PeaceWatch Winter 2012

7/27/2019 PeaceWatch Winter 2012

1/16

UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE

INSIDE3 USIPs Facilitator Network Expands

in Pakistan4 When Informal Justice Meets Formal

in Afghanistan5 The Rule of Law at Work6 Putting Theory into Action in Baghdad8 The Business of Peacebuilding

10 Hawk and Dove: What a Special ForcesSoldier Learned about Peace

11 Making a Difference in Iraq12 Getting to Afghan Good Enough

13 U.S. Announces New Initiative onGenocide Prevention

13 Training Africans for AfricanPeacekeeping Missions

14 Convening Power15 People on the Move16 The Imam and the Pastor Continue

Their Story

Arab SpringUSIP Plan ing Seeds r Pea ebuilding

A lot of people think there is no visionfor whats afterwards, says USIPs ManaOmar, who runs the Institutes programs inIraq, Iran and North Africa and has visitedthe region for extended stays three times thisyear. The vision is incredibly clear: People inthe region want democracy and they want agovernment that provides opportunities.

Its at that intersection, between na-scent governments grappling with bigquestions and citizens grappling for an-swers that USIP is working to make adifference, even as the situation remainsfluid and sometimes volatile.

Conflict Resolution in Libya

The effort the Institute is undertakingin Libya offers one of the most dynamic

As the dramatic events of the Arab Springturn to the more mundane yet vital work of governance, constitution writing andpeacebuilding, USIP is on the ground,bringing its unique brand of action and ex-pertise to the effort.

USIP is in North Africa, where Libyans,Tunisians and Egyptians are scramblingto fill the void left by autocratic, corruptand brutal regimes with more responsiveand democratically aligned governments.While the stories of these countries con-tinue to unfold, USIPs training and fa-cilitation programs are teaching thesenew practitioners of peace to establish afoothold.

There is a real feeling of excitementabout whats next, say USIP experts whohave traveled to the region extensively.

A woman holding an Egyptian flag dances on a car in downtown Cairo. iStock.

UNItED StAtES INStItUtE of PEAcE

PeaceWatch

Winter 2012

Peace is the only battle worth

waging. Albert Camus

USIPOur COuntrys GlObal

OnfliCt ManaGeMent Center

continued next page >>


2/16usip making a difference

2 Pea eWa h

usip making a difference

examples. There, USIP is training and ad- vising more than 100 people on basic con-flict management. This training includes aseries of workshops that will lead to the cre-ation of an Alliance of Libyan Facilitatorsthat will serve, in effect, as an instrumentof peace. Omar played a distinctive roleduring the uprising, serving in an advisory role to the Libya Stabilization Team formedby the National Transitional Council. TheInstitutes other activities in Libya have in-cluded workshops on civil society and con-flict management conducted with the aimof building local capacities to head off vio-lent conflict before it starts and to managedisagreements that could turn violent.

USIPs workshops have served religiousand tribal leaders and others who can benefit

from a research-based and scientific approachto conflict management that incorporates

some of those leaders own techniques. By theend of October, USIP had trained 120 Liby-ans, according to Omar. That group formedthe first-ever rapid response team to help introuble spots around the country.

Were not just training people to intro-duce these concepts, were actually preparingthem to go and mitigate conflict, says Omar.As all these issues continue to merge, how dowe make sure they dont respond violently?

USIP is also engaged in womens issuesin Libya, helping to sponsor a conferencefocusing on the role of women there calledthe Voice of Libyan Women in Tripoli.And USIP hosted an initial screening of afilm, Confronting the Truth, produced by USIP, that depicts this process undergonein postconflict countries that have experi-

enced massive human rights violations.

Re-envisioning a Constitution

In November, USIP sponsored a roundtablediscussion in Libya that brought togethermembers of Libyas transitional govern-ment, civil society and political leaders todiscuss how the country will write its new constitution. But the goal was not to de-fine the process or guide participants to aspecific outcome. USIP only facilitated thediscussion and provided examples fromcomparative international experiences, saysthe Institutes Jason Gluck one of USIPssenior rule of law advisers.

The dialogue is very much Libyandriven, says Gluck.

But as dry as writing a constitution may seem, its of course crucial. The roundtable,held in Benghazi, was intended to help Lib-yans determine what the goals of the con-stitution-making process might besimply to produce a document, or go beyond thatto promote national reconciliation, educatethe people on democratic citizenship orstrengthen national identity?

The group eventually will decide how it could identify core principles to achievethe goals it determines are must-haves:How inclusive should the process be?Should the general public be consulted onits views? Identifying the right people tosit around the table is critical to the legiti-macy of the process, Gluck says. Solic-iting the views of the people can have atransformative effect for Libyas transitionto democracy.

Finally, the group will help Libyansdetermine how the constitution might bedesigned, work through timing issues andfoster a discussion about how to connectthe citizenry to their new constitution. Nomatter the final outcome, this process willbe constructive for Libyas reconstruction.

USIP in Tunisia

In Tunisia, USIP is in the early stages of dis-cussions with a range of groups and actorsworking on issues of democracy and humanrights, according to USIPs Dan Brumberg.It will take time for Tunisia to develop theinfrastructureand mind-setfor organi-zations like USIP and other organizationsto work on the ground.

The process of building institutionalcapacity is something that many organiza-tions must do now, Brumberg says. They didnt have the space to organize under theprevious regime.

Tunisia offers other challenges for anorganization like USIP that seeks to offerits services in helping to facilitate consti-tution building and conduct rule of law work. Its a question of managing expecta-tions among the youngespecially in therural areas in which the revolution really began, says Brumberg. Many Tunisians inthose areas want economic justice in theform of job development, for example. Butthose concerns cant be immediately ad-dressed in the context of a reform that willfocus, over the next year, on writing a new constitution and setting the framework for long-term democracy.

Managing expectations and aspirationsis a huge challenge in that country, saysBrumberg, who adds that its important tomake it real for those young revolutionar-ies. For whatever lies ahead, its critical thatTunisias leaders undertake initiatives thatlink the intricacies of political reform withthe daily challenges that young people face.

