As published in The Hill

By Heather B. Hamilton - 07/15/10 06:02 PM ET

As the Senate begins debate on the U.S.-Russia New START arms-reduction treaty, we must not lose sight of a glaring problem in our national security: the impact that the U.S. failure to join major multilateral treaties has on our capacity to exercise global leadership. This failure threatens to make us, in a sad parody of Madeleine Albright's famous phrase, the "dispensable nation."

On July 12, 2010, over 150 people in the Connect U.S. Fund community came together for the annual community-wide meeting.

On June 21, the Connect U.S. Fund convened a policy dialogue on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT).  More than 25 participants from the U.S.

Today, the Connect U.S. Fund is releasing its Request for Letters of Inquiry (RFLOI) for its 2010-2011 Annual Major Grants Program. Please read the RFLOI (and the FAQ) thoroughly before applying. As mentioned in the request, this program is designed to support collaborative projects to influence U.S.

As you know, the Fissile Materials Working Group (FMWG) has been working to support and hold accountable the Obama Administration in its goal to "secure all vulnerable fissile materials in four years."

Next week, the FMWG is hosting over 200 experts from around the world to discuss policy recommendations for how to achive this four-year goal.  We invite you to watch our "Next Generation Nuclear Security" summit on Monday, April 12, via this live webcast.

The following op-ed by Fissile Materials Working Group co-chairs Alex Toma and Kenneth Luongo was published in the Hill on March 11:

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.

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.

Recently, the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) ordered the ICC judges to re-examine whether charges of genocide should be added to an existing arrest warrant for Sudan’s president Omar al-Bashir for crimes of war and crimes against humanity. Currently, Sudan’s ruling party does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC and Bashir has threatened to expel humanitarian agencies from Sudan as he did in 2009.

A key question is how publics in Muslim countries are likely to react to the ICC taking further action against Bashir.

Priscilla Lewis and Sue Veres Royal, US in the World

The Connect U.S. community has a real opportunity to highlight the issues that are most important to us: climate change and its impact on developing countries; human rights; nonproliferation; and striking a balance between State/USAID and the Defense Department.

160 members of the Connect U.S. and Peace and Security Initiative community gathered this December for a full day of panels, workshops, speakers, and networking in Washington D.C. More details, plus audio of the panels, below!

Senators Reid, Inouye, Reps. Conyers, Kucinich Call for Much-Needed Global Family Reunion January 1, 2010

President Obama's decision to nation-build in Afghanistan in the midst of the worst economic recession since the Great Depression is likely to produce a new Misery Index for Americans: The escalating numbers of dead and wounded American soldiers in Afghanistan PLUS the likely high level of unemployed Americans at home. For Congressional Democrats, the Misery Index could add up to big trouble at the polls in November 2010.

On November 18, Connect U.S. Fund staff and community members met with White House Deputy Chief of Staff Mona Sutphen to discuss the prospects for Senate ratification of key international treaties in the coming years.  The administration was also represented by National Security Council Director for Multilateral Affairs Jeffrey Brown and Kareem Dale, Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy.

The International Institutions and Global Governance program at the Council on Foreign Relations has produced Public Opinion on Global Issues, a comprehensive digest of existing polling data on U.S.

Today the U.S. Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues Stephen Rapp announced that the U.S. will be attending the International Criminal Court's Assembly of States Parties meeting as an observer, the first time the U.S.

On Wednesday, September 30, the Connect U.S. Fund convened a meeting between key individuals in the climate and development community and Special Envoy for Climate Change, Todd Stern. The discussion centered around a letter to Mr. Stern from Ambassador Nancy Soderberg, President of the Connect U.S.

The full text of President Obama's UN climate speech yesterday is available at the New York Times, and we've got the full text of today's UN General Assembly speech up in PDF format.