RESOLVED: That the United States should slow the growth of its bilateral AIDS treatment commitments

Over the last decade, global health has risen dramatically in its significance to U.S. foreign policy. With that rise have come several contested and sensitive issues that are under-discussed and overshadowed by controversy. Unresolved disputes are obstacles to greater, faster, and more efficient progress in improving health conditions. Divergent views on money, strategy, and values offer to take global health policy in very different directions.

The noted health expert and correspondent, Susan Dentzer, editor-in-chief of Health Affairs, has kindly agreed to moderate the series. Each debate will run 90 minutes, feature a lead presenter and 1-2 respondents, and allow time for substantial audience participation. Critical readings on each topic will be available on the Smart Global Health website in advance of the event.

On August 6, Ambassador Princeton Lyman, Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, will affirm the resolution, “Resolved: That the U.S. commitment to universal AIDS treatment is unsustainable and decreases U.S. foreign policy leverage.” His recent piece with Stephen Wittels in Foreign Affairs, available here, provides the foundation of his argument.

Todd Summers of the ONE Campaign will respond to Ambassador Lyman on the sustainability of U.S. commitments on AIDS. J. Stephen Morrison, Director of the Global Health Policy Center, will comment on the foreign policy dimensions of Ambassador Lyman’s case.

We are excited to announce Fault Lines in Global Health, a series of public debates on issues that divide the global health community. These structured discussions between experts will give a fair, thoughtful, bi-partisan, and complex hearing to the various sides of these polarizing issues.

Friday, August 6, 2010
9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. (EST)
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)

RSVP using the form available at http://smartglobalhealth.org/page/s/faultlines1.

This event will be webcast live at http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/live