Last week, I had the privilege of speaking with a group of students at Tulane University in New Orleans about the connection between funding international development programs and our national security here at home. The audience included several students and faculty from Tulane’s Payson Center for International Development as well as student veterans and [...]

It’s true what they say – everything is bigger in Texas. From face-sized platters of enchiladas to heaping servings of hospitality served up in every town I stopped in, the Lone Star State lived up to its most famous cliche.

In the small desert towns of West Texas, where I met cowboys, cactus salesmen, cops [...]

If you’ve been anywhere near the internet lately, you’ve likely been barraged by links to the video by advocacy organization Invisible Children about the ongoing atrocities in Northern Uganda. The video has sparked debate about whether it oversimplifies or misrepresents the situation, but one thing is certain: the destruction the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) wreaked since the 1980s [...]

I’ve been thinking a lot about food while on the road – half because I’m always hungry, and half because it’s something to do to pass the time. It’s amazing how all-consuming the thought of “food” can be. Every day, questions like, “When will I eat? Where will I eat? What will I eat?” form [...]

Between the campfires and sunscorched miles, Arizona has offered up some incredible opportunities to strike at the heart of the mission. In Phoenix, I met with the a staffer from the office of Senator Jon Kyl, the second-highest ranking Republican in the US Senate, to discuss why international development makes the world a safer place [...]