Last week, the Connect U.S. Fund convened leaders from human rights NGOs for a discussion with administration officials on advancing the international human rights agenda. The meeting was co-hosted by Elisa Massimino of Human Rights first and Ted Piccone of the Brookings Institution.

On February 22, the Connect U.S. Fund convened a group of civil society leaders representing both the environmental and development communities to discuss a set of common asks for The Treasury Department’s top climate and energy official, William Pizer.

On February 16 The Connect U.S. Fund, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and Global Systems Initiatives convened a one-day conversation on U.S. Global Engagement in the Age of Interconnectedness: An Inquiry into a Systems Approach to Policy-Making.

For World Politics Review (March 2, 2010)

TRI-VALLEY CAREs' ANALYSIS OF THE FISCAL YEAR 2011 BUDGET REQUEST FOR NUCLEAR WEAPONS

Biggest Nuclear Weapons Activities Budget EVER Proposed.

For our hot-off-the-press analysis of the Dept. of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) budget request for nuclear weapons activities, go to http://www.trivalleycares.org/new/reports/FY2011BUDGETRPT.pdf

In an article in Foreign Affairs magazine, Human Rights Watch Executive Director Ken Roth citicizes President Obama's incomplete implemention of his human rights promises.

Progress toward a world rid of nuclear weapons depends on the world’s young people. Johan Bergenäs, 28, is a research associate in Washington, D.C., for the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and is a former reporter and current freelance writer for newspapers in Sweden and the United States.

Dr. Gordon Adams, Professor of International Relations at American University and Distinguished Fellow at the Stimson Center, urged the Congress on Tuesday, February 23 to include the defense budget in the discretionary spending freeze the administration proposed in its FY 2011 budget request delivered February 1, 2010.  Doing so would save the American taxpayer significant resources, since more than half of America's discretionary spending is in the defense budget, which the administration exempted from its freeze proposal.

On February 18th, I attended a briefing and round table discussion about foreign assistance and humanitarian relief post Haiti at the Connect U.S. Fund. The discussion was led by U.S. in the World and featured representatives from the NGO community. It was an honor and privilege to be sitting next to and across the table from such figures as the International Rescue Committee's VP of Government Relations & Advocacy, and Interaction's, Senior Director of Policy and Communication, respecitively.

Advocates and communication experts from the Connect U.S. Fund community gathered on February 18 to discuss how to connect relief efforts from the Haiti earthquake to sustained development efforts. Priscilla Lewis of U.S. in the World presented some basic guidance on foreign assistance messaging (available in the USITW guide, "Talking Global Issues with Americans: A Practical Guide").