PeaceWatch Spring 2012

7/27/2019 PeaceWatch Spring 2012

1/16

NSIDE

3 Capacity Building with SENSE inPoland, Afghanistan and Tunisia

4 Police Initiative in Israel

5 Training to Build Peace in Darfur

6 In Afghanistan, Creating Effective

Advisers for Times of Crisis

7 U.S. Unveils Action Plan for Women,

Peace and Security

8 Peacebuilding Professionalized under

19 Years of Solomons Leadership

10 The U.S. and China Change the World:

Looking Back, Looking Ahead11 USIP Supporting a Peaceful Transition

in Libya

12 Ensuring Effective Peacebuilding

13 USIP Connects Teachers and Students

with New Resources

14 Convening Power

16 People on the Move

StrengtheningCiv-MilCooperationforPeaceOperations

Responding to todays conflicts and hu-manitarian crises requires planning andskills that are beyond the capacity of anysingle organization. Military and civilianpersonnel must have the ability to designand implement operations across institu-tional and national boundaries and worktogether in rapidly changing, insecure en-

vironments.Recently, conflict management and

peacebuilding experts from the U.S.Institute of Peace (USIP) participatedin the Navy and Marine Corps biggestamphibious exercise in a decade, BoldAlligator, as part of USIPs expansion ofcivilian-military cooperation and train-ing. The exercise off North Carolina andVirginia in early February demonstratedhow the capabilities of the Marine Ex-peditionary Brigade and the Navys Ex-peditionary Strike Force are integrated.Experts inside and outside the military saythat such exercises emphasize the need for

strong cooperation between military andcivilian agencies in humanitarian and di-saster relief operations.

USIP Chief of Staff Paul Hughes, aretired Army colonel, led a USIP teamthat observed the exercise. Senior trainerNadia Gerspacher, an instructor fromUSIPs Academy for International Con-flict Management and Peacebuilding whoworks extensively with the military, runsthe USIP component of the Defense De-partments Ministry of Defense Advisers

(MODA) program, which joins Ameri-can institutional experts with counterparts in Afghanistans ministries to helpthem become better partners. USIPs par-ticipation in the exercise underscoredpeacebuildings support of national se-curity, particularly through civ-mil relations and training. USIPs longstandingWorking Group on Civilian-Military

Spring 2012

The chain reaction of evilwars

roducing more warsmust be broken, ore shall be plunged into the dark abyss of

nnihilation.

MartinLutherKingJr.

USIPOur COuntrys GlObalCOnfliCt ManaGeMent Center

USIP Chief of Staff Col. Paul Hughes and First Lieuten-

ant Lucas J. Burke participate in the Navy and Marine

Corps recent major amphibious exercise, Bold Alligator,

off the coast of North Carolina and Virginia in earlyFebruary. Photograph by USIP staff.

UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE

UNIEDSESINSIUEOPECE

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usip making a difference

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Relations in Non-Permissive Environ-ments strengthens cooperation among therange of military, government, civilian andnongovernmental actors for these kinds

of operations.The Marines invited USIP to par-

ticipate in Bold Alligator to observe

first-hand the Navy and Marine Corpsplanning process, Hughes said. Withthe increasing concern about the Asia-Pacific region, the Navy and Marines will

be very active in the region dealing withambiguous and complex situations thatresult from natural disasters or conflict.They will look to USIP for its great dealof expertise based on its long experiencein the region, including its peace opera-tions in the Philippines during the MoroIslamic Liberation Army insurgency inthe early 1990s.

Asia Pacific Activities

USIP continues to be active in the AsiaPacific region, especially Northeast Asia.The Institute leads the Track 1.5 dialogueon the Korean peninsula, supports theU.S.-China strategic relationship, and co-sponsors the nuclear dialogue betweenIndia and Pakistan. Emerging engagementwith Burma includes activity in the ruleof law and religion in preventing conflict.USIP has also worked in Nepal, Sri Lankaand Japan. In 2012, USIP also expanded itspresence in Islamabad, Pakistan.

USIPs peacebuilding efforts, from

strengthening the rule of law to creatingnew dialogue between various parties,have paid off in a number of ways. In Ne-pal, for instance, the country faced in-creasing violence in 2009. Nepals nationalpolice asked USIP for help in establishinga dialogue to build trust between policeand civil society.

The Institute responded by imple-menting Justice and Security Dia-loguesessentially a series of facilitated

conversations between police officers,members of civil society and governmentofficials. In the following months, therewas a dramatic decrease of crime and vio-

lence. According to a senior Nepalese po-lice official, the police reported improvedrelations between youth groups and thepolice in December 2010. During the 18months preceding the dialogues, therewere 278 kidnappings and 13 fatalities.In the 18-month period after, the policereported 67 kidnappings and one fatality,a 77 percent improvement.

More specifically in Asia and thePacific region, USIP hosts a number ofinitiatives that convenes members of the

political and policymaking communitiesto discuss vital security and economicissues in the region. These initiativesinclude the U.S.China Project on Cri-sis Avoidance, a Trilateral Dialogueon Northeast Asia and the Korean Work-ing Group.

As the Asia Pacific strategic environ-ment develops, USIP will continue itswork to help prevent destabilization of theregion and to strengthen civilian-militaryrelations and integrated training.

When Navy and Marine personnel

deploy ashore in crises with medical anddisaster supplies, Hughes said, the de-gree to which the military and NGOs andcivilians are coordinated and collaboratetranslates into lives saved and mission ef-fectiveness. USIPs observer participationin Bold Alligator helped strengthen thedialogue with the services and increasedunderstanding of the need for partner ca-pacity in peace and security operations.

PeaceWatch (ISSN 1080-9864) is published three times

a year by the United States Institute of Peace, an

independent, nonpartisan national institution established

and funded by Congress to help prevent, manage and

resolve international conicts. The views expressed herein

do not necessarily reect views of the Institute or its

Board of Directors.

