State of the Union: Developmentista-Style

This is a joint post with Beth Schwanke.

President Obama will deliver his 2013 State of the Union Address on Tuesday, February 12 – which also happens to be Mardi Gras.  And while some may spend their evening eating king cake and throwing beads, we will be pulling out our ink daubers and partaking in a slightly more wonky tradition: CGD State of the Union Bingo. (Care to join?  RSVP online!)

Together with CGD friends and colleagues, we’ll track in real-time how the president measures up to his commitment to development by listening for the key development-relevant words listed on our bingo cards.  This year, it seems a pretty solid bet that climate change and immigration will be back in favor. But will PEPFAR make an appearance ten years after President Bush first announced it? And will we hear about Africa outside of the counterterrorism context?

Here’s what five CGD experts hope they’ll hear from President Obama (verbatim) and why:

On climate change from Michele de Nevers:

“I will do everything I can to ensure that the United States is a leader, not a laggard, in the global response to climate change.”

I hope President Obama will acknowledge that in order to lead in the international climate arena, the United States must adopt strong domestic goals and challenge others to match them. Rather than point our fingers at other countries (China) and insist that the US will only take aggressive steps to cut emissions once we have proof that others are doing the same, we should start a race to cut emissions. Let the US commit to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2020 if China promises to do the same, and unleash a competition to develop and deploy the technologies and conservation measures that will accomplish this. See my colleague Arvind Subramanian’s new book with Aaditya Mattoo, Greenprint, on how this could work.

Read Michele’s full blog on Climate and the SOTU.

On immigration from Michael Clemens:

“We must fix the problem of undocumented workers once and for all. That’s why any immigration reform proposal should include a provision for the low-skilled temporary workers that the US economy relies upon to come here legally and work with dignity and adequate protections… I look forward to signing a comprehensive immigration bill this year.”

Immigration reform is on everyone’s agenda, and high-skilled immigration is easy to support. But low-skilled immigration matters too, for the US economy and for global development. So I hope to hear the President talking about making more low-skilled immigration to the US feasible. All of the attention on a path to citizenship misses the point. The US needs more immigrant labor, particularly temporary labor. If immigration reform includes more US-business-friendly temporary worker solutions, unauthorized immigration will be limited (therefore allowing for an effective regularization plan this time around).

On global health from Amanda Glassman:

“The United States will continue to lead the global fight against AIDS. By drawing upon the knowledge we’ve gained from a decade of unprecedented progress, we will move closer to an AIDS-free generation.”

Big decisions will be made on the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relieve (PEPFAR) in 2013, whether via reauthorization or renewal of the current legislation.  So I hope to hear President Obama recommit to this essential and historic program, and pledge to make it better serve the current state of the epidemic and the USG’s long-term goals. To this end, the US could start by strengthening monitoring and evaluation and employing more evidence-based priority-setting.  And what better time to do this than 10 years after PEPFAR was first announced by President George W. Bush during his 2003 State of the Union Address?

On elevating development in US foreign policy from Sarah Jane Staats

“I am adding our top development official--the USAID administrator--to my national security council, alongside the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense.”

Americans' well-being is linked to the lives of others as never before. Today's biggest global challenges--financial crises, climate change, conflict and disease--affect American jobs, security, health and way of life. But military might is not enough to tackle these threats. The United States must use all of its power abroad, including its deft diplomats and development experts, too. President Obama should make the USAID administrator a permanent member of his National Security Council (NSC). US Army Major Jaron Wharton, an active-duty infantry officer who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, says it’s high time to make this happen. Doing so would elevate development alongside defense and diplomacy—an Obama campaign pledge and the crux of his US global development policy--and give development a distinct voice at the highest government decision-making body.

On Kenya from Kate Almquist Knopf:

“To the people of Kenya, let me say, ‘We all know what makes for successful elections. Kenya must reject intimidation and violence, and allow a free and fair vote.’”

Sound familiar?  That's because President Obama already said this in a video message to the Kenyan people on February 5.  But as Kenyan's prepare to go to the polls for the first time since 2007 -- when post-election violence killed more than 1,100 people and displaced 600,000 -- we think it's worth repeating at the State of the Union address.  As the anchor state for the entire East African region, Kenya’s success or failure in this critical test will not only affect the lives of 42 million Kenyans, but the political stability and economic prosperity of all of East Africa as well.

Thus far, the only mention of Africa that President Obama has made in his SOTU addresses has been a fleeting reference to North Africa (2012). This year, as the son of a Kenyan father, he has the opportunity to employ his immense prestige with the Kenyan people at a pivotal moment in the country’s history and emphasize the level of attention and seriousness with which the United States  views the upcoming elections.  Surely this is worthy of more than one bite at the apple and an easy lift for the president on Africa.

What do you hope to hear from President Obama?  Let us know in the comments section below.  And wherever you tune in to the State of the Union address, bring CGD’s 2012 State of the Union Bingo cards and play along.  We’ve updated the online version so you can participate on your iPad, smart phone, or laptop (or go old-school and print them out!)  Win or lose, we hope President Obama’s address sparks thoughtful discussions about the importance and future of the US’s role in global development.