By Leanne Demery

Last week, President Trump launched a military strike in Syria with 59 Tomahawk missiles — each costing $1.5 million.

President Trump’s skinny budget calls for a major increase of $54 billion in defense spending through major cuts in domestic spending, specifically in the state department and foreign aid.  

But Sen.Chris Murphy (D-CT) is proposing a radical alternative.

“President Trump’s medieval view of the world in which the US can protect itself with a big army and a bigger moat — it’s wrong and it’s dangerous…. Syria is just a big a mess today as it was Wednesday. The best investment in US national security isn’t another piece of military machinery… It’s making unstable places stable,” said Sen. Murphy at an event today.

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Murphy’s proposed new budget for international affairs seeks creative solutions to keep up with rising global instability and modern conflicts. The proposition essentially doubles foreign aid and is a present-day version of the Marshall Plan — the U.S. response to Europe recovering from WWII -— focusing on economic development in an attempt to prevent future conflict.

“A strong american military is still vital to guard against conventional security threats but the emerging threats to global stability exert influence that cannot be checked with military power alone,” he said while speaking at the Council for Foreign Relations.

Claiming that since 9/11 the U.S. international affairs strategy has been to beef up military assets (which doubled in the first decade of the 21st century), the “smart power” budget introduces three sustainable strategies for promoting global peace: economic development, greater diplomacy efforts and a robust humanitarian assistance.

Here’s a closer look at each:

Economic Development

Economic growth lifts people out of poverty, leads to more stable governments, promotes gender equality, and boosts employment and trade. It serves American national security, too. The 2016 Arab Youth Survey revealed that the main reason youth are attracted to join ISIS is due to lack of job opportunities. Investing in youth creates a pipeline for a productive workforce and good governance.

Read More: Why Cutting Foreign Aid Puts US National Security at Risk

But economic growth isn’t just about job creation. The budget also calls for an investment in global health programs. Health and economic development go hand in hand. Simply put, sicker communities work less. Exploited by poverty, health problems such as maternal mortality, neglected tropical diseases, and lack of vaccines pervade in too many countries.  Investing in health is key to breaking cycles of poverty.

The US has been a leader in health foreign assistance programs with President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) but Sen. Murphy’s budget increases funding for vaccines, treatment for neglected tropical diseases, and especially for family planning and reproductive health. This gives children opportunities to succeed from the beginning of life.

Boosts to family planning and reproductive health could decrease maternal mortality by a third. However, worldwide (and particularly in the Trump Administration) there is a lot of misconception about family planning — at its core, family planning  is having the right tools to raise a healthy family. It includes having a birth plan to get to a clinic for a woman in a rural village or appropriately spacing births, helping women plan how many children she has, and how frequently she has them. If a woman has too many children in a short amount of time, she is at a significantly higher risk of maternal mortality and complications during pregnancy. Proper family planning also relates to better nutrition outcomes and less economic strain. Investing in family planning is one of the “most successful and cost-effective paths to sustainable development.”

Greater Diplomacy Efforts

At the core of Sen. Murphy’s budget is a reaction to Trump’s proposed budget, which has too much emphasis on military spending which is an outdated strategy for global security. As an alternative, increasing cultural exchange programs, the number of Foreign Officers and the Peace Corps program will create more friends than adversaries.

Read More: Foreign Aid: Let’s Not Throw the Baby Out With the Bathwater

Instead of showing American values through military presence, diplomacy highlights the best of what America has to offer such as smart economists, peaceful policymakers, and public health professionals. Peace Corps and USAID programs support education, economic development and health initiatives on the grassroots level. Foreign Officers work to develop relationships with other countries and build capacity of fragile states. By shifting increases in military personnel to increases in skilled peacemakers, the US invests in its own positive perceptions and influence.

Robust Humanitarian Assistance

As Global Citizens we know that we no longer live in an isolated world. Crises, whether they are natural or man-made, can have resounding detrimental consequences. In the past, emergencies such as the Ebola outbreak and the dramatic increase in refugees have been poorly planned for, so the Sen. Murphy budget proposes a savings account fund for a quick and effective emergency response. It also proposes that more funding be focused on the Syrian conflict with assistance for refugees. By addressing current conflicts and preparing for the future, it alleviates the burden of resource-poor countries taking on the brunt of current conflicts.

“Smart power” and strategic funding can have dramatic and long-lasting effects in the international community and for the world’s poor. Global Citizen supports the Sen. Murphy budget for its innovative approach to foreign affairs, instead of a heavy reliance on military actions. By doubling foreign aid through economic development, diplomacy and humanitarian assistance, these sustainable solutions for modern-day challenges make foreign aid #WorthThePenny. Join us in supporting Sen. Murphy’s budget by taking action to protect international funding.