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School of Public Policy Hosts Expert Panel on Effects of the Economic Recession on U.S. Foreign Aid

The billions of dollars the United States allocates annually to foreign assistance acts to stimulate humanitarian efforts across the globe and build positive relationships between nations, but is often contested due to arbitrarily chosen initiatives and corruptive foreign governments. In the midst of a massive downward spiral in the economy, will the United States abandon these global humanitarian initiatives?

Anthony Lake

To adequately address this topic, the Pepperdine University School of Public Policy will host a seminar entitled, “Foreign Assistance as an Instrument of Foreign Policy” on Tuesday, March 10, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Drescher Auditorium on Pepperdine’s Malibu campus. An expert panel will discuss the impact of maintaining the $22 billion figure currently reserved for foreign assistance. The panel of international experts in foreign assistance includes Anthony Lake, former national security advisor to President Bill Clinton and former foreign policy advisor to the Obama campaign; Miriam Mozgan, deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia; a senior official from U.S. Agency for International Development, as well as several Pepperdine faculty members who specialize in foreign affairs and international relations.

“At a time of global economic crisis, it is the poorer nations, and the poorest of their citizens, who are the most vulnerable," says Lake. "Foreign assistance can play a vital role not only in meeting the humanitarian challenge but also in helping promote economic progress and political stability."

Lake is a distinguished professor in the practice of diplomacy in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He served as assistant to the President for national security during the Clinton administration. He joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1962 and served numerous roles in the State Department, including U.S. vice consul in Saigon and Hue, special assistant to the National Security Advisor, and director of policy planning. Lake is the author of numerous foreign policy books, and received his Ph.D. from Princeton University.

Lake will discuss what he believes to be the best strategy for the future of America's foreign assistance. "It must be well targeted and efficiently managed," he says. "Our national conscience not only demands this; it is deeply in the interest of our national security."

Joining Lake, Mozgan will offer her perspective as the deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Washington, D.C., a role that she has served since 2005. Previously, she was the head of the Public Relations Office in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the public relations adviser to the President of Slovenia, as well as Head of Public Relations Office at the Ministry of Defense of Slovenia. Mozgan earned her B.A. from the University Ljubljana, Slovenia. Since there currently is no ambassador from Slovenia, she now serves as the charge d’affaires.

Pepperdine University faculty will round out the panel, including Angela Hawken, assistant professor of public policy, Robert Kaufman, professor of public policy, and Robert Lloyd, associate professor and chair of the Center for International Studies and Languages division. Dan Caldwell, distinguished professor of political science at Seaver College will moderate.  

Pauletta Walsh, assistant dean for advancement and alumni affairs at the School of Public Policy calls U.S. foreign assistance "an area of vital importance." “Whether implemented by a government agency, an NGO or a private foundation engaged in philanthropic work, the effect of foreign aid on recipient nations is revisited by each administration," Walsh says . "This panel represents decades of experience in national policy formation, international implementation and academic expertise. Coming at the beginning of a new era in American governance, we expect lively debate.”

The event is free and open to the public. Attendees will be invited to submit written questions for the panelists at the conclusion of their remarks. Immediately following the seminar, the International Trust Fund for Demining and Victim’s Assistance (ITF) will host a reception on the Gulls Way Patio, where Mr. Goran Gacnik, Director of ITF, will speak about their global work in demining and victim’s assistance.  

Click here for more information on the Pepperdine University School of Public Policy.