The Power of Social Media

As the Arab Spring unfolded, USIP alsolooked for ways to unpack, unravel andunderstand the role that social media hashad on the Arab Spring. Through its on-going Blogs & Bullets initiative, USIP hasmade this kind of research a major prior-ity, says Sheldon Himelfarb, who heads

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

PeaceWatch (ISSN 1080-9864) is published three timesa year by the United States Institute of Peace, anindependent, nonpartisan national institution establishedand funded by Congress to help prevent, manage andresolve international con icts. The views expressed hereindo not necessarily re ect views of the Institute or itsBoard of Directors.

To receive PeaceWatch, visit our website (www.usip.org);write to the United States Institute of Peace, 2301Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20037; call202-457-1700; or fax 202-429-6063. A complete archive of PeaceWatch is available at www.usip.org/peacewatch.

President: Richard H. SolomonExecutive Vice President: Tara SonenshineCFO: Michael GrahamVice President of Outreach and Communications:Stephanie FouchDirector of Publications: Valerie NorvilleDirector of Public Affairs: David EarlySenior Writer/Editor: Liz HarperEditor/Proofreader: Grace WenProduction Manager: Marie Marr JacksonGraphic Designer: Richard von Zimmer

Production Coordinator: Christian FeuersteinPhoto Credits: Bill Fitz-Patrick, AP Photo, TheNew York Times Syndicate, iStock, and USIP Staff

Board of Directors

Chairman: J. Robinson WestVice Chairman: George E. MooseMembers: 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 of cio:

Michael H. Posner, Department of State James N. Miller, Department of DefenseAnn E. Rondeau, National Defense UniversityRichard Solomon, Institute President (nonvoting)

PeaceWatch



In Pakistan, there is an urgent need for bot-tom-up conflict resolution, in which Paki-stanis resolve issues themselves that havethe potential to escalate and further threatentheir countrys stability. To address this need,USIPs Academy for International ConflictManagement and Peacebuilding began a pro-gram in 2009 to develop a network of conflictresolution facilitators to resolve issues at thecommunity level. The program is modeledafter the successful networks of conflict reso-lution facilitators that USIP developed in Iraqand Afghanistan. To date, USIP has trained95 Pakistani conflict managers.

Since the program began, participantsbased in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province(KPK) and the Federally AdministeredTribal Areas (FATA) have been active intraining others in their communities onconflict resolution and mediation tech-niques. While conditions on the groundare ever changing, the network has regis-tered a number of positive outcomes in theFATA and the Swat Valley of the KPK.

For example, the facilitators peacefully resolved two land conflicts, and one landconflict is being managed nonviolently.

The Swat Valley is particularly sig-nificant because it was under siege by thePakistani Taliban from 2007 to 2009, whenthe military regained control. The valley isconsidered safe now but the memory of itsturbulent past remains.

Given the encouraging results of theKPK- and FATA-based network, USIPexpanded the program into Sindh prov-ince with particular focus on Sindhscapital, Karachi, in June 2011. Karachiis of extreme importance to Pakistanslong-term stability, as it is Pakistanscommercial and financial hub yetriddled with a diverse set of problems,including political and ethnic conflicts.The Academy, in conjunction with a lo-cal partner, conducted the fourth train-

ing-of-trainers workshop in Pakistan,which was held in Karachi.USIP Academy staff co-trained with

three of the Institutes original KPK andFATA participants in order to continue de- veloping the capacity of original networkmembers. Additionally, the local partnertrained on several USIP conflict man-agement frameworks to increase its owntraining capacity, which is critical for thesustainability of the program. The goals ofthe June 2011 workshop were to expand thenetwork of trained professionals to SindhProvince, to connect USIPs KPK- and FA-TA-based network members with the Sindhparticipants, to build trust among the par-ticipants, to develop nonviolent disputeresolution capacity, and to identify, analyzeand problem-solve Sindh-based conf licts.

The 40 new Sindh-based network mem-bers include 17 professionals from nongov-ernmental organizations, eight journalists,six academics, four law enforcement prac-titioners, four local government officersand one religious scholar. The workshopconsisted of advanced conflict analysis, rec-ognition of conflict ripeness and problem-solving skills. Communication, negotiationand third-party skills were also taught andpracticed throughout the workshop. Par-ticipants worked individually as well as ingroups. Follow-up training will continuewith the problem-solving process. It willalso include a workshop on how to train inconflict resolution techniques in their class-rooms, organizations and communities.

UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PE ACE

the program as director of USIPs Centerof Innovation for Science, Technology andPeacebuilding.

You keep hearing about Twitter or Face-book as being invaluable resources to theactivists, but what does that really mean?How was it really being used?

He says the key lies in understandingthe specific causal mechanisms at playwould the Arab Spring never have hap-pened without new social media tools, orwere these technology platforms simply anaccelerant that helped fan the flames of dis-content that spread across the Middle Eastand North Africa?

USIP brought together leading research-ers and policymakers to discuss the issue,showcasing the latest analysis of social me-

dia data from the region. USIP-funded re-search conducted by experts at The GeorgeWashington University found social mediacontent around the Arab Spring, includingtweets and Facebook posts, were mostly usedto link to conventional media outlets like theAl-Jazeera news network. That suggests thatit wasnt social media The finding suggeststhat were driving the revolutions necessar-ily, or that they were used as coordinationtools for political activists, but that they weresimply the conduit through which peopleexchanged ideas and information with eachother and the outside world.

In fact, there were far more people tweet-ing about the Arab Spring from the U.S. andEurope than from the Middle East/NorthAfrica region, Himelfarb says, noting thatits important to look at the phenomenon inthe context of the regional and global me-dia ecology, he says. Overall, this kind of analysis tells us that to look at social mediain a vacuum is a mistake.

USIP is looking at ways to directly helptransform the media model in places likeNorth Africa right now from one that op-erated within dictatorship governments toone that is free and independent. Much inthe same way the Institute provided sup-port to journalists in Iraq, USIP createdthe Arab Resource Center that providesresources for journalists learning how toprofessionalize and operate effectively inthese postdictatorship environments.


USIPs fa ili a r Ne w rk Expandsin Pakis anBy Nina Sughrue

Patrons sit at an outdoor restaurant in a slum neighborhood of Karachi, Pakistan. The New York Times.



4 Pea eWa h

When In rmal Jus i e Mee s f rmal in A ghanis an

While formal structures of jurisprudencedominate in the West, most criminal andcivil justice procedures in Afghanistantake place through informal channelsoften community councils known asshuras and jirgas, or mullahs as well. Thattradition may not comport well with or-thodox Western advice on bringing justicesystems to a place like Afghanistan. ButUSIP specialists concluded that within anoverwhelmingly rural population com-posed of diverse tribal and ethnic groups,

informal justice methods are often broadly knownand they should be considered asa short-term bridge to the goal of compe-tent state police, prosecutors and courts.You cant ignore reality, says USIPs Co-lette Rausch, director of the Institutes Ruleof Law Innovation Center.

USIP helped spearhead the pragmaticshift on these issues, drawing the par-ticipation of other U.S. and foreign aidagencies. They look to USIP as a leadingedge in approaches to improving rule of law activities in Afghanistan, says Chris-tina Bennett, a development expert whohas studied the effectiveness of USIPsAfghanistan programs.

Since 2002, USIP has been studying tra-ditional dispute resolution in the country with an intensifying focus on how tomesh the informal with the formal so thatlegal disputes can be resolved more reliably and effectively. The informal procedureshave the advantages of retaining consid-erable public trust and drawing on volun-tary participation. But the countrys socialupheavals, insurgent violence and new mobility all have made enforcement moredifficult, and the outcomes of disputes cansometimes be tilted to reflect the clout of influential tribes or clans.

With USIP advice, the U.S. military andembassy in Kabul have tailored their rule-of-law aid programs to support the ability of local shuras and jirgas to consider dis-putes, depriving the Taliban of politicalkindling while at the same time develop-ing ways to monitor practices that deprive

women and other disadvantaged groups of their legal rights. The value of USIPs fieldwork in helping to secure military gainsover the long run was cited in a 2009 letterby the top U.S. commander in Afghanistanat the time, General David Petraeus. InAfghanistan, USIPs work on the informal justice system has been invaluable as wework toward improving the rule of law atthe provincial level, Petraeus wrote in hisletter.

The security rationale for the USIP ini-

tiative is clear: If both the formal and in-formal systems arent able to solve a dispute,

By Thomas Omestad


the people involved seek Taliban help, saysShahmahmood Miakhel, USIPs country director based in Kabul, Afghanistan. USIPprogram officers, in fact, have been train-ing U.S. officials on how the Taliban exploitgaps in Afghan justice. In 2010, the Insti-tute expanded the number of pilot projectsto build or strengthen links between in-formal and formal justice from eight to 13districts, and for the first time it has begunoperating in some recently heavy-conflictareas in the provinces of Nimroz, Helmand

and Uruzgan.

A boy herds sheep as a U.S. Marine patrols the area in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The New York Times.



UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PE ACE

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

the Rule Law a W rk


By Thomas Omestad

The enormous task of helping to stabilizeAfghanistan depends on much more thanAfghan and international forces makingmilitary gains against the Taliban and otherextremists; it depends as well on encourag-ing durable political and legal advances ina country that has suffered from a lack of democracy, basic rights and real recourseto the tools of justice.

To that end, efforts to help Afghans es-tablish the rule of law have been drawingon the expertise of specialists from USIP

for years. Much of the Institutes rule of law work has been funded by the StateDepartments Bureau of InternationalNarcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs,and the U.S. Agency for International De- velopment (USAID) has supported USIPsbroader conflict resolution and peace-building training and education there.

USIP has been working at the compli-cated intersections of law, politics, culture,crime and civil disputes to help Afghansmove toward a society in which the ruleof law becomes a norm upon which they can depend. The work is prompted by therecognition that a country that routinely denies access to justice is likely to spawn in-stability, terrorism and other violence. Thatdynamic, left unchecked, retards efforts todefeat the appeal and reach of insurgents,whose own sense of justice features metingout brutal punishments on those who runafoul of their militant demands.

As Scott Worden, former USIP seniorprogram officer who headed its Afghan ruleof law team, explains, Small disputes go un-resolved. They escalate into larger feuds, andthey become fuel for the insurgency. Thereare much larger implications here. AddsWorden: Rule of law is one of the thickestpillars supporting the foundation of a stableAfghanistan. . . . Unsecured or lawless areasprovide fertile ground for the Taliban.

Shahmahmood Miakhel, USIPs coun-try director based in Afghanistan, puts itdirectly: We need to help build a stableenvironment so international military forces do not have to come back.

Early Efforts

USIP was among the first organizations tofocus on law and justice issues in Afghani-stan after the September 11 attacks and theU.S.-led campaign against the Taliban andal-Qaida in 2001. USIP officers participatedin a systematic effort to collect and digi-tize previous Afghan laws that had beenscrapped or ignored under Taliban rule,drawing on the resources of the Afghandiaspora and the U.S. Library of Congress.

A USIP-convened international conferencebrought together Afghan and internationalexperts to share ideas on strengthening therule of law in post-Taliban Afghanistan.Additionally, based on its research andincreasing work with Afghans, USIP pub-lished large portions of two volumes titledModel Codes for Post-Conflict CriminalJustice and translated the entire handbook on Combating Serious Crimes into Dari.

These publications provided a startingpoint to identify international legal stan-dards that might be applied in the Afghancontext. In the early days, we tried to sup-ply them with tools, says Colette Rausch,who directs the Institutes Rule of Law In-novation Center.

In more recent years, USIPs work hasspread into many of the most sensitive is-sues emerging from a newly democratic Af-ghan governments struggles to extend therule of law where lawlessness once reigned

Said Veeraya K. Somvongsiri, USAIDs ruleof law team leader in Afghanistan, USIPoccupies a unique position straddling pol-icy and practitioner communities. USIP hasprovided intellectual leadership on key ruleof law issues. There is an additional, prac-tical dimension as well, Somvongsiri noted:USIP has convening power and access toor relations with a wide range of actors incivil society and government.

Pashtun elders meet in Afghanistan. The New York Times.



6 Pea eWa h

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

Pu ing the ry in A i n in Baghdad

When the U.S. Institute of Peace decided itwould open a permanent office in Baghdadin 2004 to bring its training expertise andconflict resolution skills to the war in Iraq,it quickly became apparent to USIP person-nel that the Institute was entering a wholenew phase.

Iraq was at one of its most violent peri-ods of the war. Despite years of working inconflict zones, USIP personnel knew they were in for a far greater challenge than any-thing theyd known.

Before entering this new phase, they hadto develop specific tools they would needto be effective in such a dangerous conflictzone. With a little help, USIP employees as-sembled a unique security manual to helpthem operate their new, permanent officein the middle of one of the most violent in-surgencies the Institute had ever faced.

The manual dictated all kinds of se-curity protocols, telling USIPs Iraq teamwhat to do in the event of a kidnapping, asecurity breach at the compound or how

USIP personnel should evacuate theirquarters in an emergency. The manualturned out to be enormously useful, USIPemployees recall.

Peacemaking on the FrontlinesBut it was more than just a big binder inthe corner of USIPs office in the GreenZone. For the Institute, the creation of themanual was the beginning of a new com-mitment to conflict resolution that wouldtake the Institute out of its comfort zoneand into the front lines of conflict. And fora nonpartisan, federally-funded organiza-tion whose culture had been defined largely by its academic research and professional

training since its inception in 1984, USIPwas starting to redefine itself in ways thatcontinue today.

It was a complete shift for the organiza-tion, says Sloan Mann, who headed USIPs

Baghdad office in those early days.In the late 1990s, USIP had inserteditself deeply in Bosnia and Kosovo, withindividuals serving in semi-permanentpositions doing conflict mediation and ne-gotiation work. But USIP had never takenthe next step to create a permanent officethat would allow it to do the kind of field-work that is critical to the Institutes peace-building mission.

After receiving the mandate and themoney from Congress to open up a field of-fice, members of USIPs Iraq Team quickly went about locating an office in Baghdad.After some debate as to whether the teamcould work effectively away from the pro-tections afforded by the U.S. military,members of the group settled on an old Re-publican Guard officer quarters buildinginside the Green Zone. It turned out to bea good decision, says Daniel Serwer, a for-mer USIP official who was instrumental inopening the new office.

Circumstances got so rough that wewould never have survived beyond theGreen Zone, Serwer recalls. That first of-fice had just one American and a few Iraqis,but it was the first such permanent pres-ence USIP had ever before established. Itwas important because it a llowed the USIPteam to have a continuing rapport with the very people with whom they were workingand training. That ongoing presence wascritical, USIP officials determined, in un-derstanding the people and the dynamicson the ground. And, the Iraq Team would

By Gordon Lubold


Sheik Saddoon signs the peace agreement. Photograph by USIP staff.

Your initiatives helped save the lives of my guys and gave us other alter-natives in nonviolent conflict resolution. . . . You made a big difference inMahmoudiya. William Zemp



UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE 7


have missed important opportunities forpeacebuilding if USIP experts had only parachuted in for weeks at a time.

That added a whole new dimension,Serwer says. Its one thing to have someonetraveling abroad with you for several months,as we did in Kosovo. Its quite another thingto hang out your own shingle and begin tohave a face, a presence, that the host govern-ment, nongovernmental organizations andthe embassy all recognize.

Rusty Barber, who headed the Bagh-dad office later during the war, describedestablishing the office as operationalizingUSIPs theoryputting to the test all theyears of academic research, training andanalysis to contribute to actual peacebuild-ing in the field.

After establishing the Baghdad office,the Institute began to create training pro-grams to help in conflict resolution for

Iraqis. USIP personnelsoon brought seniorpersonnel from the Iraqiministries defense, fi-

nance, justice and othersto the Institutes head-quarters in Washingtonto meet with their coun-terparts to help themglean other perspectivesto take back to Baghdad.The Baghdad office grew into bigger, more impor-tant roles, helping Iraqisto address womens is-sues on the ground andpromoting religious tol-erance among minority Christians and smaller

populations like the Yezidis. That work continues today.

But perhaps the biggest test came in2007, when the Institutes permanentpresence in Iraq led to some of the mostimportant work USIP did during the con-flict. In the city of Mahmoudiya, south of Baghdad, in an area known as the Tri-angle of Death, the then three-year-oldinsurgency was as strong as ever. USAIDrepresentatives, with heavy support fromthe military, reached out to the USIP Iraqteam to ask them to convene tribal lead-ers, the Iraqi mil itary and government tosee if a peace agreement could be reached.Leveraging its advantage as an honest bro-ker, USIP personnel brought the disparateparties together to hammer out a peacedeal in Mahmoudiya. Part of the effortmeant persuading Iraqi sheiks to returnhome after fleeing the war to Jordan. USIP

facilitated a series of meetings in a hotelin Amman.

Sheik Fariq Mebdir Ali, who assistedin the peace process at the time, wrote a

summary of the events that led to the peacedeal that the Institute was instrumental ingetting, saying:

I had maintained the relations withthe American Institute of Peace [USIP]personally until now, benefiting from thegreat humanitarian experience of this in-stitute in solving the crises and creatingpeace opportunities and solve the reasonsof excuses.

U.S. military commanders, too, took note of the Institutes role in the peace deal.Gen. David Petraeus, then the top com-mander in Iraq, said USIPs role in theturnabout there was striking. Other com-manders singled out USIPs role as well.

Your initiatives helped save the lives ofmy guys and gave us other alternatives innonviolent conflict resolution, WilliamZemp, the former battalion commanderfrom the U.S. Armys 10th Mountain Divi-sion who worked with the Iraq team, wroteto a USIP staffer. You made a big differ-ence in Mahmoudiya.

The move to establish a permanentpresence in Baghdad required the Instituteto take a deeper commitment to peace-building than it ever had before. The moveto open an office in the middle of the larg-est conflict since the Institutes inceptionenabled it to become more than just aca-demics pondering the worlds challengesbut a key contributor to resolving difficultconflicts.

A map of Baghdad and the Mahmoudiya area. iStock.

The Baghdad office grew into bigger, more impor-tant roles, helping Iraqis to address womens issues onthe ground and promoting religious tolerance amongminority Christians and smallerpopulations like the Yezidis.That work continues today.


8/16

8 Pea eWa h


Board at work. Photo by Bill Fitz-Patrick.

Chester Crocker Photo by Bill Fitz-Patrick.

Chester Crocker, professor of strategic studies at Georgetown Universitys Walsh School of Foreign Serviceand former assistant secretary of state for African Affairs, stepped down this year from the U.S. Instituteof Peaces board of directors after serving as a member since 1991, and as board chairman from 1992 to2004. In this Q&A, he discusses how the field of peacebuilding has evolved since joining the Institute,where the field is going and whether the world is any less chaotic now.

You served as USIP board chairman from 1992 to2004, and a board member since then. In whichareas do you feel youve helped shape the Instituteof Peaceand the field of peacebuilding itself?

Weve seeded and developed this field for the past 20yearsand its important to continue to build thateducational base across the U.S. and the world. Thatin effect builds the capacity of other institutions andnations to do conflict management themselves.

We are an applied research laboratory. We needthe connection to the research world but we alsoneed to be continuously rolling out and transmit-ting this knowledge to those in the field, and thenlearning from their experiences and taking thoselessons back to the research lab.

Ive also tried to strengthen the bipartisan envi-ronment and create a board that will give our staff

and leadership the space to grow and build. You cancall it providing air cover.Id also mention that we did a lot of field-defin-

ing publishing on conflict managementthe seriesof text books Ive worked on is an example of that,such as Managing Global Chaos: Sources of andResponses to International Conflict, HerdingCats: Multiparty Mediation in a Complex World,Leashing the Dogs of War: Conflict Managementin a Divided World and Rewiring Regional Se-curity in a Fragmented World. USIPs Cross Cul-tural Negotiation series is another example of thisfield-defining work.

The books Ive done with Pamela Aall and Fen O.Hampson have pulled together the different partsof the conflict management constituency that in-cludes behavioral sciences, security and peace stud-ies, negotiation and mediation, peacekeeping andmilita ry intervention. Its a diverse field. Wevebrought people together and connected the dots inthese publications.

Another thing we also worked hard to do was todevelop and deploy an operational capacity to havepeople on the ground in conflict zonesstarting

with the Balkans, and in Iraq, and Afghanistan. (seePutting Theory into Action in Baghdad on page 6.)Weve done this without losing sight of our rootsas an educational and research institute dedicatedto testing ideas. We became more operational, butwithout losing the applied research side. That sidesupports the operational capacity.

With so many active conflicts today, and amid somuch international financial uncertainty, where isthe business of peacebuilding going?

The field has gone through different phases. Duringthe Cold War, it was barely recognizable as a field.After the collapse of the Soviet Union, there was abrief heyday when everyone was doing peacebuild-ingand thats when you saw the field ramp up.

During the 1990s, the U.S. became a third party

in a lot of conflictsin the Balkans, places in Af-rica, like Somalia, Rwanda and in Southeast Asia.We were helping to end fighting in these areas; itwas considered a central part of our foreign policy.

the business of

p e a c e b u i l d i n g

Published in 2007.

Published in 2001.

Published in 1996.


9/16



Since then, two major things happened to changethe dynamics of the field: Some United Nations op-erations did not go very well and then, second, wehad 9/11. At that point, we went back to fightingwars in which we were a direct party, rather thanthe third party.

Up through 2006, conflict management has beendeemphasized but then we realized we couldnt solve

problems through conflict, but needed to return topeacemaking and peacebuilding.What were seeing at the moment is the conflict

management phase of how to make the war-to-peace transition work better, how to stand up weak states and how to rebuild accountable governmentsafter conflict.

My hunch is that were coming to the end of thatphase and we need to put more emphasis on con-flict prevention, mediation and crisis diplomacy.We cant just deal with the world in the postconflictphaseit is too expensive and theres a limited ap-petite in our system for it.

Theres been a big focus on postconflict recon-struction and stabilizationwhich is understand-able given that we have a deep commitment toseveral wars. But thats not the future. We need toinvest in prevention, mediation and crisis diplo-macy before countries blow upand to prevent usfrom getting to that point.

How does USIP perform na-tional security functions inways that other federal agen-

cies cannot? Why is the Insti-tute unique?

First, we are bipartisan by stat-ute. We are the go-to place forbipartisan research and policy,and for policy discussion. Wehave a proven record of this andworking on difficult issues. Ourboard is bipartisan. Congressand others look at us as a placewhere you can avoid the poison-ous flavor of partisan politics.You wouldnt find that in a U.S.department because its workingfor an administration.

Second, we have standing with nonofficial ac-torsand that includes parties that are actually inconflict zones. We can convene anybody and wehave earned that convening legitimacy.

Third, our skill set doesnt exist in any other fed-eral agency. There is no other place where people areboth experienced practitioners and researchers onconflict management.

Youve written extensively on global conflict inManaging Global Chaos, Leashing the Dogs of War and Herding Cats. So, here we are in 2011.Is the world less chaotic?

Its a different kind of chaos now.Governmentslike in the U.S., U.K., Canada,

Norwaythat have done conflict management arestretched thin in terms of their budgets and do-mestic support. We are seeing more regional orga-nizations assert themselves as the logical first portof call. You also have more international actorsincluding many more unofficial international

actors, as many of whom are creating problems asthere are trying to resolve them.Its a more crowded field. Theres no gatekeeper.

Theres a kind of spontaneity to it and a lack of hi-erarchy. Which makes it more chaoticand some-times you dont know who is in charge. Sometimesthats because the answer is no one is.

Ribbon cutting at the Peace Academy. Photo by Steven Purcell.

Published in 2004.

Published in 2001.

Published in 2005.

Published in 2011.

f r hese b ksand many hers,visi b ks re.usip. rg, r all1.800.868.8064.



10 Pea eWa h

Hawk and D ve: Wha a Spe ial f r es S ldierLearned ab u Pea e

Former Defense Secretary Robert Gateslikes to say that some of the biggest dovesare in uniform. Its the kind of counterin-tuitive declaration that, in fact, the military is very skeptical when it comes to military action and prefers peace to battle almostanytime. Thats true, says Col. John Maraia,who spent the past year with USIP as a mili-tary fellow. We would like all options shortof force to be exhausted before we commitour people to a fight, he says. Exercisingthe military instrument of power is moreexpensive in blood and treasure (particu-larly blood) than any other approach, andI think those of us in uniform have a clearunderstanding of what the human cost willbe, and we dont like to accept that cost if itcan be avoided.

