The Foreign Service Journal, November 2021

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | NOVEMBER 2021 33 ence. In both of these settings, there was very little willingness to question how, or even if, development would be successful under such conditions. As James Kunder of USAID put it, “The hard lesson from both Afghanistan and Iraq was that devel- opment programs are not a good substitute for an effective diplomatic and military strategy.” The Obama years brought a renewed emphasis on agri- culture and innovation, but with a level of ambition often constrained by the continued fallout of the 2007-2008 global financial crisis. USAID Today So where does the agency stand after 60 years? Clearly, the need for an effective aid agency has not diminished as the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying economic crisis have shown. From climate change to fragile states, USAID’s case load will not disappear anytime soon. And while foreign aid always remains a lightning rod, it has done enormous good over the years, and the international community has made historic prog- ress in combating extreme poverty, hunger, illiteracy and despair. While the United States was one of just a handful of donors in 1961, 2019 sawmore than 40 countries offering bilateral aid—and virtually all of themwere former recipients of U.S. assistance. Perhaps there is no better reflection of how America engages with the world than its foreign aid program. The spirit of the United States has always deeply imbued this endeavor: a restless, entrepreneurial, sometime arrogant conviction that the face of the world can be transformed by assisting like-minded nations and encouraging them to embrace free markets and free ideas. n From climate change to fragile states, USAID’s case load will not disappear any time soon. True international plan; covers any dentist worldwide Access to international network of over 100,000 dentists in 160 countries All network providers undergo extensive screenings and on site inspections No deductibles for overseas services Dependents covered, up to age 26 afspa.org/dental UNDERWRITTEN BY: