Center for a New American Security

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the emergence of transnational challenges from terrorism to climate change, reveal the limits of military power and the need for all three legs of U.S. foreign and national security policy – diplomacy, development, and defense – to work together more effectively.  They also require the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to play a more significant role in responding to crises and shaping U.S. foreign policy.  However, State and USAID are not yet prepared to take on the demands of that role.  They are not appropriately organized or sufficiently resourced; they lack not only a strong tradition of tying their operations to long-term strategic planning, but also the organizational structures and cultures necessary to adapt quickly to changing circumstances.  In response, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has initiated the first Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR), a process intended to reassess State and USAID’s roles in the 21st-century world and define new priorities, resources, and reforms going forward.

This project aims to support the reinvigoration of America’s capacity for effective diplomacy and development by convening workshops and other events, conducting innovative research, and producing policy briefs and reports to inform the QDDR and other ongoing efforts to prepare the State Department and USAID for the new challenges ahead.

Related Publications:

Managing 21st-Century Diplomacy: Lessons from Global Corporations, by CNAS Vice President and Director of Studies Kristin Lord and Senior Fellow Richard Fontaine

Beyond Borders: Developing Comprehensive National Security Policies to Address Complex Regional Challenges, by CNAS Senior Advisor Patrick Cronin and Fellow Brian Burton

Planning Diplomacy and Development: Force Planning Applications for the State Department and USAID, by CNAS Fellow Brian Burton

Eye to the Future: Refocusing State Department Policy Planning, by CNAS Senior Fellow Richard Fontaine and Fellow Brian Burton

Engaging the Private Sector for the Public Good: The Power of Network Diplomacy, by CNAS Vice President and Director of Studies Dr. Kristin M. Lord, January 2010

Learning from Experience: Lessons from the QDR for the QDDR, by CNAS Research Associate Brian Burton, January 2010