Maraia returned to active duty in Juneafter his year-long fellowship at USIP study-ing and writing about Islamic extremism inIndonesia.

Maraia has also spoken numerous timesaround the country to students, civic groupsand others about the military and the work USIP does. Maraia says he is struck by how USIP experts intuitively look for the deeproots of a given conflict in a way that may escape military planners who can be fo-cused on shorter-term solutions.

Collectively, USIP experts will look atissues of good governance, economics, re-ligion or the rule of law that may be feed-ing hostilities below the waterline, Maraiawrites in an e-mail. As a result, USIP ex-

perts may have a better sense of what willbe required to achieve a lasting and durablesolution to problems because they will beable to identify the deeper issues that needto be addressed. And, his experience atUSIP has convinced him of the importancethe role that groups such as USIP and otherinstitutions play in foreign policy.

To me, USIP, as well as other organiza-tions with a similar focus, should be on thespeed-dial of intelligence officers and op-erations officers employed by leaders in theDefense Department, the Joint Staff and the

Combatant Commands, he writes. Those various groups, he says, bring differentanalytical tools (and a different viewpoint)to the process.

That recognition doesnt always comequickly to some in the military, says PaulHughes, a retired Army colonel now atUSIP. Very few officers understand themultitude of actors and efforts involved inresolving conflict without the use of vio-lence, he writes in an e-mail. Those for-tunate enough to have a fellowship at USIP

find themselves in a world of vastly differ-ent actors who also seek to prevent, and if necessary, resolve conflict.

Maraia, a career officer with 22 yearsin the Army, has spent most of his yearsin uniform as a Special Forces officer, withmultiple assignments with the 1st SpecialForces Group in the Asia-Pacific region.Naturally, Special Forces (SF) units areknown for high-intensity, offensive action.But by doctrine, SF also focuses on lower-end-of-the-spectrum work, like buildingmilitary and security assets in foreign

countries. This past year at USIP, Maraiasays, has expanded his own awareness of the impact military operations have andhow good planning can mitigate those ef-fects.

Military planners will be looking fora solution to the problem, and they willobviously want to avoid creating a biggerproblem in the future, he writes. Un-derstanding the deeper issues that USIPconcentrates on will help to ensure that wedont create a mere short-term solution thatleaves problems in our wake.

This fall, the Institute welcomed a new Army Fellow in Residence, Lt. Col. BrianStokes, who will be working closely withUSIPs Iraq team.


By Gordon Lubold

USIP, as well as other organizations with a similar focus, should be onthe speed-dial of intelligence officers and operations officers employedby leaders in the Defense Department, the Joint Staff and the CombatantCommands, Maraia writes. Those various groups, he says, bring differentanalytical tools (and a different viewpoint) to the process.

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

Col. John Maraia studied Islamic extremism in Indone-sia during his year-long military fellowship at USIP.Photo by Steven Purcell.



UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PE ACE 1


Making a Di eren e in Iraq: one P li eman a a timeBy Raya Barazanji

USIPs programs in Iraq aim to developlocal capacities in conflict resolution andthe rule of law. In that respect, USIPs IraqPriority Grant program supports a non-governmental organization (NGO) basedin the northern city of Kirkuk in its work to enhance community relations with thelaw enforcement units in this ethnically diverse city. Some consider Kirkuk to be amicrocosm of Iraq because of the variouscommunities that call it home.

With a grant from USIP, this NGOseeks to mitigate a potential ethnic conflictby employing a set of preventive measures.Specifically, the NGO trains policemenon conflict resolution, human rights andtolerance. It also holds regular commu-nity meetings to bridge credibility gapsand build trust between the police and themembers of Kirkuks ethnically diversecommunity. During these meetings, policerepresentatives acknowledged that there areshortcomings in the conduct of the policeand discussed ways to rectify them. (For the

protection of USIP grantees on the groundin conflict zones, the Institutes publicationsdo not identify all groups by name.)

In addition, the NGO undertook train-ing programs that involved 128 policemenand 137 community members. One out-come was the formation of a joint commit-tee with the police and community that isspecifically tasked with resolving issuesbetween the two groups.

Gaining Rare Access

USIPs grantee has achieved excellent rap-port with police units and the police acad-emy. The project allowed the organizationmembers to gain an insiders view of thecomplex working environment of the policein Kirkuk. It observed the harsh workingconditions, long schedules and inadequatebenefits for police officers. As a result, theorganization was able to diagnose poorworking conditions among police as con-tributing to poor performance in their in-teractions with the community.

Entering uncharted territory for anIraqi civil society organization, the NGOapproached the police command to ne-gotiate better working conditions forpolicemen and request compensation forthe families of fallen officers. Thus far, themediation efforts have been successful,resulting in the completion of 77 applica-tions for compensation and retirement.

Consequently, for the first time, a lo-cal NGO was able to mediate and resolvework-related conflicts between policemenand their supervisors through the tar-geted training sessions. It also appealedto the Kirkuk Health office to providespecial healthcare services for policemenespecially those injured in terrorist at-tacks while on duty, and mental healthprograms to help them cope and facilitatetheir return to work. As further testamentto the NGOs good work, the directorategeneral of police in Kirkuk requested thatthe organization formally provide train-ing to 40 police officers on human rights

at the police headquarters. Senior officials

there were so impressed that they asked toextend the training to the rest of the staff.

The NGOs director said, I think it is a very good sign of improving relationshipsbetween government and civil society thatwill make a positive difference in the func-tioning of the security sector in Iraq.

The NGO achieved remarkable im-provements in police community relations,helping to mitigate a problem that has con-tributed to perceptions of insecurity and vulnerability among residents of a strategi-cally vital and politically volatile city.

Its mission advances USIPs overallmandate in Iraq and has the ancillary ben-efit in supporting the U.S.s long-term in- vestment in a peaceful and stable Iraq. Byensuring local, credible and well-trainedlaw enforcement capacities in Iraq, USIPhelps facilitate the return of U.S. troopshome. USIPs work in Iraq helps in reduc-ing violence and provides mechanisms forlocal communities to resolve conflicts andprevent them from reoccurring.

An Iraqi policeman on patrol in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk. The New York Times.


12/16

12 Pea eWa h


Ge ing A ghan G d En ugh

With the Obama administration poised totransition the bulk of its forces out of Af-ghanistan by 2014, its all the more criticalto build credible, accountable and enduringinstitutions there.

