Joseph R. Biden, Jr., U.S. Senator, State of Delaware

Strategic Session Date: April 1, 2006

Summary:

Senator Biden spoke with IGD about the current political situation and his views on how it is affecting national security, global poverty and development work. He began by outlining the administration's belief in neo-conservative foreign policy - one based on the belief that the United States should promote security in the world by leveraging its power and using that power unilaterally against "bad actors." He claims that one of the reasons we have seen a collapse in public diplomacy is because we've cut off the opportunity for foreigners to travel, study and, in some cases, work in the United States . Senator Biden feels we must allow foreigners to enter the United States again and engage citizens from other countries in our education system. He also said we have to look at international institutions and how to strengthen them to aid in development initiatives.

Biography