Fault Lines in Global Health Debate
September 15, 2010
In the past decade, global health has become a new U.S. foreign policy priority, enjoyed exceptional bipartisan support, and climbed to an annual US government investment of $10 billion, fully a third of all U.S. foreign assistance. Global health has come to be seen as a ‘best buy’ for achieving concrete health improvements in people’s lives and leveraging the United States’ ‘Smart Power.’ In this same period, several complex and polarizing issues have gained momentum. They defy easy solutions, divide and fragment constituencies, and impede progress. In the midst of ever tighter budgets and heightened scrutiny of investments, these controversies can corrode consensus and have serious downstream implications: in term of strategy, core values, policy coherence and the allocation of future dollars.
On August 6, 2010, the CSIS Global Health Policy Center launched a year-long debate series -- ‘Fault Lines in Global Health’ -- intended to generate an informed, civil, bipartisan, and open airing of opinion on critical global health controversies. 
The noted health expert and correspondent, Susan Dentzer, editor-in-chief of Health Affairs, has kindly agreed to moderate the series. Each debate will run 90 minutes, feature a lead presenter and 1-2 respondents, and allow time for substantial audience participation. Critical readings on each topic will be available on the Smart Global Health website in advance of the event.
Upcoming Debates
The next Fault Lines debate has not been scheduled yet.
Previous Debates
March 11, 2011
Ambassador Jack Chow of Carnegie Mellon University and the World Health Organization and Yanzhong Huang of the Council on Foreign Relations and Seton Hall University, debated the topic,
Resolved: That the United States should press China to make the full transition from health aid recipient to global health donor.
Click here to listen to audio from this debate.
January 13, 2011
Phil Nieberg of CSIS and Chris Collins of amfAR debated the topic,
"Resolved: That the United States should withhold future increases in HIV/AIDS assistance from countries with laws or policies that impede effective HIV prevention. Conversely, the United States should expand its HIV/AIDS assistance to countries that reform their laws or policies to reduce stigma and enhance protection."
Click here to listen to audio from this debate.
September 14, 2010
Mark Dybul of Georgetown University and Julian Schweitzer of the Results for Development Institute debated the topic,
"Resolved: That the United States should withhold future increases in HIV/AIDS assistance from countries with laws or policies that impede effective HIV prevention. Conversely, the United States should expand its HIV/AIDS assistance to countries that reform their laws or policies to reduce stigma and enhance protection."
Click here to listen to audio from this debate.
August 6, 2010
Ambassador Princeton Lyman of the Council on Foreign Relations and Todd Summers of the ONE Campaign debates the topic,
"RESOLVED: That the U.S. commitment to universal AIDS treatment is unsustainable and decreases U.S. foreign policy leverage." If you missed it, you can watch the debate here:
Click here to listen to audio from this debate.