And it takes the so-called whole-of-gov-ernment approach, fusing all relevant agen-cies and institutions to achieve a singulargoal and build that kind of capacity in time,say American defense and other officials.The U.S. defense departments ministry of defense adviser, or MoDA, program, mar-

ries American institutional expertise withcounterparts in Afghanistans fledglingministries to help them become viable forthe day when the U.S. and its internationalpartners leave.

Lt. Gen. William Caldwell, who headsNATOs training effort in Afghanistan,calls the MoDA program one of the mostimportant contributors to the achieve-ments made within the Afghan govern-ment thus far.

The MoDA program has been the key enabler for us to not only achieve progressin the training mission, but literally it hasbeen an absolute game changer, he saidduring a taped appearance at an August 11event at USIP. The program relies on in-dividuals within the defense departmentwith relevant professional experience toadvise, mentor, train and teach their Af-ghan counterparts. Currently, there areabout 47 advisers serving in Afghanistan.

Michael Lumpkin, the principal deputy assistant secretary for Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict, who also spoke atthe event at USIP, related several anecdotesabout how individual advisers were makinga difference.

All of these successesand countlessothersrely on the strong trust-based rela-tionships built between each MoDA adviserand his or her counterpart, Lumpkin saidat the USIP event. Each achievementeven the smallest oneis a testament to thequality of the programs pre-deploymenttraining which emphasizes developingsustainable and locally-powered solutions

through respect, humility and empathy,he said at the USIP event.

USIP plays a big part in training theseadvisers, conducting two weeks of classroomtraining of the seven-week program beforethey deploy to Afghanistan. USIP held itsfourth iteration of the training in the fall of 2011, and will do more next year.

David Clifton is a retired Marine colonelwho as a civilian recently returned from a14-month deployment as adviser to the Af-ghan Ministry of Interiors chief of staff. He

said one of the things that he noticed wasthe passion his American colleagues had forhelping build Afghanistan. Indeed, MoDAadvisers work each day to help Afghanistanachieve a level of competence that will servethe Afghan government when the U.S. andother countries ultimately leave. The goalis to be Afghan good enougha practi-cal approach to doing just enough to makeit work, Clifton explained. He believes theMoDA program will become the focus of the U.S.-led effort in Afghanistan as tran-sition becomes the new buzzword.

Lumpkin also noted that programs likeUSIPs MoDA training is vital because ithelps other countries ultimately do for them-selves. And, its a big bang for a small buck.

Strengthening foreign defense institu-tions is an increasingly critical element of our overseas engagement, and through in-expensive programs like MoDA, we can helppartners build effective, accountable andwell-governed defense ministries, he said.

Nadia Gerspacher, a USIP program of-ficer who runs the MoDA program forthe Institute, said one of the values of thetraining program is that it helps advisers tomake informed decisions in a reform environment.

National Defense University PresidentVice Admiral Ann Rondeau, a USIP boardmember, said working with the whole-of-government to provide the best mentoringin Afghanistan is critical to creating posi-tive perceptions of Americans in Afghani-stan. The MoDA program, she said, helpscement that critical relationship.

It matters that we are trusted, it mattersthat we listen, it matters that were willingto contribute and to be part of a team thatmakes things happen, she said.

By Gordon Lubold

Top: Vice Admiral Ann Rondeau. Middle: Michael Lumpkin. Bottom: David Clifton.All photos by Bill Fitz-Patrick.


13/16



training A ri ans r A ri anPea ekeeping Missi nsStaff from USIPs Academy for InternationalConflict Management and Peacebuildingcompleted a negotiation and conflict man-agement workshop in Gako, Rwanda, latelast spring for 25 Rwandan Defense Force(RDF) military officers who will be leadingan infantry battalion deploying to Darfur,Sudan. The workshop was conducted inpartnership with the State DepartmentsAfrica Contingency Operations Trainingand Assistance (ACOTA) program.

Rwanda is the largest troop contributor

to this peacekeeping mission led by the Af-rican UnionUnited Nations Hybrid Mis-sion in Darfur (UNAMID), which is taskedwith protecting civilians, ensuring human-itarian access and promoting the peace pro-cess in Darfur. Since the bloodshed beganin 2003, hundreds of thousands have beenkilled and almost two million Darfurianshave been displaced.

Protection of civilians is a core elementof the ACOTA training, which addressesnot only its importance but also practicalways peacekeepers can respond to crises.Training these officers, who will then traintheir troops, is an efficient way to help bringpeace to Darfur and to reduce the cost of such interventions.

USIP trainers Ted Feifer and Matt Lev-inger taught skills not normally part of acombat soldiers toolkitcommunication,negotiation and mediationbut which areessential to peacekeepers in their mission.Participants learned the skills and then ap-plied them in practical situations, such asnegotiating their way through or out of aroadblock by an armed group, or handlingdisputes over weapons in a camp for inter-nally displaced persons.

Participants in the workshop madeclear that this was the first time they hadever been introduced to these vital skil ls,that they now felt better prepared for theirmission in Darfur, and wished that they had more time with the USIP trainers.According to Captain Kayatire, a Darfurpeacekeeping veteran who heads the RDFsACOTA training, USIPs training makes

a vital contribution to the effectiveness of Rwandas UNAMID contingent. To buildpeace in Darfur, he says, you need to be agreat negotiator.

The officer participants in the USIPworkshop will now be teaching the coursematerials to the officers and enlisted menunder their command, empowering all 800men and women of the battalion to be ableto use these skills to resolve conflicts with-out violence in the complex security envi-ronment of Darfur.

Said Colonel Bosco, commanding aninfantry brigade who deployed to UN-AMID this summer, USIPs training isimportant for many reasons, but prin-cipally because it creates awareness oftypical problems in the mission area andprovides an opportunity to learn and useskills to deal with them.

This was the USIP Academys 10thtraining in Rwanda and 25th training of African peacekeepers going out to Dar-fur, Somalia and Cte dIvoire in the pastthree years.

An African Union peacekeeper in Darfur, Sudan. The New York Times.

