• Significantly increasing funding to permit ambassadors to respond effectively to humanitarian and political emergencies.

• Establishing a robust surge capacity for reconstruction and stabilization efforts under the authority of the Secretary of State.

You can read the full report here, or, if you live in the Washington area, you can attend the report's launch event on October 16th.