Rethinking US Foreign Assistance Blog

The developmentistas are still largely enamored with the current administration and clinging to the hope that the PSD and QDDR processes will lead to a more prominent role for “development” within the U.S.

Update: President Obama’s National Security Strategy is now available here. You can also watch Secretary Clinton’s remarks on the new strategy. More analysis here!

The Obama administration is set to unveil its National Security Strategy (NSS) this week. President Obama previewed the strategy during his West Point commencement speech (the same venue where former President George W. Bush previewed the 2002 National Security Strategy). The new strategy will cover prevention of nuclear proliferation and terrorism as well as the use of defense, development and diplomacy in the U.S. national security interest.

In his West Point remarks, President Obama characterized the challenges of our times as “countering violent extremism and insurgency; stopping the spread of nuclear weapons and securing nuclear materials; combating a changing climate and sustaining global growth; helping countries feed themselves and care for their sick; preventing conflicts and healing wounds.”

In the past few months many new initiatives have moved from rhetorical promise to concrete plan.  The administration and Congress have put forth their proposals and held hearings on global hunger and food security for the new ‘Feed the Future’ Initiative.  Last week, Senate Foreign