US Presidential Candidates Put Development on the Agenda

Barack Obama's powerful foreign policy speech in Chicago on Monday laid out a clear vision for regaining US leadership in the world, including on critical issues confronting the poorest countries of the world. Senator Obama called for strengthening the operations of the United Nations, World Bank and other multilateral institutions to solve the world's most pressing problems, rather than just attacking them. He also called for a doubling of US foreign assistance to $50 billion per year by 2012 to build education systems, fight disease, help build democracies, and strengthen governance systems. He made it clear why these goals are important not just for the poorest citizens of the world, but for the people of the United States.

Senator Obama is the second candidate to recognize the need for bold leadership in working alongside the poorest countries of the world, following Senator John Edwards' call several weeks ago for a significant increase in foreign assistance and a reorganization of those programs (including appointing a Cabinet-level coordinator). It is heartening to see major candidates take a clear stand this early in the campaign and show strong leadership on strengthening the role of the US in working with the poorest countries of the world, not just through additional funding but by making those funds more effective in fighting poverty and by creating more economic opportunities for the poor. It is critical that the next president take steps to restore US leadership in the world, and to do so effectively will require much more than military might and figuring out what to do about Iraq. Here's hoping that the other candidates on both sides of the aisle follow their lead and recognize the importance of complementing military strength with stronger diplomacy and a sharper, smarter focus on fighting poverty and injustice around the world.