Nearly thirty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the state of democracy in the world remains a mixed picture of both progress and decline. But investments in diplomacy and development by the U.S. and new leadership in developing democracies provides fresh potential in addressing corruption.

Gangs present a vexing challenge for urban communities throughout the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador – and the municipality of Escuintla in south-central Guatemala is no different. That’s why Tetra Tech is on the ground in Guatemala, implementing the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Urban Municipal Governance (UMG) project to prevent crime and protect vulnerable youth.

Since 2013, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has worked in Myanmar to support the country’s democratic development. A cornerstone, decade-long, project is USAID’s promoting the Rule of Law in Myanmar project (PRLM), currently implemented by international development firm Chemonics International and formerly implemented by Tetra Tech. To date, the PRLM project has overseen a variety of programs – ranging from creating  Myanmar’s first independent lawyer’s association to piloting and expanding an electronic court case management system.

In September 2016, Global Communities began partnering with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on Nuestra Salud (“Our Health”), a three-year program to stem the spread of the virus in Honduras, where there were about 36,000 cases of Zika at the time. With help from the program, volunteers are taking on roles as community leaders to educate younger Hondurans about the dangers of mosquito-borne Zika, which can cause serious birth defects if contracted by pregnant women.

Americans take their private property seriously, so it came as a surprise that I could simply walk into a stranger’s wheat field in rural Kansas with a yard stick, measure a stalk of wheat, and check for bugs or disease. And yet I did this— over and over— across the state for about a week in May, assessing wheat quality and estimating crop yields as part of the Wheat Quality Council’s Annual Hard Winter Wheat Tour.

Despite a new vaccine, the Ebola outbreak in the DRC has escalated into the second most deadly Ebola outbreak in history and crossed the border into neighboring Uganda, in part because conflict and violence are preventing an effective response. On July 17th, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

Ambassador Kelly Craft, the nominee to succeed Nikki Haley as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, recently appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, saying, “I believe that the United States must maintain its central leadership role at the United Nations… when the UN performs, it advances key American objectives including the promotion of peace and security.” As she awaits a confirmation vote, three questions remain about her vision for American leadership at the UN:

Six months after the launch of the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) Initiative, another exciting program is in the works: the W-GDP Incentive Fund. Announced by White House Advisor Ivanka Trump and USAID Administrator Mark Green at an event co-hosted by the USGLC and USAID, the W-GDP Incentive Fund will provide grants to 14 projects in 22 countries. Mostly located in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia, these projects will collectively help more than 100,000 women advance in their local economies.

What have 2020 candidates been saying about America’s role in the world? Watch this space for updates on foreign policy on the campaign trail.

As Chief of Party of the USAID Transforming Market Systems Activity implemented by ACDI/VOCA in Honduras, I’ve seen the impact of American investment in Central America. Throughout my time in Honduras, I have come across some “beacons of hope.” Their stories illustrate how targeted policy reform, access to education, transparency, justice, and economic development make Honduras a better and safer place to live.