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Madeleine Albright on Priorities for Obama's Administration

Today, the Council on Foreign Relations hosted the first session of the Center for Preventative Action Symposium on preventative priorities for the next administration. Madeleine K. Albright, Principal, The Albright Group and former U.S. Secretary of State, moderated the event with CFR President Richard N. Haass. Interestingly, panels throughout the day did not focus heavily on the global financial crisis, threats posed by Al-Qaeda, wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, Iranian or North Korean nuclear ambitions, climate change, or any other major threats that the news has focused on so heavily. Rather, the day focused on the importance of crisis prevention - of anticipating threats not even yet on the horizon, rather than on immediate issues. Madeleine Albright and other panelists make a thought-provoking case.

Watch the event here.

Bill Gates calls for Obama to Increase Spending

Philanthropist and billionaire Bill Gates spoke in Washington DC yesterday encouraging President-Elect Obama to increase spending. Even in the midst of this financial crisis, Gates urged us not to lose sight of our future and not to sacrifice our long-term goals for short-term gain. He encouraged Obama to follow through on his campaign commitment to double U.S. foreign aid to $50 billion in his first year.

An article covering the speech in today's Washington Post paints Gates as a new philanthropist: someone who "is pioneering a new approach to philanthropy, applying the risk-taking and results-based philosophy of an entrepreneur to solving some of the world’s most chronic problems." This is the very same approach applied by members of our Global Philanthropy Forum - a community of donors and social investors that seek to inform, enable, and enhance the strategic nature of their giving and social investing. It's good to see major media venues talking about this 'new philanthropy', and we hope it helps elevate broader understanding of what it means to be strategic in one's giving.

Watch Gates' speech here. And read the Global Philanthropy Forum online debate on new philanthropy, or 'philanthrocapitalism' - the practice of applying business metrics to philanthropy - here.

Council Speakers make NY Times Notable List

Today, the New York Times released its list of the top ten books of the year. The top two non-fiction works listed are The Dark Side by Jane Mayer, and The Forever War by Dexter Filkins - both authors that spoke here at the World Affairs Council in the past few months. Listen to their talks here and here, respectively.

On The Dark Side, the NY Times writes:
"Mayer’s meticulously reported descent into the depths of President Bush’s anti­terrorist policies peels away the layers of legal and bureaucratic maneuvering that gave us Guantánamo Bay, “extraordinary rendition,” “enhanced” interrogation methods, “black sites,” warrantless domestic surveillance and all the rest. But Mayer also describes the efforts of unsung heroes, tucked deep inside the administration, who risked their careers in the struggle to balance the rule of law against the need to meet a threat unlike any other in the nation’s history."

And on Filkins and The Forever War:
"The New York Times correspondent, whose tours of duty have taken him from Afghanistan in 1998 to Iraq during the American intervention, captures a decade of armed struggle in harrowingly detailed vignettes. Whether interviewing jihadists in Kabul, accompanying marines on risky patrols in Falluja or visiting grieving families in Baghdad, Filkins makes us see, with almost hallucinogenic immediacy, the true human meaning and consequences of the 'war on terror.' (First Chapter)"

There's also a great interview with Mayer from the July edition of Harper's Magazine, and one with Filkins in the September issue of The Atlantic.

Asilomar Keynote named National Security Advisor

Yesterday in Chicago, President-Elect Obama introduced his national security team - the individuals that will lead us through the challenges posed by two complicated wars, rising nuclear threats, unrest in the Middle East, and persistent dependence on oil, among others.

For his National Security Advisor, Obama named General James L. Jones, a familiar face that spoke as our keynote speaker this year at our Annual Conference at Asilomar. And, more famously, a decorated combat veteran and polished diplomat who served the United States in the Marine Corps for more than 40 years. He served as the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe from 2003 to 2006, and since retiring in February of last year, is now the president and CEO of the Republican-dominated U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for 21st Century Energy.

Obama chose General Jones for his understanding of the connection between energy and security, and chiefly because of their shared desire to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil. Jones’ time in the White House will be spent coordinating defense and foreign policy among the Pentagon, State Department, intelligence agencies and others – and most of this will likely relate to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, with little time left for energy policy. Jones’s history indicates that he will support a national energy policy advocating for more of all kinds of power, and renewable energy will be just one part of the solution, not the central focus.A point that some observers believe will lead to disagreements between Jones and more pro-green revolution types in the new administration.

Mr. Obama hopes that General Jones' strong position in both diplomacy and security will help the new administration better integrate efforts across sectors, and enable him to mediate between rivals. We look forward to seeing what role he plays in integrating our security policy with energy policy in the coming years.

Unrest in Zimbabwe: is the Tide Turning?

All health, sanitation and water supply services have collapsed in Zimbabwe. A nationwide cholera epidemic is spreading, almost half of the population is in need of food aid, water is in short supply, and the government remains deadlocked over a power sharing agreement. This morning, about 40 soldiers began looting shops in downtown Harare and marching through the streets, recruiting sympathizers, chanting "enough is enough" after growing impatient while waiting in long bank lines for their salaries. The riot was the third to take place this week. But today, these looters were President Mugabe’s own soldiers - the men who normally put down riots, not incite them. Never before have Mugabe's own security forces acted out against the state, and the significance should not be ignored. They are the core of his support, and if he loses them, he may lose everything.

The riots come just a few days after Elders Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General, Jimmy Carter, former US President, and Graca Maçhel, human rights activist, attempted to visit the country to assess the humanitarian situation. Mugabe denied them entry visas, and so the Elders met with refugees outside the country and chastised the international community - particularly southern African leaders - for not doing more to help end the crisis. Jane Wales, World Affairs Council CEO & President, served as the Acting CEO for the Elders in their first year, from July 2007 until July 2008.

In April, Jane Wales spoke in conversation with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Chairman of the Elders, at the Global Philanthropy Forum 2008 conference in Redwood City. Also present were Helene Gayle, CEO of CARE, and Gareth Evans, President of Crisis Group.

Beginning at about 1min and 20 seconds in, they speak about the situation in Zimbabwe and options for the country going forward.

Vetting Senator Clinton...

As President-Elect Obama prepares for taking office on January 20th, speculation abounds on the names surfacing as potentials for major cabinet positions. One name that has been the subject of much discussion in the past few days is that of Senator Hillary Clinton. President-Elect Obama met with her in Chicago to discuss the possibility of naming her as the next Secretary of State. In the vetting process, however, it is her husband, former President Bill Clinton, that is under the most media scrutiny.

In an article from today's issue of the Chronicle of Philanthropy, World Affairs Council President & CEO Jane Wales is quoted on what this process will mean for President Clinton's philanthropic work, and how Senator Hillary Clinton's appointment might change and restrict the work of the Clinton Foundation, and President Clinton's work more generally.

Here, Jane Wales interviews President Clinton at the Aspen Ideas Fest about the power of philanthropy to affect change and other global issues.