Around the world in 30 days: The faces of US policies

CARLY KABOT: The haunting, graphic and down-right disturbing images from Afghanistan are the faces of U.S. policy abroad. The men clinging to a U.S. military plane, women holding wailing babies begging for U.S. soldiers to rescue them, exhausted Afghan refugees stepping onto U.S. soil— their stories are in part shaped by policymakers who know little of their life and next to nothing of their pain. With these images burned in our brains, our editorial team got thinking about the role and responsibility On the Record has to show the human side of our usual domestic and foreign policy analysis. This month, we will be spotlighting articles that do a deep dive into how U.S. policies impact people across the globe. 

What happens to a policy once it leaves the West Wing, the conference rooms of the State Department, the chambers of Congress, the halls of the Pentagon? Policymaking begins when it affects lives, whether in our districts or halfway across the world. Yet, we often stop paying attention once the budget is approved or the bill is passed. This spotlight is an opportunity to take policy analysis a step further and compel us to consider how our actions, both our advocacy and silence, impact communities beyond our borders. 

From Central America to Sub-Saharan Africa, we’re calling on our writers to ask tough questions:

Who is shaping the agenda? Where does the Biden administration stand? Which policymakers and public servants are leading our strategy in the region or the country? How has public perception affected this policy? How do our policies influence or inspire our allies and adversaries, for better or for worse? And, most importantly, how can we do better, be better as a nation? What role can we as citizens play in making that happen?

We need people-centered policies that prioritize the voices and needs of the individuals most affected— both at home and abroad. As we’ve learned from Afghanistan, we cannot achieve our strategic objectives abroad without vowing to uphold the values we claim define America: human rights, freedom, equality and justice. 

Carly Kabot is the Editor-in-Chief of On the Record. She is a junior studying International Politics and Religion, Ethics, and World Affairs in the School of Foreign Service.