National Security, Faith, Economic Arguments Can Help Make Case For Foreign Aid, Development Experts Say

Devex: How to defend aid in the Trump era: Try national security, business and faith
“…The Trump administration and its ‘America First’ policy agenda has caused advocates for foreign assistance to rethink their arguments as they attempt to make the case for aid. But if one door closes, another opens, numerous sector experts said at the Global Washington conference, citing an increased opportunity for faith-based organizations to also speak up for development assistance at a time when evangelical Christians have the ear of the White House via Vice President Mike Pence. … ‘It’s harder today to do events with Congress in an era of fake news where there are alternative facts,’ [John Glenn, policy director of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition,] said, ‘issues of trust come up.’ But the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, which includes a mixture of name-brand businesses and social-impact NGOs, has successfully navigated that tightrope by making the economic case for foreign assistance alongside the national security one. ‘The national security message opens the door, but the business message gets people to walk through the door and stay,’ Glenn said…” (Scruggs, 12/6).

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