U.S. Ann un esNew Ini ia ive

n Gen idePreven i nIn August, President Barack Obamaannounced new steps to prevent massatrocities, including the creation of an in-teragency Atrocities Prevention Board, andnew measures to deal with serious humanrights violators.

The administrations move marks a major step forward in preventing genocide and

responding to war crimes.Preventing and responding to massatrocities and war crimes is a critical na-tional security interest and the Instituteis committed to supporting the admin-istrations efforts, said Tara Sonenshine,executive vice president of USIP. We areparticularly pleased that many of the rec-ommendations of the Genocide PreventionTask Force (GPTF), which was convenedby the United States Institute of Peace, theUnited States Holocaust Memorial Museumand the American Academy of Diplomacy,were heeded.

In line with the presidents announce-ment, the 2008 Task Force report stressedearly intervention and the need to developinternational partnerships to respond toemerging crises. Specifically, the Task Forcereport called for a standing interagency board to coordinate action across the U.S.government and creating a set of resources,or toolkit.

Former secretary of state Madeleine K.Albright and former secretary of defenseWilliam S. Cohen, the co-chairs of the bi-partisan Genocide Prevention Task Force,also issued a statement commending thepresidents action. In part, they stated:

The presidents directive represents anunprecedented commitment on Americaspart to implement the internationally-agreedupon responsibility to protect civilianpopulations threatened by massive violenceand to ensure that genocide prevention andresponse become integral components of Americas national security strategy.


14/16

14 Pea eWa h


c nvening P wer

Speaking at USIP after her congressional delegation to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Senator Jeanne Shaheen(D-NH) on September 8 said that Afghanistan is headed in the right direction, but questions remain about thecountrys capacity to establish good governance.Photo by Bill Fitz-Patrick.

Ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in Sep-tember, Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Esther Brimmer on September 7 discussed the Obama administrations multilateral effortsat the U.N. and cautioned that calls to cut U.S. funding for the world body could harm U.S. global influence.Photo by Bill Fitz-Patrick.

On July 28, USIP welcomed President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger, President Alpha Cond of Guinea, President Alassane Ouattara of Cte DIvoire, and President Boni Yayi of Benin for a public event on West Africas progresstoward democracy. They are pictured here with USIPs Raymond Gilpin, director of the Sustainable Economies Center of Innovation, Executive Vice President Tara Sonenshine, and David Smock, senior vice president of the Centers of Innovation and Religion and Peacemaking Center. Photo by Steven Purcell.

Libyan Infrastructure and Reconstruction Minister Dr. Ahmed Jehani visited the U.S. Institute of Peace on September 23to discuss how to proceed with rebuilding his country, challenges and opportunities for the future and how the U.S. canbest support the Libyan people and Libyas transition.Photo by Bill Fitz-Patrick.


15/16



USIPs Moeed Yusuf and partners on August 25launched the new report

titled Pakistan, the United States and the Endgame in Afghanistan: Perceptions of Pakistans Foreign Policy Elite at the Jinnah Institutein Islamabad, Pakistan.The reports findings werebased on a project co-con-vened by USIP and the Jin-nah Institute to examine

the views of Pakistans elite of the evolving situation in Afghanistan. More than 250 people attended the event,including senior ex-officials and other prominent public figures.Photo by Steven Purcell.

USIP senior fellow Robin Wright discussed her new book,Rock the Casbah: Rage and Rebellion across the IslamicWorld, on July 18 with Manal Omar, director of USIPsIraq, Iran and North Africa programs.Photo by Bill Fitz-Patrick.

Shortly after the Republicof South Sudan declared itsindependence, Assistant Secretary of State for Afri-can Affairs Johnnie Carsonon July 14 delivered a key-note address on U.S.engagement with theworlds newest country.Photo by Bill Fitz-Patrick.

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf made her third visit to USIP on June 24 to speak on key political, economic and social issues affecting her country and the region.Photo by Bill Fitz-Patrick.

Pe ple n he M ve

In 2011, the U.S. Institute of Peace wel-comed three new members to its bipar-

tisan board of directions: AmbassadorEric Edelman, Judith Ansley and John A.Lancaster. Edelman was previously a for-mer undersecretary of Defense for Policy,former U.S. ambassador to Turkey, formerU.S. ambassador to the Republic of Finland;Ansley most recently served as assistant tothe president and deputy national security adviser at the National Security Council;and, Lancaster, who earned a Purple Heartand a Bronze Star for his service during theVietnam War, has been a civil rights attor-ney since 1974.

In September, USIP detailed Ambassa-dor William Taylor to the Department of State to head the newly created Middle EastTransitions Office. As special coordinatorof the Middle East Transitions Office, Tay-lor will oversee U.S. aid efforts in Libya andEgypt. In his capacity as senior vice presi-dent for the Center for Conflict Manage-ment at USIP, Taylor oversaw the Instituteson-the-ground work in Afghanistan, Iraq,Sudan, the Middle East and North Africa.

In October, Steven Heydemann becamesenior adviser for the Middle East. In his

new role at the Institute, Heydemann willassist in determining where USIPs exper-

tise on issues of postconflict stabilization,rule of law, transitional justice and sustain-able economies can best be deployed to as-sist in transitions across the Middle East.He will work closely with USIP programson the ground and explore opportunitiesfor collaboration with other U.S. govern-ment programs and nongovernmental or-ganizations.

This fall, USIP appointed Col. PaulHughes (U.S. Army, Retired) as chief ofstaff. In this capacity, Hughes will playa key role in the continuing program co-ordination between USIP and the federalgovernment, especially the departments of defense and state.

In November, President Obama nomi-nated USIP Executive Vice President TaraSonenshine to be undersecretary of state forpublic diplomacy. With her years workingin the media and her keen understandingof foreign affairs, she is eminently qualifiedfor the position, said USIP President Rich-ard Solomon in a statement.

Judith Ansley Photo by Bill Fitz-Patrick.

Eric Edelman John A. Lancaster Photo by Bill Fitz-Patrick.

William Taylor Photo by Bill Fitz-Patrick.

Steven HeydemannPhoto by Bill Fitz-Patrick.

Tara SonenshinePhoto by Bill Fitz-Patrick.

Col. Paul HughesPhoto by Bill Fitz-Patrick.


16/16

PeaceWatch Winter 2012

Documents

Transcript of PeaceWatch Winter 2012