The capacity to respond to the urgent needs of vulnerable people in emergencies around the world is a central pillar of the U.S. government's foreign assistance portfolio. It should exemplify the impartial outpouring of humanitarian response in the wake of unthinkable tragedy. As the State Department's just-released Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR) acknowledges, it is an area in which the U.S. holds a comparative advantage. This is a good thing since, as we've seen over the last year, the U.S. is frequently asked to play a lead role in the international response to humanitarian crises.