To receive PeaceWatch, visit our website (www.usip.org);

write to the United States Institute of Peace, 2301

Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20037; call

202-457-1700; or fax 202-429-6063. A complete archive of

PeaceWatch is available at www.usip.org/peacewatch.

President: Richard H. Solomon

Executive Vice President: Tara Sonenshine

CFO: Michael Graham

Vice President of Outreach and Communications:Stephanie Fouch

Director of Publications: Valerie Norville

Director of Public Affairs: David Early

Senior Writer/Editor: Liz Harper

Editor/Proofreader: Grace Wen

Production Manager: Marie Marr Jackson

Production Coordinator: Christian FeuersteinPhoto Credits: Bill Fitz-Patrick, AP Photo, The New York

Times Syndicate, iStock, and USIP Staff

Board of Directors

Chairman: J. Robinson West

Vice Chairman: George E. Moose

Members: Judy Ansley, Eric Edelman, Kerry Kennedy, Ikram U.

Khan, John A. Lancaster Stephen D. Krasner, Jeremy A.

Rabkin, Judy Van Rest, Nancy Zirkin

Members ex ofcio:

Michael H. Posner, Department of State

James N. Miller, Department of Defense

Ann E. Rondeau, National Defense University

Richard Solomon, Institute President (nonvoting)

PeaceWatch

Fast Fact: In 1984, President Ronald Reagan signed the law that established USIP during the Cold War.

USIPs Nadia Gerspacher on the aircraft carrier USS Wasp, observing the Bold Alligator exercise. Photo by USIP staff.


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UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE 3


As one of the most successful countriesto transition from communism, Polandis now helping other countries consoli-date their own transitions away from au-thoritarian governments and commandeconomies. USIP has played a key role inempowering Poland to employ the sophis-ticated Strategic Economic Needs and Se-curity Exercise (SENSE) simulation in thisfar-sighted endeavor. In October and De-cember of 2011, Poland used SENSE withseparate audiences of key figures from Af-ghanistan and Tunisia who are helping to

lead their countries transitions. In 2006,the Polish government asked USIP to traina cadre of Poles to conduct SENSE. USIPsAcademy for International Conflict Man-agement and Peacebuilding conductedthe training, and has maintained a rela-tionship with the Polish SENSE programever since.

SENSE, created by Richard White ofthe Institute for Defense Analyses, is acomputer-facilitated simulation that fo-cuses on negotiation, problem solving and

decision making in a fictional countryemerging from violent internal conflict ora revolutionary political situation. SENSEteaches participants to build teams anddevelop cooperative solutions, make dif-ficult resource allocation decisions andinteract constructively with the interna-tional entitiesmilitary and civilianthat are trying to help them.

SENSEs computer infrastructurekeeps the players honest, by reflectingthe results and interrelationships of alltheir actions. Yet, while computer-facili-

tated, the primary point of the simulationis to engage participants in direct, face-to-face negotiations among a maximum of 60players, who represent the local citizens,their government officials and members ofthe international community. Originallydeveloped for Bosnia, it has since been up-graded and used in a number of environ-ments. For example, the Institute has usedit extensively with Iraqis. More than 1,500Iraqis have participated in SENSE simula-

CapacityBuildingwithSENSEinPoland,fghanistanandunisiaBy Michael Lekson

Radoslaw Sikorski, Polands minister of foreign affairs and former minister of defense, observes USIP training Poles to

deliver SENSE. Photograph courtesy of the Polish Ministry of Defense.

tions and the majority of simulations havebeen run by Iraqis trained by USIP.

Polands original goal was to help itsneighborscountries that had been in-corporated into or dominated by the So-

viet Unionconsolidate their democratictransitions and develop constructive rela-

tions with each other. To this end, theyhave brought to Warsaw government andcivil society leaders from Armenia, Azer-baijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova andUkraine, as well as Serbia, to participatein SENSE. Poland has also extended thescope of its SENSE outreach to includeAfghanistan, and has turned its attentionto the Middle East following the regionsrevolutionary developments last year.

Last fall, Poland conducted threeSENSE simulations: October 37 for a

joint group from Armenia, Azerbaijan,

Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine; Novem-ber 1418 for Tunisia; and December 5-9for Afghanistan.

USIP Senior Program Officer AllisonFrendak originally led the effort to estab-lish SENSE in Poland, and was present tomonitor and evaluate the recent Afghani-stan simulation. (Frendak also conductsthe Academys SENSE simulations for in-teragency audiences in the United States,in collaboration with the Office of the

Secretary of Defense and George MasonUniversity.)

As Frendak reports, The Polish teamtrained 45 high- and middle-ranking Afghan government officials and representatives of the private sector and nongov-ernmental organizations. The Polish team

delivered the simulation with great skiland professionalism, and it made a reaimpact on the participants, who saidthey will take what they learned back totheir country. By all accounts, the SENSEtraining for Tunisian leaders was equallysuccessful.

To date, the Poles have used SENSE totrain 581 government and civil societyleaders. USIPs role, after the initial training, has been primarily to advise andmore recently, share with the Poles theArabic-language SENSE material tha

USIP has developed for its program in IraqPoland has conducted its trainings

without funding from USIP, making thisprogram an excellent example of the multiplier effect of USIPs train-the-trainersefforts on a modest budget.

The Poles are exploring the possibil-ity of further use of SENSE in the Muslimworld. In an era of growing internationachallenges and ever scarcer resources, thissort of collaborative effort is a win-win.


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4 PeaceWatch


PoliceInitiativeinIsrael:BuildingCommunities

Effective and fair policing is fundamentalnot only to maintain law and order but tothe health of democracy and social cohe-sion in modern states. Recognizing thecentrality of improving relations betweenArab society and Israeli police to the sta-bility of Israeli society and safety of Arabcommunities, USIP grantee The AbrahamFund Initiatives embarked on the Arab

Society Police Initiative, a growing na-tional program aimed at improving the re-lationship between Israeli police and Arabsociety by enhancing the scope and qual-ity of services provided to Israels Arabcitizens, and by equipping the police withthe multicultural skills and awareness re-quired to serve a diverse society.

