Topic: U.S. Agency for International Development

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Change Agent Search for Common Ground uses TV soaps to promote peace

Now in its 30th year Search for Common Ground uses a variety of methods, including TV soap operas, to build peace and avoid conflict in 30 countries around the world.
Kremlin to pull out of Russia-US nuke lockdown program

Russia's plan to end the Nunn-Lugar program, in which the US aided Russia in handling post-Soviet weaponry, is just part of Russia's shifting policy regarding international cooperation.
Focus Vladimir Putin 2.0: A harder, eastward-looking presidency

Vladimir Putin, once again in the Kremlin's top post, faces a far more divided Russia than he did during his first stint, and he's taking a more authoritarian line to match.
For Libyans, Amb. Stevens was simply 'Chris'

US Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens, who was killed last month, made a rare and powerful difference as a US diplomat through his accessibility to Libyans.
New world requires new strategies

Democracy and digitalization make urgent demands. How, and how fast, can the US adjust?
Opinion Yemen needs a US reset, not a retreat

Last week's violent anti-US protests underscore the need for greater US engagement in Yemen. The country's economic, political, and security future hinges on alleviating humanitarian needs, addressing their root causes, and fostering an inclusive political transition.
Opinion Could Myanmar (Burma) have Southeast Asia's first 'green president'?

President Thein Sein still has a long way to go in assuring citizens, investors, and international donors that the country is on the right track, but with the right development assistance, Myanmar has the chance to succeed in sustainable development where many of its neighbors have failed.
Kremlin boots USAID for 'interference' in Russian politics (+video)

The Kremlin, already suspicious of US involvement in the street protests against Vladimir Putin, ordered development agency USAID to cease operations in Russia by Oct. 1.
Cover Story Human trafficking: a misunderstood global scourge

Sex trafficking has become an American cause célèbre. But does it divert attention from the broader human trafficking issue of modern-day slavery?
Opinion 4 ways to prevent natural disasters from becoming human tragedies

The catastrophic impact of climate change – especially on the developing world – is not inevitable. Here are four cutting-edge tools to anticipate and minimize the damage from natural disasters.
With death of Ethiopian leader Meles, US loses an anti-terror ally (+video)

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who died yesterday, was one of the US's closest allies on the continent, particularly when it came to efforts to combat Somali Islamists.
Three US soldiers killed by man in Afghan uniform

This is the third attack against coalition forces by Afghans in one week.
Latin America Monitor An accident or a plot? Deaths of Cuban dissidents raises questions.

Despite Cuban government reports and public comments from the two survivors of the crash saying it was an accident, a dissident’s family believes someone ran the car off the road.
Progress Watch How US aid lifts Afghans

Development agency points to social gains.
Change Agent Why resilience is the key to solving 21st century problems

Author and PopTech executive director Andrew Zolli says the ability of people and institutions to bounce back from challenges will be needed more and more. It can be learned, as he found out in his own life.
Latin America Monitor Who would be better for Cuba: Romney or Obama?

US elections always matter in Cuba, writes a guest blogger. The island has been under a half-century US embargo.
Afghanistan funding: Local media already feeling the pinch

World leaders meeting in Tokyo pledged $16 billion in more aid to Afghanistan today. But an overall decline in foreign spending is already squeezing efforts like independent journalism.
Once a stopover, Mali town becomes frontline destination for displaced people

The town of Sévaré sits along Mali's de facto border with a region now controlled by Tuareg separatists. At a camp there, displaced people speak cautiously about why they fled.
Change Agent Three-wheeled carts, better septic tanks help clean up Jakarta

Mini 'sanitation trucks' that remove fecal sludge, and improved holding tanks, may help bring improved sanitation to millions of Indonesians without it.
Global News Blog Where the US and Pakistan are working together

The $75 million USAID Teacher Education Project alone won't patch the US and Pakistan governmental relationship. But education projects are one way to maintain people-to-people relations.
Africa Monitor United States' new sub-Saharan African plan: trade not aid

The Obama administration is signalling that the US is changing the way it does the aid business, promoting bilateral trade rather than one-way grants and loans.
Cover Story US legacy in Afghanistan: What 11 years of war has accomplished

The lives of four Afghans provide a lens on how America's longest conflict has changed a nation – and the divisions and dangers that persist.
Global News Blog USAID cuts funding for Elmo on Pakistan TV

The US cut $20 million for Pakistani version of Sesame Street. USAID alleges fraud against the show's producers, but the cutbacks come as the US is pulling back foreign aid.
Somalia famine has ended, but many still hungry

Good rains and reduced conflict have helped aid groups reach hundreds of thousands of displaced people in Somalia who rely on their aid. The hunger crisis remains a delicate situation, though.
Keep Calm With Crocker's exit, a chance for a new approach to Afghanistan

Ambassador Ryan Crocker announced he is stepping down as the US ambassador to Afghanistan.