Although an imminent government shutdown looks less likely with a potential two-week Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government on the table, it remains crunch time as the current CR expires this Friday. Secretaries Clinton and Gates will testify on the Hill this week, and the USGLC will bring retired Generals and Admirals to Capitol Hill to personally ask lawmakers to oppose cuts to the International Affairs Budget and ensure International Affairs spending is classified as national security spending. In advance, Admiral James Loy, a former Commandant of the Coast Guard and Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, authored an op-ed for Defense News, writing “I know times are tough, and legislators must make difficult choices to balance our nation’s budget, but we cannot cut critical national security funding, and that is what the entire International Affairs Budget represents.”

Must Reads

Who’s In the News

Don’t Cut International Affairs Spending (Admiral James Loy, Defense News)

When I entered the military years ago, the world was a very different place. Our enemies were more defined and consisted of states that wished to do us harm. Today we face different foes, and our complex and interconnected world requires us to use every foreign policy tool available in our arsenal to keep our nation safe. That is why it is critical for us to invest in development and diplomacy alongside defense.I know times are tough, and legislators must make difficult choices to balance our nation’s budget, but we cannot cut critical national security funding, and that is what the entire International Affairs Budget represents.

Don’t let budget ax hit military (Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, Politico)

As chairman of the Armed Services Committee, I will do everything in my power to make sure that taxpayer dollars are spent effectively in providing for the common defense. But I will not support slashing defense spending with our brave men and women still in harm’s way in Afghanistan and as threats to our security mount around the world.

1980s gear harms troops (Sen. Jim Inhofe, Politico)

Our military must be prepared for a full spectrum of operations. Congress and the Defense Department must work together to increase effectiveness and efficiency. But at the same time, they must ensure that our defense resources are sufficient for combat capabilities across the spectrum of warfare. Our national security is the price we pay if we do not get this right.

Smart Power

Helping the Arabs help themselves (Doyle McManus, LA Times)

A basic tenet of the U.S. war against terrorism under both George W. Bush and Barack Obama has been the need to “drain the swamp” — to eliminate the conditions that drive young Muslims toward extremism. Now, in much of the Arab world, the inhabitants of the swamp have pitched in courageously to drain it themselves. Are we ready to help?

Gutting Our Govt’s Peace Agency (Rep. Mike Honda, the Huffington Post)

From a national security standpoint, the recent decision by the U.S. House of Representatives to eliminate the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is not only wrong, but unwise.

An Aid Worker Writes: How ‘Sustainability’ Works (or Doesn’t) in Afghanistan (Lael Adamns, NYT)

In Panjsher Province, just north of Kabul, on the riverbank tucked far below the steep green slopes of the surrounding mountains, is a micro-hydro power (MHP) station with the capacity to electrify two nearby villages of more than 2,000 families. But it has sat dysfunctional since it was built 10 years ago.

Protect the Peace Corps (the Register-Guard)

The Peace Corps, one of America’s most successful foreign aid programs and one with deep Oregon roots, is celebrating its 50th anniversary at a time when Congress is considering a major cut in the agency’s budget. House Republicans have proposed slicing $69.2 million from the Peace Corps’ annual budget of $400 million.

Politics/Foreign Policy

Most Americans Want to End U.S. Foreign Aid to Arab Nations (Mary Elizabeth Dallas, All Voices)

As oil prices surge and concerns mount that instability in the Middle East and North Africa may derail a global economic recovery, most Americans favor cutting U.S. foreign aid, particularly to Arab nations, according to a new national survey from Rasmussen Reports.

Memos From the Developing World: The End of Poverty (Marcelo Giugale, the Huffington Post)

Define poverty as living with two dollars a day or less. Now, imagine that governments could put those two dollars in poor people’s pockets with little effort and minimal waste. Poverty is finished.

Obama to meet with U.N. secretary general on Libya (Daniel Strauss, the Hill)

President Obama and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon are scheduled to meet Monday afternoon to discuss ways of stopping violence against civilians in Libya. The two will consider “the humanitarian, diplomatic legal and other actions needed to put a stop to violence against civilians,” the White House said, and ways “to ensure that U.N. agencies and U.N. members mobilize to provide humanitarian assistance to Libya’s people.”

EA states risk losing US aid over UN voting (Kevin Kelley, the East African)

Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will lose US aid under a proposal to punish countries that often take stands contrary to those of the US, in the United Nations General Assembly. The Bill sponsored by Congressman Louie Gohmert, a Texas Republican, states that a country will be deemed ineligible for development assistance if it opposed the US position on more than half the votes during a General Assembly session.