In a time of deepening crises globally, when agility and flexibility and teamwork should be the hallmarks of our approach, the Defense Department is still unable to transfer funds to other federal agencies in order to implement vital national security programs. The key is to allow any federal department or agency with the resources to transfer those funds to the department or agency with the relevant expertise required for specific interventions.

The lessons from the 2011 breakdown of ties are fresh enough on both sides to want to avoid that. The US government, most of all, will keep reminding everyone of the constraints ‘nuclear Pakistan’ imposes on realistic policy choices. And yet, ‘interesting’ times lie ahead.

Almost two years of U.S. airstrikes have been instrumental to the progress against ISIS—but so far, at great cost and still with no end in sight.

Meeting sounded a "wake-up call" about the scale of the problems with aid, but many saw it as modest step. "The summit is a giant wakeup call to the political leadership that, hey, the world is on fire. We can fix how we provide humanitarian assistance, but you need to muster the political will to end these terrible conflicts," says Lindborg.

The World Humanitarian Summit, which ended Tuesday, showcased a new generation of entrepreneurs using their know-how to help those in need.

As the United States and the international community grapple with interlocking crises in the Middle East and nearby parts of Africa and Asia, we must reserve a special priority for helping Tunisia achieve a strategic victory. Its success could model for the region how to build stability and prosperity through inclusive governance and nonviolence.

The latest estimates suggest that 125 million people are in need of humanitarian aid. Some 60 million are displaced, either by natural disasters (including events brought on by climate change) or violence. Those here at the summit say the world has gotten better at dealing with the former but not the latter.

The US killing of Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour marks a significant shift for President Barack Obama, highlighting a new willingness to target the group's leaders in Pakistan and risk retaliatory attacks against struggling Afghan security forces.