The quiet revolution must continue

We’re facing extraordinarily challenging fiscal times. So as the president’s budget makes its way through the halls of the Capitol, lawmakers will carefully scrutinize every account, every program, and every initiative—as they should.

Some will be tempted to look to our international affairs budget as an easy target for cuts. After all, our development and diplomacy dollars don’t have as powerful a special interest voice as many domestic programs do.

But as a former congressman myself, and a former ambassador to a country where foreign assistance is making a crucial difference, I believe it would be a serious mistake for us to try to “fix the deficit” on the back of these programs. Simply put, whether it’s supporting our military missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, responding to international disasters such as the recent earthquake in Haiti, or more generally advancing U.S. interests in key countries and regions throughout the world, our development and diplomacy tools have never been more vital to our national interests.

First, since fighting the threat of terrorism is perhaps this generation’s greatest challenge, we need robust funding for the very tools that can help prevent terrorism from spreading and growing. Let’s be clear: poverty does not cause terrorism. However, poverty can lead to despair, and despair is a condition that extremists know how to exploit.

If America is unmistakably visible on the side of those who are trying to sow seeds of hope and optimism, then it becomes harder for extremists to paint America as the “great Satan.” When I served as Ambassador to Tanzania, I was once confronted by a young activist who asked, “Why does America abuse its power in the world?”

I answered with a question of my own: “What is the No. 1 killer of your children?” After a pregnant pause, I answered my own question. “Malaria. Now who is doing more to fight malaria here than we are?” There was another pregnant pause. The ensuing murmurs amongst those gathered suggested that my response had momentarily shaken the perception of America that some had fed them.

I’m not sure I can foresee a time when we won’t have to invest heavily in our military and security capabilities. But my experience has taught me that our military tools are insufficient, on their own, to protect our country from the types of asymmetrical and unorthodox threats that confront us. In fact, our most senior military leaders from Defense Secretary Gates to the Joint Chiefs of Staff have repeatedly stated that our foreign assistance efforts must play a larger role within our national security strategy.