Working in partnership with the IsraelNational Police and Arab society repre-sentatives, The Abraham Fund Initiativeshas developed a comprehensive inter-

vention strategy to revolutionize police

training and practice by helping officersmend the fractured relations with Arabsociety and address problems of over- and

under-policing; develop models of partici-pation, cooperation and partnership withArab society founded on a community-based approach to policing; and under-take research and promote activities tostrengthen the ef forts of individuals work-ing on the ground by gaining higher-levelsupport.

Since May 2011, with the support of

USIP, The Abraham Fund Initiatives hasheld more than 80 training sessions, withmore than 2,000 police participants; cre-ated a station-community model that fos-ters direct communication between policestation staff and Arab community mem-bers to address crime problems; developedtraining curricula for wide implementa-tion; strengthened and diversified connec-tions with Arab leadership to bolster theability of the Arab community to expressits needs and opinions regarding policing,public safety and quality of life in their

communities; initiated work with profes-sionals within the police and Arab societyto improve official responses to instances

of domestic violence in Arab communitiesin Israel; advised the police commissioner

on the polices internal preparations for apotential wave of demonstrations and forshaping their image vis-a-vis policy to-ward Arab demonstrators.

Community Policing

One police commander, who participatedin an Abraham Fund Initiatives activity,noted the importance of communitypolicing is in creating a link to the com-munitythey know everything thats go-ing on, [and] act as a bridge to influential

individuals in the community. We have tochange the approach to the job of the po-liceit is not only to deal with crime. Wehave to build trust with the community,have to relate to them outside of the con-text of crime.

A participant from an Arab commu-nity group working with a local police sta-tion concluded, We can feel a substantialchange in the involvement and relations ofthe police . . . with the community. Theirpresence is felt more and there is a feel-

ing of greater efficacy. I attribute this tothe actions of The Abraham Fund Initia-tives. I feel like were moving in the rightdirection. (Names of participants in theAbraham Fund Initiatives activity werewithheld for security reasons.)

An official from The Abraham Fund Initiatives holds a

training session with a class of the Israel National Police.

Photograph courtesy of The Abraham Fund Initiatives.

TheAbrahamFundInitiativesembarkedontheArabSocietyPoliceIni-

tiative,agrowingnationalprogramaimedatimprovingtherelationship

betweenIsraelipoliceandArabsocietybyenhancingthescopeand

qualityofservicesprovidedtoIsraelsArabcitizens,andbyequipping

thepolicewiththemulticulturalskillsandawarenessrequiredtoservea

diversesociety.

Fast Fact: USIP has been working on the ground in Sudan since 2005.

An Israeli police officer participates in one of the training sessions held by The Abraham Fund Initiative to help mend

fractured relations. Photograph courtesy of The Abraham Fund Initiatives.


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OntheGround:rainingtoBuildPeaceinDarfur

Training for most militaries around theworld requires good instruction, lots ofpractice and a large amount of remote ter-ritory. The 4th battalion of the Tanzanianmilitary was no exception. For almost tenweeks in June, July and part of August,this battalion was stationed approximately150 kilometers to the west of Dar es Sa-laam, the capital of Tanzania, to preparefor deployment as peacekeepers in theprovince of South Darfur in Sudan.

For three days of that training the offi-cers, senior sergeants and warrant officerswere instructed how to understand con-

flicts and resolve them peacefully, com-municate effectively with people who havebeen traumatized by years of violence andprotect civilians during times of war. Thetraining was conducted by Jeff Helsingand Alison Milofsky of USIPs Academyfor International Conflict Managementand Peacebuilding, as part of the U.S. StateDepartments Africa Contingency Opera-tions Training and Assistance (ACOTA)program, which trains African militaryunits deploying to African peacekeepingmissions. Helsing and Milofsky provided

the following account of their experienceon the ground:

At the Military Base

When we first arrived at the military base,most of the officers were already waitingfor us and they were eager to get started.In fact, they were usually eager through-out the training. Most of the trainers areex-military combat veterans who provideprimarily military skills; we were there toprovide peacebuilding and conflict man-

agement skills. There was very little peace-keeping experience among the soldiersin this battalion so they were anxious toacquire any skills that would make their

jobs easier and enable them to find ways ofmanaging conflicts and protecting civil-ians without resorting to the use of force.The USIP training sessions were a mix oflectures built around PowerPoint presenta-tions, video clips, small group discussions,role plays and group problem solving. The

latter activities are really the most im-portant because those sessions enabledthe participants to practice the skills theywere learning and also helped build teamcohesion. This cohesion would be essen-tial for the troops because they will have towork closely together during their deploy-ment to Darfur. Also, working in smallteams is valuable because they had a lot tolearn from each other. Modeling a processthat values input from all the officer corpswhile respecting a military chain of com-mand will be useful when dealing with themany challenges in Darfur.

The soldiers were very professional,but many were apprehensive because theyknew so little about Darfur.

Facing the Challenges Ahead

The commanding officer talked infor-mally with the USIP staff about the chal-lenges his 4th Tanzanian battalion wouldface in Darfur. The first thing he dis-cussed was the climate. The heat and dustwould put a severe physical strain on ev-eryone. He was confident in his forces but

concerned that the challenging weathercould undermine their effectiveness. Hissecond concern was that very few of histroops had any peacekeeping experience.He noted that three or four of his officershad been part of a peacekeeping missionto Darfur and that six soldiers from amechanized division had served as driv-ers in Darfur but otherwise this would bea new challenge to his soldiers. He alsoexpressed concern that the independenceof Southern Sudan would divert interna-tional and United Nations attention from

Darfur and that the security situationcould easily deteriorate. If so, it couldput a great strain on protecting civilians,compounded by the fact that so many in-ternational NGOs had either left the area

voluntarily or had been forced to leave bythe government.

