Newt Gingrich: Invest in development, improve national security

Nov 19th, 2010 4:01 PM UTC
By Lauren Balog

This past week, I had the opportunity to hear former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich speak at the US Global Leadership Coalition’s (USGLC) Putting Smart Power to Work event in Washington, D.C.

The former speaker spoke at length about the need for an effective international affairs budget and emphasized the need for strong metrics in measuring smart power. He also advocated for a joint State and Defense budget on national security, which was similar to what Secretary Robert Gates advocated for back at the USGLC event in September.

While I found the discussions on our national security and the ability for America to make the world a better and safer place incredibly interesting, what struck me was something Speaker Gingrich said during the question and answer session about “investing in human capital.”

While answering a question on development, he said that there is absolutely a need for relief work, such as in Haiti after the devastating earthquake. Development work is essential in making the world a better place and investing in things like education of women and girls would prove to be a good investment of American tax dollars and improve our national security.

While addressing a representative from a development organization, Speaker Gingrich said, “I don’t think of that as a relief function. I think of that as an investment in a better world and an investment in human beings, and it is absolutely central to our ability to operate on the planet.”

At ONE, we believe that if the United States continues to support in proven efforts with measurable results, we can absolutely help the 1 billion people living on less than a $1.25 a day build a sustainable path out of poverty. Watch Speaker Gingrich’s talk and the subsequent question and answer session in the video.

TAGS: ONE, United States of America