For the last eight years, U.S. development professionals have looked to President Barack Obama to steer the country’s aid efforts. As he now leaves office, the development community is left to examine the legacy of the 44th president’s decisions — and the logic that underpinned them. Was Obama’s approach to development guided by a doctrine of its own? If so, what was it?
U.S. presidents are often well removed from implementing global development programs. Yet in practice, some presidents have made development central to their time in office. As recognition has grown that fragile states threaten global stability, weak health systems risk transnational pandemics, and stagnant economies undermine global prosperity, leaders from both political parties have come to emphasize the role development investments can play in mitigating those challenges.
Obama made his own views about development’s value for U.S. foreign policy clear in presidential policy directive six — PPD 6, issued in September 2010. The directive elevated development alongside defense and diplomacy as pillars of U.S. global engagement. Development is “indispensable in the forward defense of interests” in a complex world, it says.
About the author
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.
