Saul Garlick's blog

I just got off a plane from Denver, where I spent yesterday working - and then celebrating - the Obama victory. There are countless reasons I am excited for the next administration. The sense of seriousness and authenticity that the President-Elect exudes about his future office, and the deep responsibility to improve the lives of millions - even billions! - around the world is clearly felt by this man who was chosen for history. 

When I tell people about my work in international development, health and education, I am usually asked how I got into the field to begin with. Jokingly, I usually offer a pathetic response: “It wasn’t intentional,” I’ve been known to quip. I have come to realize, nothing this good is intentional. I came upon my work with the Student Movement for Real Change because as a young person, I saw a problem that could be addressed through the vast resources available to me and my community, and I felt a burning sense of responsibility.

There is inherent self-interest and national benefit from all types of foreign assistance. While the US State Department thought/thinks that it is breaking new ground with the creation of its F Bureau, which intends to allocate aid funds in a manner consistent with our political "national security agenda," I sense that it is really doing the opposite.  Take a closer look at this ongoing debate.