In addition, one of the difficultiespeacekeepers in Darfur face is the shift-ing relationship between the governmentof Sudan, the Sudanese military and mili-

tias loyal to the government. At times, theties seem very close and at other timesthere is a distance, enabling the govern-ment to deny responsibility for acts committed by the militias. Will the problemin South Sudan make the governmenmore inclined to take a stronger standagainst the rebels groups, thus escalat

ing violence? These are among the manydilemmas he knew they would face. Stillhe was hopeful that the skills and tools oconflict resolution, negotiations and communications provided by the USIP stafwould be just as valuable as the enhancedmilitary training they had received fortheir upcoming mission to protect villagers, herders and farmers from the terriblewages of war and secure the same peacethat has taken root in Tanzania.

Authors Jeff Helsing and Alison Milofsky are the dean of

curriculum and a senior program officer respectively with

USIPs Academy for International Conflict Managementand Peacebuilding. Academy staff regularly conducts on-

the-ground trainings for African peacekeepers deploying

to conflict zones in Africa. Photos by Bill Fitz-Patrick.


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6 PeaceWatch


Infghanistan,CreatingEffectivedvisersforimesofCrisis

As dramatic events unfold in Kabul, it is a

reminder of how much of an impact goodmentoring and training can have on theability of advisers within the ministriesto do their jobs, even when confrontingthe extraordinary. In late February, twoAmerican officers were shot dead insidethe Ministry of Interior, allegedly byanother employee of the Ministry afterprotests began over the burning of cop-ies of the Koran by American militarypersonnel. Shortly thereafter, two moreAmericans were shot by two Afghans,one reportedly posing as a member of the

Afghan military.No amount of advising can prevent

this kind of violence. But USIPs knowl-edge can help advisers cope with suchhorrific incidents and mitigate their im-pact on the Afghan-U.S. relationship andstrategy.

In its course for advisers and mentors,USIP teaches professionals who wantto deploy as advisers how to develop aworking relationship with their foreigncounterpart, that can withstand difficult

challenges. The course teaches about the

importance of developing a working rela-tionship based on mutual respect betweenpeers. Although both can contribute to aspecific reform activity, outside advisersmust learn to work in and have a positivecontribution to a bureaucracy they will atleast initially find works much differentlythan their own.

Indeed, the adviser lacks a culturalcompass and needs guidance on whichideas represent viable and sustainablesolutions that can be implemented andowned by local officials and their insti-

tutions. Such solutions simply cannot beseen as being forced on them from theWestern worldnor should they be. Butduring events like the recent shootings inAfghanistan, the adviser may be seen asguilty by association and the work per-formed with his/her counterparts may bewasted. Or worse, the relationship coulddeteriorate and a lot of time, energy andsacrifice wasted.

USIP has taught advisers and men-tors, including several currently serving

By Nadia Gerspacher

in Afghanistan in the Ministry of DefenseAdvisers (MoDA) program. The Institutehas conducted training and other pro-

vincia l capacity bui lding missions thathighlight how to build a relationship witha counterpart that inculcates in the advis-ers the need to understand Afghan cultureand Afghan approaches to problem solv-ing. USIP is currently looking at lessonslearned that show how advisers who builtstrong, independent relationships are able

to continue the work they have been doingwith their foreign colleagues.

A positive relationship between adviserand counterpart requires strong commu-nication skills. That should mean thatthe local adviser would feel comfortableenough to talk with his or her counter-part, and see that adviser as a resourcefor solutions. In logistics management re-form, for example, the joint developmentof an inventory system for Army and po-lice equipment is based on open commu-

nication and a common identification ofproblems so the ministry can address theissue. The key is getting to the point wherea local ministry official is willing to admitproblems within the government and bewilling to discuss fixing them. It takes asecure bond between the two that arisesout of sharing professional, tangible ideasand implementing them together.

Fast Fact: USIP opened a permanent office in Baghdad, Iraq in 2004.

Noamountofadvisingcanprevent

this kind of violence. But USIPs

knowledgecanhelpadviserscope

withsuchhorrificincidentsandmiti-

gatetheirimpactontheAfghan-U.S.

relationshipandstrategy.

A young Shiite boy waits outside the police cordon at the site of an attack in Kabul, Afghanistan.Photo by the New

York Times.


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U.S.UnveilsctionPlanforWomen,PeaceandSecurity

In a historic change in how the U.S. gov-ernment approaches peacebuilding inconflicts abroad, President Barack Obamaon Dec. 19, 2011, signed an executive ordercreating a U.S. National Action Plan onWomen, Peace and Securityan initiativethat Secretary of State Hillary RodhamClinton described as a comprehensiveroadmap for accelerating and institution-alizing efforts across the United Statesgovernment to advance womens partici-

pation in making and keeping peace.The launch of the National Action Plan

comes 11 years after the United NationsSecurity Council adopted resolution 1325on women, peace and security. Along withfour subsequent Security Council resolu-

tions, 1325 called on governments to takesteps to ensure that women are includedin conflict prevention, peacemaking andpostconflict reconstruction, and that therights and safety of women and girls inconflict are protected.

In 2010, USIP began a series of activitiesaimed at refocusing attention on UNSCR1325 and the need for the U.S. governmentto move forward on an action plan onwomen and peacebuilding. USIP became

the central organizing vehicle for a largenumber of civil society groups interestedin providing information and perspectivesto support the administration in develop-ing the action plan.

In July 2010, USIP organized a work-ing meeting Women, Peace and Secu-rity: Fulfilling the Vision of 1325, thatbrought together representatives from theU.S. government, U.N. and nongovern-mental groups. In October 2010, Clintonannounced that the United States would

develop a strategy for the promotion ofwomen, peace and security embodied inan action plan.

The following month, USIP organizeda three-day conference that explored howthe contours of resolution 1325 could betranslated into U.S. policy. The event fo-cused on the experiences of women inwartime and how to encourage the in-

volvement of women in peace and secu-rity issues. The conference led USIP toconvene the U.S. Civil Society WorkingGroup on Women, Peace and Security. It

became the key forum for nongovernmen-

tal groups to consult with the U.S. officialswho were developing the action plan.

