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This document is interesting to me. I noticed there was no mention of any sort of setback due to financial crimes. I acknowledge this is from an economic perspective, examining historical data compared to today on the grounds of economic security. I however, would be interested to see statistics on the amount of US families who are a risk of losing their economic security due to financial crime. While my main domain is cyberspace, I understand that financial crimes can cost a family their livelihood. This data would have been interesting to see included in this article. The historical analysis included in the article interests me. I noticed that the current state of economic security is vastly different than it was 40 + years ago. I am interested to see how this trend continues in this analysis. I agree that household income inequality has shifted. I have observed this when comparing my peers to my grandparents and noticing the differences. I am however interested by the fact that debt accumulated is a key factor for the ‘young adults.’ I do believe that the rising debt of American citizens needs to be examined from a government standpoint. I found this article interesting and I look forward to more seeing more research on the topic.

It was very interesting reading today's document that was published in 2016, now in 2020. Since the outbreak of COVID-19 the financial landscape has changed dramatically for a lot of families in the U.S. and around the world. After reading the Department of Treasury's Issue Brief, like @Jay Rosato I wanted to see what the current/recent economic trends in my specialization area of Latin America were like.

Latin America has unfortunately been one of the hardest hit regions of the pandemic, which has caused an overall economic decline. According to various statistics including Focus Economics, the pandemic is set to push the region into its deepest recession in modern history. Prior to the pandemic in 2019, the region had a projected GDP growth rate of 1.8 percent. Now instead of economic growth, the region will be focusing on economic recovery especially in terms of unemployment and family income. In comparison to almost every region including Europe, the Middle East, Africa and parts of Asia, it is probable that Latin America will have a weaker economic recovery as the regions GDP is only expected to grow 2.7 percent (while most regions are expected grow 3% and above). While many U.S. citizens have expressed immense anger in regards to how the current administration has handled the pandemic, the same reaction has been present in most Latin American countries. Presently, the most severely hit economies have been Peru, Argentina and Mexico.

The economic well-being has been a key issue in recent elections. After the 2008 financial crisis, many have felt unhappy with their economic situation. Politicians on both sides play to these fears and promise that the average citizen's economic situation will improve by electing them. The flattening and eventual decline of wages as one grows older is a disheartening trend for people that have to work at older ages, which is true for many Americans. Another concerning trend is the decline of wages for people with lower education statuses. One trend that is optimistic is the increasing wages for women in all education brackets. While women still on average make less than their male counterparts, the growth in wages for women could bring the gap closer to equality.

Internal economic stability is an interesting metric to measure. I am curious how these charts would have looked if they compared more than just the male experience in the workforce. Economic stability is split by gender, but even more so by the race which has been especially exposed this year due to the increase in racial awareness in America. At the beginning of this document the question "what factors contribute to household-level economic insecurity" is asked which reminded me of a paper I read in an environmental injustice course last year that clearly finds that age, gender, education, remittances, unemployment, inflation, assets, and disease are the most important factors for dictating a household's economic security. All of these other than age and gender are directly impacted by a person's race. Policies that will promote racial equality in all aspects of the human experience (employment, housing, healthcare, etc) will improve the economic security of the country as a whole.

I have high hopes for the incoming administration when it comes to their dedication to improving the household economic stability from a holistic perspective. The appointments that Biden has made thus far are already leaps and bound more inclusive and diverse. This, as I said yesterday, will improve the inclusivity of decisionmaking especially after a summer of racial tensions, bringing these issues to the forefront of policy formulation. Proven by voter turnout alone, a higher rate of citizens are engaging in politics due to the tumultuous year and divisive administration, which will hopefully spill over into the next administration as well.

As far as this topic relates to China, economic security by household is laughable. This paper discusses how China is moving from traditional economic and social structures and how during this shift "welfare provision by the state has been dramatically reduced". An important aspect of Xi Jinping's upcoming14th Five-Year Plan is likely going to be the idea of "dual circulation". This is the concept that the domestic economy, or "internal circulation", will be "supplemented and reinforced" by the international economy, the "external circulation". This concept would likely focus on job opportunities, wealth redistribution, along with an ongoing push for innovation.

A major goal of any country's foreign policy strategy should be to secure economic wellbeing for its citizens. Internal economic issues can distract from other policy goals of an administration and lead to stagnation of a nation's influence and ability to project power abroad. After all, it is hard to unify a country around a foreign policy goal when its citizens are not confident the government can satisfy their needs at home. It is also hard to justify spending money on aid programs, security programs, or wars when most Americans don't even feel they have the ability to secure their own interests, let alone the interests of others. It is for these reasons that it is vital we study domestic as well as foreign policy issues to get a full picture of a nation's status. A nation that is able to create an opportunity for its citizens and maintain their wellbeing will present a stronger and more unified front abroad.

As evidence for this, we can look to Africa, where economic instability is a reality for many citizens across the continent. Unemployment is one of the biggest issues that the African people face, with one Afrobarometer survey suggesting it was the number one issue for Africans. Widespread unemployment and a lack of economic security are what motivate many to seek opportunities with terrorist groups or criminal organizations, which as can be seen in Mali and Burkina Faso, can undermine the state's core institutions and be detrimental to the security of the region.

