OPINION: We must elevate international development in American foreign policy

By Justin DesRochers (MIA ’23)

If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it’s this: what happens in faraway places can impact our own lives here in the United States. A virus first detected in Wuhan, China in late 2019 has spread across the world over the past three years — taking lives, ravaging economies, and polarizing entire societies. 

Peering deeper, we see that the same lesson – that what happens overseas matters for our own lives at home – applies repeatedly. When corrupt and weak governments, lack of economic opportunity, and violent conflicts persist overseas, ill-intentioned actors can exploit the situation to breed instability that could reverberate across American shores, and mass migration can occur as people view it as their only option for a better life. 

That is one reason why the United States helps other countries develop stronger governments, economies, health and education systems, and food security.

International development is one of many approaches in the American foreign policy toolkit. The U.S. uses diplomacy to cooperate on issues impacting American interests, like trade or arms control. The U.S. military deters threats endangering American national security, and the Intelligence Community gathers information and watches out for existing and emerging challenges. Initiatives such as the Fulbright Scholarship and the Quad Fellowship promote people-to-people exchanges — and thereby American influence. 

Among these many policy options, international development is an underappreciated tool in American foreign policy. Investing in international development today means that diplomats tomorrow would not have to expend time and energy reacting to such a challenge, the military would not have to intervene, and the taxpayer would not have to shoulder the burden of a crisis that could have been avoided otherwise.

To an extent, the U.S. government recognizes this and has many government agencies involved in international development — such as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Millennium Challenge Corporation, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, the Peace Corps, and the U.S. African Development Foundation. The U.S. also contributes financially to organizations working in development such as the U.N. Development Programme and U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Altogether, the U.S. is ranked first in the world as a donor of development aid. Some could argue that because of this, the U.S. is doing its fair share for international development — or maybe even too much.

However, current global circumstances require American policymakers to prioritize international development to an even greater degree. The COVID-19 pandemic has reversed many of the gains made toward achieving the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, including pushing at least 119 million people back into poverty and extreme hunger. As emphasized before, the increase in global economic disparities, and the accompanying instability, may one day threaten American national security with extremism, terrorism, and mass migration.

Additionally, the United States’ foremost strategic competitor — China — is deeply involved in development projects, thereby winning friends and influence in the Global South and being better positioned to undermine American interests. The most evident example of China’s involvement is the Belt and Road Initiative, a massive multi-trillion dollar infrastructure development effort spanning three continents and roughly 70 countries. As China builds roads, bridges, pipelines, and power lines around the world, these countries become increasingly beholden to China and are more likely to support or not resist China’s political positions — such as isolating Taiwan on the world stage or changing the definition of human rights to fit its authoritarian vision.

Indeed, the Biden administration has made progress toward elevating development policy. The USAID Administrator has been named a member of the National Security Council, which coordinates U.S. foreign policy decisions, and President Biden has unveiled the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment with G7 partners as an alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. 

But more can and should be done.

The USAID Administrator’s elevation to the National Security Council is a welcome step, but further progress can be made by naming the position to Cabinet-level status, where other foreign policymakers such as the National Security Advisor, Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, and Director of National Intelligence already have a seat at the table. 

No shortage of reform proposals, such as awarding fewer large contracts or focusing on strengthening the governing institutions of partner countries, have been put forth to make American development aid more effective. The Biden administration should consider and implement the proposals that would maximize the U.S. government’s development impact. 

The Biden administration should also work with Congress to reinforce a bipartisan consensus on international development policy that can endure across changes in administrations. International development is a long game, and it requires stability and predictability across the day-to-day volatility of contemporary American politics. This means both parties informing the American people of the importance of development assistance, a bipartisan consensus to fund it, and a vision both parties can agree to for development’s elevation in the American foreign policy toolkit. Both Democratic and Republican administrations have cooperated on issues impacting development in the past. It was President George W. Bush’s administration that launched the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which provides $100 billion for a global HIV/AIDS response, and President Barack Obama who commended the program and vowed to strengthen it.

Finally, greater effort should be made to attract a diverse crowd of America’s best talent to work in the development space by making it a viable career option. When American development workers go overseas, they serve as the face of America to other countries, and so they should reflect the diversity in American identities — with more women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and religious minorities. American development agencies could promote development as a profession to these communities through targeted diversity professional fellowships and internships, awareness campaigns in schools and universities primarily serving minority communities, and mentorship programs pairing a development expert with an aspiring professional who can identify with common lived experiences.

If the United States prioritizes development in foreign relations, it has the potential to improve livelihoods around the world while mitigating the chance of future threats. Investing in development has the potential to yield huge returns for the American people: peace and prosperity around the world prevent instability from hitting American shores and give Americans the chance to open new business opportunities, travel, and exchange cultural experiences. 

Failure to invest in development may impose too high a cost.

Justin DesRochers (MIA ’23) is a staff writer studying Economic and Political Development, and he is interested in how global human security contributes to American national security.