The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has underscored the need for strengthening civilian power in her country to succeed what she terms 'smart power' approach to solving global problems. "Today's world is a crucible of challenges testing American leadership. Global problems, from violent extremism to world-wide recession to climate change to poverty, demand collective solutions, even as power in the world becomes more diffuse.
They require effective international co-operation, even as that becomes harder to achieve. And they cannot be solved unless a nation is willing to accept the responsibility of mobilising action. The United States is that nation. "I began my tenure as US Secretary of State by stressing the need to elevate diplomacy and development alongside defence - a "smart power" approach to solving global problems. To make that approach succeed, however, US civilian power must be strengthened and amplified. It must, as US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has argued in these pages, be brought into better balance with US military power.
In a speech last August, Gates said, "There has to be a change in attitude in the recognition of the critical role that agencies like [the] State [Department] and AID [the US Agency for International Development] play... for them to play the leading role that I think they need to play."
"This effort is under way. Congress has already appropriated funds for 1,108 new Foreign Service and Civil Service officers to strengthen the State Department's capacity to pursue American interests and advance American values. USA1D is in the process of doubling its development staff, hiring 1,200 new Foreign Service officers with the specific skills and experience required for evolving development challenges, and is making better use of local hires at our overseas missions, who have deep knowledge of their countries.
The Obama administration has begun rebuilding USAID to make it the world's premier development organisation, one that fosters long-term growth and democratic governance, includes its own research arm, shapes policy and innovation, and uses metrics to ensure that our investments are cost-effective and sound."