The attacks on the U.S. embassy in Cairo and the U.S. consulate in Benghazi have sparked a debate in Congress about the efficacy and wisdom of foreign aid in both Egypt and Libya, and more broadly throughout the region; some congressmen are already calling for stripping aid to Egypt and Libya. Aid and assistance have their purpose but, against the backdrop of a severe financial situation at home and a looming threat that sequestration could decimate defense, the State Department and the larger aid community do themselves no good when, on a day of mourning, they prioritize this:
Today is the first-ever Global Female Condom Day, and women and men around the world are celebrating. They’re also speaking out for increased recognition of a prevention method that is too often overlooked… One new type of female condom is the Woman’s Condom, developed in part with funding from PEPFAR through USAID. PATH, CONRAD, and our research partners in several countries developed the Woman’s Condom using feedback from women and their partners. Their input helped us design a female condom that’s easy to insert, secure during use, and comfortable for both partners. Through our Protection Options for Women Product Development Partnership, we are now working to bring the Woman’s Condom to market in China and sub-Saharan Africa.
This isn’t the Marshall Plan. USAID and the State Department should dispense no money without first answering the very basic question: How does this enhance U.S. national security? If all they can respond with is theoretical and fluffy gobbledygook, perhaps they should shelve that project as something the private sector and non-governmental organizations can take up on their own. It’s well past time that foreign aid bolstered American security, not provided a slush fund to let do-gooders spend endlessly money that would better stay in taxpayers’ wallets.
Is it just me or does Ms. Sandra Fluke have a shot at rebooting her career as an international American goodwill ambassador??? Sort of like Danny Kaye, but different.
Hehe
Oh come dude Danny Kaye was a lovely person as well as very good and funny actor. Sandra Fluke on the other hand is a certified hedonist with the morals of a mink.
Well the global population is 7 billion. According to current projections, the global population will reach eight billion by 2030, and will likely reach around nine billion by 2050. We share one planet and resource wars are real. The availability of birth spacing methods and family planning services to underserved women is paramount to child survival. Improving child survival brings a demographic dividend through fertility declines, reduced mortality, and increased economic productivity. Seems like it is very much in our national interest & security. n
Well the global population is 7 billion. According to current projections, the global population will reach eight billion by 2030, and will likely reach around nine billion by 2050. We share one planet and resource wars are real. The availability of birth spacing methods and family planning services to underserved women is paramount to child survival. Improving child survival brings a demographic dividend through fertility declines, reduced mortality, and increased economic productivity. Seems like it is very much in our national interest & security.