While we wait to see who will lead the MCC and USAID in the Trump Administration, one thing is certain: Africa should be seen as both an opportunity as well as a challenge to America’s efforts to reduce global poverty and promote economic growth. If the Trump Administration seeks to leave a lasting legacy by improving global stability and economic growth, Africa should be at the center of its plans.

Days after Donald Trump was sworn in as our nation’s 45^th President, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) spoke with John Dickerson on CBS’ Face the Nation about why combating terrorism necessitates a strong investment in our civilian-led tools of foreign policy. The Senator maintained that in order to keep America safe, strong, and secure the U.S. needs to leverage the powers of foreign assistance, development, and diplomacy alongside the strength of our military.

President Obama and the President of Cuba, Raul Castro, began a historic diplomatic reconciliation with the visit of the U.S. president to the island in March 2016. Recently, the U.S. announced new cuts in sanctions against Cuba to facilitate trade in medical research as well as in the purchase of Cuban rum and cigars. Since October 17, all Americans traveling to Cuba can bring back 100 cigars and a liter of rum without fear of these items being confiscated at customs. With reduced trade sanctions against Cuba, the U.S. has also lifted restrictions on the value of goods that American travelers may bring to Cuba for their personal use.

The people of Colombia surprised the world this weekend by narrowly rejecting— by .04%— a peace deal to end the conflict with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. The reasons for the rejection largely revolved around the issue of transitional justice, as the agreement would have granted many rebel fighters amnesty if they confessed their crimes, leaving some Colombians feeling that FARC leaders were escaping justice. While emergency negotiations have been restarted, both sides have vowed that they will not return to fighting.

Americans view North Korea as one of our nation’s biggest threats, according to a CNN poll this year, and for understandable reasons. North Korea recently tested its fifth nuclear device, raising tensions and destabilizing peace and security in Asia. While North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests have increased the urgency to curb their military build-up, they also remind us of the importance of maintaining our long-standing relationships with our allies. Just two hours south of Pyongyang, is the capital of one of our most important allies in the region—South Korea.

It’s conventional wisdom that Congress doesn’t get much done in an election year. But under the radar, Congress has been remarkably productive at moving bipartisan legislation on foreign assistance. At a time when political polarization can seem stronger than ever, members of Congress have found common ground in ensuring the sustained effectiveness of development and diplomacy.

Last week the Pew Research Center released an update of its study, “America’s Place in the World,” and I suppose it shouldn’t be surprising that an American public about to nominate Hillary Clinton on the one hand and Donald Trump on the other has conflicting ideas. The report is worth a deep read (at over 100 pages), but my take-away is that Americans continue to want our country to stay engaged in the world, that the isolationism seen a few years back is receding, but that Americans are ambivalent – which creates opportunities for campaigns on both sides of the aisle. This is especially true when it comes to the global economy and the polls shows significant differences in the Republican Party, with Trump voters more hesitant on global engagement.

On February 9, President Obama submitted his FY 2017 budget request to Congress. The proposed international affairs budget is down 1 percent from current funding levels and 12 percent (in constant dollars) since 2010, better than many domestic accounts. In addition, outside the regular budget, the administration is proposing $1.8 billion ($376 million from the international affairs budget account) to meet the latest pandemic — the Zika virus. Given the budget environment, the proposed amounts for the international affairs budget seem reasonable.

In December 2014, only 9 percent of Americans cited foreign policy as the country’s most important issue. A year later, that number had jumped to 32 percent, with 18 percent citing terrorism concerns. There appears to be a consensus among presidential candidates that a military component will be required to counter violent extremism, at least in the short term. But what’s equally vital, and much less often discussed, is a long-term strategy that utilizes all the tools of American leadership – including strategic investments in development and diplomacy.

The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC) hosted the second event of its Impact 2016 initiative in New Hampshire on December 4, 2015 to discuss how America’s development and diplomacy efforts are critical issues for this election.