U.S. News & World Report: Saving Lives, Strengthening Nations
Tom Daschle, former U.S. senator from South Dakota, co-founder of the Bipartisan Policy Center, and founder of the Daschle Group; and Bill Frist, former U.S. senator from Tennessee, co-chair of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Health Project, and chair of Hope Through Healing Hands

“…It is indisputable that global health projects save lives, but we now have evidence to suggest that they can also increase U.S. national security. Healthier populations build more prosperous societies, more competent institutions, and more stable governments. Additionally, when gains in health are made possible by our government, they foster support and goodwill for the United States around the world. … This is why we call PEPFAR a potential example of strategic health diplomacy: The idea that when Americans improve the health of people in developing nations, we not only fulfill a vital humanitarian mission, but can also make the world more secure. This is precisely the sort of smart foreign policy that Obama called for in this year’s National Security Strategy … Moreover, this is a policy that both parties should support — doing good in the world and furthering our interests simultaneously. … [W]e need a robust strategic health diplomacy plan moving forward…” (11/9).