The Brookings Blum Roundtable “2020 and Beyond” conference discussed the future of American leadership in foreign assistance, via discussing the present challenges and anxiety felt towards the US’s global engagements. The first session discussed forces of disruption, which were designated as societal, technological and geopolitical. Topics included climate change, the rise of populism and inequality, erosion of public trust in institutions and the disregard of traditional power norms. The second session emphasized the empowerment of women and youth education. The third session focused on climate change and its evolving to a climate crisis. Additionally, the session discussed safe and fair transition of green energy. Discussions regarding refugees centered on their education and recognition of the economic gains refugees could provide. The fourth session discussed political fragility, and threats to the development and economic security of many parts of the world, especially Africa and the Middle East. The fifth session covered China, whose relations with the US poses the question of how the latter should respond. In the final session, the participants engaged together on how to refresh the narrative of spreading development, and reintroducing the moral case for American global engagement. In short, the conference encourages the US to rebuild the trust in its own moral model.