In May 2011, USIP held a conferencelaunching the book Women and WarPower and Protection in the 21st Century, a trans-Atlantic collaboration thahighlighted innovative ways of ensuringgreater participation of women at the ne-gotiating table and elsewhere in securitymatters. Then, in November, the Civil So-ciety Working Group released an Expert

Statement on the action plan. Many of itsrecommendations are incorporated in thestrategy unveiled on Dec. 19.

Kathleen Kuehnast, director of USIPsCenter for Gender and Peacebuilding, saidClintons announcement of the NationaAction Plan represents a long and hardfought struggle to bring the concerns andstrengths of women to the security agenda

President Obamas executive ordersets in motion not only a national commitment to inclusive approaches to pro

moting peace and security, but sends amessage to the world that we are walkingour talk . Both actions together represena huge leap forward for women in conflicand postconflict countries, as well as forthe overall quality of peace that may beachieved.

Kuehnast said that USIP will be sup-porting the implementation of the actionplan through its gender work in countriessuch as Afghanistan, Iraq, South Sudanand Libya. The Institute also plans to con-tinue convening the civil society working

group.

By Thomas Omestad and Steven Ruder

The book, Women and War: Power and Protection in

the 21st Century, edited by Kathleen Kuehnast, Chantal

de Jonge Oudraat, and Helga Hernes, was published by

USIP Press in March 2011.

orthisbookandmanyothers,

visitbookstore.usip.org,

orcall1.800.868.8064.


8/16

8 PeaceWatch


After nearly two decades of leading theUnited States Institute of Peace, Richard H.Solomon announced on January 26 thathe will step down as president in Septem-ber 2012.

Solomon told USIPs board of direc-tors at its quarterly meeting, It has beena privilege to have had the time to leadthe Institute through a period of dramatic

growth. The international challenges fac-ing our country today require innovativeapproaches to conflict management andpeacebuilding. I am grateful for the supportI have had from our dedicated staff andboard. It is gratifying that today USIPnow operating in its new building at thenorthwest corner of the National Mallismaking significant contributions to our na-tions security and foreign relations.

Institute Board Chairman J. Rob-inson West said, Dick Solomon has

transformed the Institute into anactive and dynamic internationalproblem solving organization. Itis a model for how to deal withconflicts abroad. As our countryfaces continuing internationalchallenges with fewer resources,the peacebuilding profession-als of USIP are helping to resolve

violent conf lic ts ef fec tively andefficiently.The Institute today is considered a

leading national center for the promotionof rule of law, religion and peacebuilding,civilian-military relations and the role ofmedia in peacebuilding, said AmbassadorGeorge Moose, vice chairman of the Insti-tutes board of directors. Its professionaltraining academy, gaming and simulationactivities, applied research and innovationprovide the tools for transitions from con-flict to peace around the world.

Solomon has led the Institute since1993, guiding its evolution from a small,Washington-based, academically focusedorganization into the nations center forglobal conflict management and peace-building. Under Solomons direction,USIP not only has increased its nationalreach and prominence, but it now sendsstaff to conflict zones around the worldto teach and train local populations in theskills of conflict prevention, mitigationand reconciliation.

The Institute first operated on theground during the Balkan crisis in 1995,helping to implement The Dayton Ac-cords. Today, USIP manages peace andstability operations throughout the world,including full-time presences in Iraq, Af-ghanistan and Pakistan.

In Iraq, USIP has maintained an activepresence since 2003. In 2007, the Institute

helped the U.S. Armys 10th MountainDivision stabilize the restive province ofMahmoudiya through a historic recon-ciliation agreement between Sunni andShia tribal leaders. The Institutes media-tion effort established a new pattern ofcivilian-military cooperation for stabi-lizing a conflict area. General David H.Petraeus, then-commander of the Multi-National ForceIraq (MNFI), called theUSIP operation a striking success.

In Afghanistan, Institute personnelsupported the State Department and the

Armys 4th Infantry Division in helping toimprove civil-military coordination amongAfghan tribal leaders, government officialsand American forces in the volatile easternregion. USIP is also currently training net-works of local conflict mediators in prov-inces throughout Afghanistan who canresolve local disputes over land, propertyand family, giving Afghans an effectiveproblem-solving alternative to violence.

Most recently, the Institute created afull-time presence in Pakistan as a sign of

USIP President Richard H. Solomon at the Institutes head-

quarters office. Photograph by Bill Fitz-Patrick.

Peacebuilding Professionalized

under 19 Years ofSolomons Leadership

Theinternationalchallengesfacingourcountrytodayre-

quireinnovativeapproachestoconflictmanagementand

peacebuilding....ItisgratifyingthattodayUSIPismaking

significantcontributionstoournationssecurityandforeignrelations.RichardH.Solomon


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USIPs critical involvement and frontlinerole in supporting U.S. national securityinterests. Similar to its successful work inAfghanistan, USIP is building networks offacilitators in Pakistan to solve commu-nity-level disputes and promote a cultureof nonviolence and accommodation.

The peacebuilding skills Solomonworked to professionalize during his ten-ure at the Institute have been the hall-mark of his career. Prior to USIP, Solomon

served as assistant secretary of state forEast Asian and Pacific affairs (19891992),during which time he negotiated the Cam-bodian Peace Agreement through theUnited Nations Security Council. From1992 to 1993, as ambassador to the Philip-pines, he coordinated the closure of U.S.naval bases and developed a frameworkfor bilateral and regional security coop-

eration. In the late 1980s, he served asdirector of policy planning at the StateDepartment, supporting the Reagan ad-ministration in its efforts to end the ColdWar. And as a senior staff member of theNational Security Council in the early

1970s he participated in the diplomacythat normalized relations with China.