The findings of this document were pretty interesting. Given the increase of wealth inequality in the US over the past couple of decades, it was not much of a surprise to me that the wages of the highest earners had seen impressive jumps in their incomes. I was also not very surprised to learn that high school workers' wages have actually declined, as we move to an increasingly advanced economy that requires specialized educations to stay valuable. It was also good to see that women with college degrees had seen substantial improvements to their earnings. Perhaps the biggest cause for concern is the relative stagnation of the middle class. This suggests that the US economy is not doing a good enough job of creating economic opportunity for most Americans, and perhaps signals the need for a better-educated society that can pursue more competitive jobs. Though this could potentially also a side effect of decreased economic growth, as US GDP growth rates have been declining over the last couple of decades as the US economy evolves. It was also really interesting to note that increased education had a positive association with the number of hours worked. Which further suggests that in this economy, education creates opportunity.

I would be interested to read the other briefs in this series to get a better idea as to what specific challenges pressure US economic security and to see what recommendations they put forward to better American economic security in the future.

USAID has three missions related to China. These include aiding Tibetan societies in China, assisting regional programs, and assisting in law enforcement, and decreasing emissions. The Tibetan program promotes employment opportunities, helps them manage natural resources important to community livelihoods, and preserving their culture. Regional programs aid in cross-border challenges specifically preventing disease spread, fighting wildlife trafficking, collaborate with the Asian Development Bank, and encourages infrastructure investment minimizing negative impacts in Lower Mekong. The third initiative is at the direction of China's Congress and has less priority placed on it than the other two.

USAID is a fascinating organization. I think any development agency is the right way to go. If you invest in any country and build them up developmentally they stand a better chance at being successful in the long run because you are giving them both the skill sand tools to move further towards their goals. Citizens can make or break a country, at the end of the day a government is only as strong as its people, if the people want to be governed they will accept their leader if citizens do not like their government because of whatever their reason they will rise against it. Again with USAID, investment is the key, troubles in other countries are not going to be helped overnight it is with investment, commitment and ongoing support countries can rise to the best with the help of their own citizens using the skills and tools agencies like USAID provide. I think with strategic planning and policy improvement being a top priority at USAID is why they are so successful at international development. Each country does not fall into a mold, so each development plan needs t be tailored to each country’s specific needs and made to work with their respective strengths they already possess. Overall, I think USAID is effective and will continue to be effective in the future. The main reason for my thought that USAID is effective is that they strive to achieve effective and sustainable results in the field meaning their efforts can be everlasting not just while humanitarian missions forces are there.

One problem that is often overlooked when promoting and establishing democracies is tribal and ethnic differences. A major example of this is when Saddam Hussein was overthrown in Iraq, the interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi took over. The complication there was that Iyad Allawi was a Shia Muslim in a primarily Sunni Muslim nation. Furthermore the Shia Muslims of Iraq were under Saddam Hussein persecuted and after his capture, were optimistic that they would have more power. In the months following, Sectarian violence between the Sunnis and Shi'ites in Iraq increased. Situations similar to this have happened in African countries, with or without US promotion of democracy. Since Abiy Ahmed won power in Ethiopia in 2018, ethnic tensions have been on the rise. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is an Oromo, which despite being the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia are underrepresented. Recently, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has had to deal with an ethnic separatist group called the Tigray People's Liberation Front due to ethnic tensions escalating.

Today’s document and topic are interesting. USAID is an interesting organization and mission put forth by the US government. I am familiar with some of the work USAID has done in the past. The education and prosperity programs offered by USAID in Africa are projects I am familiar with. Having the opportunity, I went and read the ‘where we work’ page on the USAID site. I was surprised to see the amount of diverse regions the USAID as operations in. Interesting and effective operations aside, I am not surprised to see the US government re-examining the program in this manner. I am curious to see what comes out of this re-examination. I do believe that the mission of USAID is a noble one. I look forward to seeing what operations USAID embarks on in the future.

As a specialist in Africa, USAID is an organization that comes up frequently in my research. In 2019, $8.3 billion was distributed across 47 African countries, showing the impact this organization has on the development of African countries. Within Africa, there are eight regional programs that seek to advance USAID's goals across different regions and different functions. These offices being east, west, south, Sudanese, the office of development programs, the office of sustainable development, the office of the assistant administrator, and the administrative management staff.

USAID is doing a lot of great work across many different francophone African countries. One of which is the DRC. USAID works to promote fair and transparent elections in the country by providing technical assistance to political parties, improving campaign management, and promoting civic engagement from traditionally underrepresented groups, such as the youth and women. Another interesting thing that USAID does in the DRC to improve democratic governance is providing training to media officials to make access to good information easy for all citizens of the country.

USAID also does a lot of work in Burkina Faso, which despite being a fairly stable nation, has only had one democratic transition of power in nearly 30 years. Because of this, USAID does a lot of work in assuring that the young Burkinabe democracy is conducting business transparently and inclusively. USAID has supported 30 civil society organizations across the country, including 12 youth organizations. USAID has also trained 100 members of the independent electoral commission in an effort to build transparent and fair elections.

With specific regard to Burkina Faso, I am curious to see how USAID will react to the Burkinabe government declaring certain regions of the country as too dangerous to have voter registration, and denying nearly 400,000 citizens their right to the vote in the November 22 elections. This disenfranchisement could potentially further destabilize the young democracy, and USAID may need to take note of this situation to preserve democratic governance.

Outstanding! I cannot wait to see all the conversations this will foster!