The Washington Post ran an article yesterday about how the continued lack of a USAID Administrator is making it difficult to define the role development in the new administration, especially as Congress looks to reform the agency and Hillary Clinton is beginning her Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review. What is making this post so difficult to fill? Is it the White House appointments vetting process, as Clinton suggested? Is it the lack of clarity about the role of USAID Administrator (will it be a cabinet-level position or report to the Secretary of State)? USAID desperately needs a leader who can redefine the agency to the outside world and reform it from the inside; it needs more staff, more money, more focus and less reliance on outside contractors. All that while dealing with daunting missions in Afghanistan, Iraq and several other hot spots. That’s no mean feat in this economic and political climate – and it is simply impossible without strong leadership in place.