During Solomons tenure at USIP, theInstitute developed training programsthat are professionalizing the role of con-flict managers and peacebuilders. TheInstitutes Academy for InternationalConflict Management and Peacebuild-ing counts among its students a widespectrum of professionals from the De-partments of Defense and State, nongov-ernmental organizations and academicinstitutions.

As Institute president, Solomon has alsooverseen the work of several blue-ribbon,bipartisan panels which assessed policy op-tions on such issues as U.N. reform, geno-cide prevention, and approaches to endingthe Iraq War. The Institutes conveningpower reflects, in part, Solomons own suc-cess at cultivating an atmosphere of bipar-tisanship and practical problem solving.

As the Institute begins the search fora new president, USIP will continue tooperate under Solomons leadership and

guidance. As the United States faces thechallenge of dealing with internationalconflicts with fewer resources, the Insti-tutes low-cost but effective work will be-come all the more significant.

As the nations national securityand foreign affairs agencies transitionto a leaner, more strategic allocation ofresources, the Institute, with its agile

and innovative programs, is well-posi-tioned to make even greater contributions, Solomon said.

AMERICANNEGOTIATING

BEHAVIORWheeler-Dealers, legal eagles, Bullies, anDPreachers

RichaRd h. Solomonand nigel Quinney

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--

-

forewordsby MadeleineAlbrightand CondoleezzaRice

With Senator Jeanne Shaheen at the Progress in Afghan-

istan meeting held in September 2011. Photograph by

Bill Fitz-Patrick.

Richard H. Solomon signing copies of his book, American

Negotiating Behavior, on May 10, 2010. Photograph by

Bill Fitz-Patrick.

Published in 1999.

Published in 2000.

Published in 2010.

orthesebooksandmany

others,visitbookstore.usip.

org,orcall1.800.868.8064.


10/16

10 PeaceWatch


In a historic gathering of the leading of-ficials who have built and managed theU.S.-China relationship, policymakersfrom both sides of the political aisle as-sembled at USIP on March 7 to assess thehistory, current state and future prospectsfor this critical relationship. The occasionwas the 40th anniversary of PresidentNixons breakthrough trip to Beijing inFebruary 1972 as it was called at the time,

the week that changed the world.In a sweeping review of the history

of the relationshipthe architects of theopening with ChinaHenry Kissinger,Brent Scowcroft and Zbigniew Brzezin-skimet with other former officials andChina specialists and conducted a day-long assessment looking ahead at the po-litical, economic, cultural and strategicissues that define the U.S.-China rela-tionship. The day ended with Secretary ofState Hillary Rodham Clinton delivering a

powerful speech outlining the challengesto further developing a constructive part-nership between the two nations.

The event was co-hosted by USIP andthe Nixon Foundation, with the support

of the Kissinger Institute on China and theUnited States and the Woodrow WilsonInternational Center for Scholars.

The U.S.-China relationship hasevolved over 40 years. Chinese foreignminister Yang Jiechi, who provided thekeynote address at the start of the day viaa high definition video link, characterizedthe relationship as a cooperative partner-ship with two countries respecting each

other and treating each other as equals,saying that China-U.S. relations havemoved forward and that this can be a win-win and not a zero-sum situation.

While many experts talked about thedifficulties in dealing with China, Kiss-inger said that competition with a risingChina is inevitable, but both countrieshave to avoid the temptation to see thingsin the short term as if books are balancedat the end of every month. Brzezinskiechoed those thoughts in defining Presi-

dent Carters approach to building uponthe Nixon breakthrough to strengthen co-operation with China.

Filling in historical blanks, Kissingertook the audience behind the scenes of

the Nixon trip with dramatic revelations

about the secret talks that led up to theNixon visit. Kissinger revealed that theWhite House had considered a separatesummit with the Russians prior to theNixon trip to China, to head off a poten-tial backlash from the Kremlin. In theend, that idea was abandoned and theRussian response to the Nixon trip hadshort-term benefitsopening the way forlong-stalled agreements between Moscowand Washington, including the BerlinAgreement and progress on avoiding anaccidental nuclear war.

Recognizing that a different China hasemerged four decades after the historicNixon trip, Kissinger talked about howa new generation has to re-adjust now tonew political thinking in China. Later inthe day the secretary of state echoed thosesentiments with references to the manyAmericans in China who speak Chineseand the growing interest of Chinese in

The U.S. and China Change the World: LookingBack, Looking Ahead at a Critical National Security

RelationshipBy Richard H. Solomon, President of the U.S. Institute of Peace

In her remarks at The Week that Changed the World

conference at USIP, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clin-

ton called on China to play a more constructive role in

the international system. Photo by Bill Fitz-Patrick.

Former National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger discusses the historic Nixon trip with NBC News Tom Brokaw.

Photo by Bill Fitz-Patrick.

continued next page >>


11/16



USIPSupportingaPeacefulransitioninLibya

During the past few months, USIPs ManalOmar has traveled to Libya several timesas part of the Institutes engagement andsupport of the countrys ongoing transi-tion. Omar is director of USIPs Iraq, Iran,and North Africa Program.

As an adviser to the Libya StabilizationTeam (LST), a team of committees for-mulated during the National TransitionalCouncils struggle to oust former presidentMuammar Gadhafi, Omar worked to en-sure the role of civil society in the nationbuilding process. The LSTs objective was

to merge the committees into appropriateministries within 30 days of Gadhafis de-parture. As a result, Omar worked closelywith the Ministry of Culture and CivilSociety and with the Ministry of Capac-ity Building as the primary governmentcounterparts for supporting the emergingLibyan civil society groups.

In addition to assisting the transitionalgovernment, USIP has been workingclosely to support the development of analliance of facilitators that could respond

rapidly to local and community conflictsthat may emerge during the time of transi-tion. In November, USIP was among thesponsors of the first international confer-ence on womens issues that was organizedby the Voice of Libyan Women. MustafaAbdel Jalil, the Chairman of the National

USIPs Manal Omar discusses key constitution-making

steps to help support a peaceful transition in Libya.

