Civilian power is the combined force of women and men across the U.S. government who are practicing diplomacy, implementing development projects, strengthening alliances and partner- ships, preventing and responding to crises and conflict, and advancing America’s core interests: security, prosperity, universal values—especially democracy and human rights—and a just international order.

These civilians ask one question again and again: How can we do a better job of advancing the interests of the American people? The answer should be the same for every agency and depart- ment: We can work smarter and better by setting clear priorities, managing for results, holding ourselves accountable, and unifying our efforts. The first-ever Quadrennial Diplomacy and De- velopment Review (QDDR) aims to meet these goals by setting forth a sweeping reform agenda for the State Department and USAID, the lead agencies for foreign relations and development respectively. It builds on the work of Secretary Clinton’s predecessors, who recognized many of the needs we address here in reports such as Secretary Rice’s Transformational Diplomacy.