24 January 2011

GPPi and GIZ host discussion with Anne-Marie Slaughter on US strategy for diplomacy and development

On 22 January 2011, Anne-Marie Slaughter, the director of policy planning at the US Department of State, presented at an event jointly hosted by GPPi and the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in Berlin. Slaughter discussed how to redefine the civilian pillars of US foreign policy, a strategy laid out in the first-ever Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR).

In her role at the State Department, Slaughter has been leading the US government's efforts to elevate American civilian power. During her presentation, Slaughter explained the Obama administration's intention to reestablish diplomacy and development – rather than the military – as the primary face of the United States abroad.

According to Slaughter, doing so requires:

• Restructuring US diplomacy to emphasize functional rather than regional responsibilities and involving federal agencies as well as non-state actors, all under the leadership of the State Department.
• Elevating development as the second pillar of America's civilian power by strengthening the capacity and leadership role of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), focusing efforts on priorities and encouraging innovative and evidence-based approaches to development.
• Strengthening the focus of US civilian efforts on crisis and conflict prevention within fragile states.

Participants at the event included over 40 representatives of the German government, academia, think tanks, civil society and the media. During the discussion, they sought to understand the domestic political context and potential hurdles for the implementation of this reform proposal in the US. Slaughter explained that implementation has already begun. Efforts are underway to strengthen the capacity of USAID, and the US military is one of the strongest supporters of the proposed reforms. Participants received the overall direction of the new strategy very well and saw it as a sign of convergence between American and European approaches to foreign policy. At the same time, some expressed concern over the potential politicization of development and humanitarian aid, as well as the close cooperation between civilian and military actors.

For more information, please contact Julia Steets.

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