Photograph by USIP staff.

Fast Fact: USIP currently works in more than 30 countries, including Sudan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq.

understanding America. Experts agreedthat the issue of Taiwans future is far fromresolved and can always pose tensions inthe relationship, and that conflicting ter-ritorial claims in the South China Sea al-ways risk controversy if not confrontation.

Economists, former trade officialsand current Undersecretary of StateRobert Hormats debated the economicchallenges posed by a rapidly growingChina, stressing the need to continue

pressing China on issues like intellec-tual property rights protection and mar-ket access. Many experts warned thatChinas economic development strat-egy, which currently stresses export-ledgrowth managed by large state ownedenterprises, will not be sustainable in thelong run. Thus, Chinas future growth re-quires structural reforms that are likelyto be resisted by entrenched interests.Leading media figuresincluding TedKoppel, Tom Brokaw and Margaret War-neralso participated in the conference.

The events of March 7, 2012, and thecast of characters assembled reflect theenormous convening authority of theInstitute and the ability to place historicissues in contemporary contexts in waysthat help shape and define approach toglobal conflict and national security.

Learn more about The Week thatChanged the World conference at http://www.usip.org/media-kit-TWTCTW

Former National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski

discussed the strategic priorities for the U.S.China rela-

tionship. Photo by Bill Fitz-Patrick.

Transitional Council, and Libyan PrimeMinister Abdurrahim el-Keib attendedthe conference which included high leveinternational speakers.

For more information about USIPsongoing efforts in Libya, visit http://wwwusip.org/countries-continents/africa/libya

A Libyan girl flashes a peaceful

gesture outside an abandoned

military base in Benghazi, Libya

Photograph by the New York

Times.


12/16

12 PeaceWatch


EnsuringEffectivePeacebuilding

How do you know whether bringing to-gether key figures in a community didindeed prevent violence in a strategicallylocated Afghan village? More broadly,how do you measure the success of peace-building initiatives, especially when thereare many variables that go into conflictprevention and management?

Those are just two of the difficult ques-tions that USIPs Andrew Blum seeks toanswer this year.

Accountability Matters

Named in December 2011 as the Insti-tutes first director of learning and evalu-ation, Blum is charged with enhancingthe Institutes monitoring, evaluationand learning systems. The new positioncomes in part as a response to the desireof USIPs board of directors and staff tobuild from successes, and understand thereasons behind those successes. In doingso, Blum will ensure that USIPs programsand projects are fulfilling their goalsand help the Institute as a whole learnfrom its well-earned successes as well as

its mistakes.Leading the evaluation process is not

his first experience in ensuring program-matic effectiveness and efficiency.

Most recently, Blum was a senior pro-gram officer in the USIP Grant Programand the Centers of Innovation. In thatrole, he oversaw the Sudan North-SouthBorder Initiative and the Communicationfor Peacebuilding Priority Grant Program.Blum also partnered with the Alliance forPeacebuilding and launched the Peace-

building Evaluation Project: A Forum ofDonors and Implementers to improveevaluation practice in the field overall.

Improving Existing Mechanisms

While USIPs programs already havemonitoring and evaluation mechanisms inplace, Blums challenge is to improve exist-ing tools, and synthesize information intobroader, institute-wide lessons learnedand overall assessments.

He will be assessing the efficiency,

effectiveness and the relevance of pro-gramsand thus, how well taxpayer dol-lars are spent.

Blum will ask each USIP program:How is progress being measured on theground? He will also appraise whethercurrent projects are serving a real needor if the need has been made obsolete bythe context. For example, he monitors aproject in Iraq focused on civic educationto help the USIP project team understandwhether their efforts with education offi-cials and teachers are effective, sustainable

and scalable throughout Iraq.He also supports USIPs Center of In-

novation for Sustainable Economies inits efforts to assess whether a programdesigned to support responsible miningpractices in Afghanistan succeeds in re-ducing conflict and instability. The proj-ect will use community-based monitoringand data collection, including in compari-

son communities where no project activi-ties are taking place. In other words, thelocal population will interview others inthe community, and document variousaspects of their community, from levels of

violence and pollution to new economicand job opportunities. If the project issuccessful, the program will serve as an

important model for Afghanistans boom-ing mining industry.

As this field is relatively young, Blumwill also act as USIPs representative to thecommunity of practice for knowledge andinformation exchanges. As such, Blummust also communicate externally theresults of USIPs evaluation initiativesfocusing on evidence-based reporting ofUSIPs hits and misses.

Blum takes this assignment seriously,noting that as a federally funded orga-nization, USIP must be held accountable

and ensure transparent reporting of bothsuccesses and challenges in programming.

The challenges ahead for Blum aresignificant. As the USIP board stated ina memo announcing the position: Weclearly recognize that peacebuilding isfraught with complexities and intangibleswhich in the past have been used as ex-cuses for not conducting rigorous evalu-ations. However, with the creation of thisposition, the Institute will create the capa-bility to implement an effective system forensuring projects receive proper monitor-

ing and evaluation.Ultimately, this endeavor will better

advance the Institutes goals of enhanc-ing national security, enable the U.S. gov-ernment to manage conflicts before theyescalate, reduce government costs and, inthe long run save lives of both Americanpersonnel and local populations in zonesof conflict.

As director of learning and evaluation,

Andrew Blum will bolster USIPs existing

mechanisms to ensure programmatic effec-

tiveness and efficiency. Photograph by Bill

Fitz-Patrick.

[A]safederallyfundedorganization,USIPmustbeheldaccountable

andensuretransparentreportingofbothsuccessesandchallengesinprogramming.


13/16


14/16

14 PeaceWatch


ConveningPower:indingInnovativeSolutionstoDifficultProblems

On Feb. 15, USIP was honored to host Pakistans

ambassador to the U.S., Sherry Rehman, for her firstpublic speaking engagement since becoming her coun-

trys envoy to Washington. Before a packed house, she

discussed the state of the U.S.-Pakistan relationship, why

Pakistan felt a reset of the relationship under a differ-

ent set of conditions was necessary and Pakistans role in

the region going forward.

