Andrew S. Natsios: The Crisis in Sudan and the Humanitarian Response

In 2003, when he was an administrator at the U.S. Agency for International Development, Andrew S. Natsios said that the U.S. would spend $1.7 billion to rebuild Iraq. Turns out he didn't really know what he was talking about. He was off by tens of billions of dollars. But when he speaks at the Humphrey Institute, he thankfully will not be discussing reconstructing Iraq. He'll be talking about the worldwide humanitarian response to Sudan, which is something he actually does know a whole lot about. Natsios, a former House representative for Massachusetts, is the president's special envoy to Sudan. His time at USAID, the agency responsible for distributing economic and humanitarian aid around the world, has given him insight into developing areas during and after catastrophes. As part of the agency following controversial mandates from the president, Natsios has had to defend and implement some unpopular plans. But as a civil servant who has seen from the inside out the way aid works, he offers a unique view of the world and its response to disasters.
Thu., April 10, 4 p.m., 2008