655F Winter 2026 Demise of USAID & Importance of Soft Power to Achieve US Economic & Foreign Policy

Development assistance, writ large, is an integral component of U.S. instruments of power, along with defense and diplomacy. This seminar will present and discuss the role of “soft power” and that of USAID in particular, to include among other things: advancing international cooperation to address global issues relating to basic human needs, basic human rights, and disaster assistance; promoting access to markets and FDI (foreign direct investment) for U.S. companies and investors; facilitating competition against state actors (e.g. Russia and China) who seek expanded market share and violate international standards of conduct; moderating the spread of transnational diseases and extremist ideologies; facilitating U.S. agricultural exports; building good will and political cohesion in support of U.S. positions in international fora; and advancing U.S. trade and security negotiations with international actors (the “carrot” to supplement more coercive negotiating measures).The seminar will also discuss misperceptions surrounding USAID effectiveness and the cost of abolishing it relative to perceived budgetary savings.

Jim Bever has worked in U.S. foreign aid for over 50 years, with expertise in national energy development, retiring in mid-2017 as a U.S. Senior Foreign Service Officer after 35 years with USAID. Assignments included USAID Mission Director to: Afghanistan, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Egypt, and Ghana; Deputy Mission Director to India; USAID Assistant Administrator at HQ; USAID representative on Deputies Committee of the NSC. He earned an MS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, a BA in Economics from Cornell University, and a Masters Certificate in National Security Strategy at the National War College.

Brad Wallach retired from the USAID Senior Foreign Service after 30 years with the Agency. In addition to assignments overseas, he also served as the USAID Chair and senior member of the Economics Faculty at the National Defense University (2010-2012) where he was honored as Faculty of the Year in 2010 for his work designing and teaching graduate-level economics and a highly-rated survey course on Sub-Saharan Africa. He holds an MBA from INSEAD (France), a MS from NDU, and a MA from UCLA.