Photograph by Bill Fitz-Patrick.

The Embassy of Finland and USIP on Feb. 16 hosted a panel discussion titled Women, Peace and Security in Afghanistan: Prospects on the Way Forward. Pictured here, left to

right: Kathleen Kuehnast, director of USIPs Center for Gender and Peacebuilding; Ambassador Donald Steinberg, deputy administrator of U.S. Agency for International Develop-

ment; Samira Hamidi, Afghanistan Country Director of the Afghan Women Network; Dr. Erkki Tuomioja, Finlands minister for foreign affairs; Ambassador Eklil Ahmad Hakimi

of Afghanistan; Ambassador Melanne Verveer, U.S. ambassador-at-large for Global Womens Issues; Eva Biaude, Finlands ombudsman for minorities.

Photograph by Bill Fitz-Patrick.

Then-Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and

International Security Affairs Ellen Tauscher spoke tostudents in a nuclear nonproliferation and arms control

course given by USIPs Academy for International Con-

flict Management and Peacebuilding last fall. In addition

to the Academys courses, the Institute in 20082009 also

facilitated the Congressional Commission on the Strategic

Posture of the United States, which took a comprehensive

look at the U.S. national nuclear security strategy, the

nuclear infrastructure and deterrent force posture. Pho-

tograph by Bill Fitz-Patrick.

In October, USIP hosted a special briefing for NATOs

Supreme Allied Commander Europe and the head of U.S.

European Command, Adm. James Stavridis, long an

advocate of smart power and strong interagency collab-

oration. As SACEUR and EUCOM commander, Stavri-

dis is responsible for a number of areas of conflict and

operations, including Afghanistan and Libya, two coun-

tries where USIP is at work in the field. He is pictured

here with USIP President Richard H. Solomon. Photo-graph by Bill Fitz-Patrick.


15/16



USIPs Abiodun Williams (left) moderated a Q&A with Assistant Secre-

tary of State for Political-Military Affairs Andrew Shapiro that followed his

speech on promoting U.S. global interests through international peace-

keeping on Feb. 27. Photograph by Bill Fitz-Patrick.

USIP and the Institute for the Study of War co-hosted a panel discussion on the U.S. police assistance

program in Iraq. Panelists pictured left to right: Ginger Cruz, former deputy inspector general with

the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction; General Jim Dubik, senior fellow

at the Institute for the Study of War and former commander of the Multi-National Security Transi-

tion CommandIraq; and Robert Perito, director of USIPs Security Sector Governance Center and

author of The Iraq Federal Police: U.S. Police Building under Fire. Austin Long, assistant professor

at Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, also participated but is not pic-

tured here. Photograph by Bill Fitz-Patrick.

To examine the significance of the Arab Awakening, USIP launched a monthly breakfast briefing series

in partnership with the Defense Education Forum of the Reserve Officers Association. The first event,

held in January, featured former Jordan foreign minister Marwan Muasher, former National Security

Adviser Stephen Hadley, senior adviser for international affairs at USIP and Steven Heydemann,

USIPs senior adviser for Middle East Initiatives (pictured left to right). Photograph by Bill Fitz-Patrick.

Top: USIPs Steven Heydemann welcomes the audience to the

March 9 briefing, Who Owns the Syria Revolution, which was

co-sponsored with United for a Free Syria and the Syrian Emer-

gency Task Force.

Below: Panelist Farah Al Atassi, executive director of the Ameri-

can Arab Communication & Translation Center and the founder

and president of the Arab Information and Resource Center, is

interviewed by a member of the media. Photographs by Bill Fitz-Patrick.


16/16

PeopleontheMove

USIP executive vice president Tara Sonenshine was confirmed as undersecretary of state for pub-lic diplomacy and public affairs in March 2012. She was also named a 2012 Tufts Alumni AwardHonoree by the Tufts University Alumni Association.

USIP has appointed Marcia K. Wongas the director for intergovernmental affairs. Wong willplay a leadership role in ensuring effective USIP institutional relations and interaction with the fed-eral government, especially the Departments of Defense, State and Homeland Security, and USAIDand the Peace Corps. Before joining the Institute, Wong was a senior foreign service off icer with theU.S. Department of State. Her last assignment in the State Department was as the associate deanat the Foreign Service Institute, where she oversaw training for U.S. government personnel beingdeployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and other complex operations.

As part of its new interagency professional in residence (IPR) program, USIP welcomed inMarch Ambassador Robert Loftis, currently Office in Charge for the new Bureau of Conf lict and

Stability Operations at the U.S. State Department, for a six-month detail. Loftis, who has served ina variety of roles at the State Department, is working with the Institutes intergovernmental affairsoffice to assist USIP in its efforts to enhance civilian-military cooperation and knowledge sharingacross the government.

Also joining USIPs IPR program is Ibrahim Shaqir, the director of international research pro-grams with the Agricultural Research Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. For the nextfour months, Shaqir will bring his expertise on scientific diplomacy in the Middle East to the Insti-tutes Center of Innovation for Science, Technology and Peacebuilding. He and Center staff will beworking on a National Academy-USIP Roundtable project to adapt agricultural extension systemsto peacebuilding and conflict management. Shaqir is also a trainee in the USDA-Senior ExecutiveService (SES) Candidate Development Program, and this detail is intended to satisfy his require-ment of a SES-CDP Development Assignment.

Tara Sonenshine


Robert Loftis

Photo courtesy of theU.S. State Department.

2301 Constitution Ave., NW Washington, DC 20037 www.usip.orgPeaceWatch

Ibrahim Shaqir

Photo courtesy of theU.S. Department of Agriculture.

Marcia K. Wong


PeaceWatch Spring 2012

Documents

Transcript of PeaceWatch Spring 2012