by the United States Agency for International Development

About the author: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the federal government that extends assistance to countries recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty, and engaging in democratic reforms.

With the fall of the Berlin Wall, the demise of the Soviet Union, and the passing of communism as a threat to nations around the world, U.S. foreign policy moved into a new era. No longer does the United States have one clearly defined adversary, and thus no one measure by which to calibrate foreign policy worldwide. While they may be more diffuse, dangers and threats to peace, stability, and economic prosperity persist in this new era. As President George W. Bush noted in his inaugural address: “Our...