From Sudan to Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. Institute of Peace uses the power of its neutrality to bring together groups that might not otherwise meet or coordinate, thereby helping to facilitate dialogues that are critical to national security and foreign affairs.

From Sudan to Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. Institute of Peace uses the power of its neutrality to bring together groups that might not otherwise meet or coordinate, thereby helping to facilitate dialogues that are critical to national security and foreign affairs.

In that spirit, in early February, USIP cohosted a two-day, off-the-record meeting with nine agencies ranging from the National Security Council to State to the Department of Defense to Justice and Commerce and others—including 28 bureaus, offices and commands from each— to focus on the transitions from military to civilian control in Iraq and Afghanistan, and eventually to the Iraqi and Afghan governments.

As the last American troops are scheduled to leave Iraq this year, and the first troops will leave Afghanistan starting this summer, the civilian side of the U.S. government must step up to assume a greater role in the void of the military. The February conference, held in partnership with the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center (CAC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and the Simons Center for the Study of Interagency Cooperation, is the third annual interagency symposium. The sponsoring organizations hoped to use the opportunity to engage key government leaders and focus on the challenges that lie ahead as the U.S. transitions from military to civilian control in Iraq and Afghanistan—and then for the eventual handover to the Iraqi and Afghan governments. Discussions were tense.

For instance, who will maintain the massive infrastructure the U.S. has built in Iraq and Afghanistan? What will it cost to sustain host nation militaries, and who will pay for that cost? Who will provide security for the U.S. civilians the military leaves behind? What agreements need to be in place to ensure their safety? Answers don’t come easy. But most people agree that those answers must come soon.

“We have not attempted this type of massive transition between our own agencies since the Marshall Plan,” said Beth Cole, USIP’s director of intergovernmental affairs and lead editor of “Guiding Principles for Stabilization and Reconstruction,” the first strategic doctrine ever produced for civilians engaged in peacebuilding missions. “It’s a collective responsibility, but we’re not used to divvying up these roles and responsibilities,” she said. Therefore, USIP can offer a “safe place for agencies to come together and discuss very difficult issues,” Cole noted. Beyond this February symposium, USIP seeks to build bridges and provide the safe space for various groups to convene and resolve problems.

 

This article was taken from the Summer 2011 issue of PeaceWatch.

Related Publications

South Sudanese Diaspora Leaders at USIP Consider Online Speech Concerns

South Sudanese Diaspora Leaders at USIP Consider Online Speech Concerns

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

By: USIP Staff

Members of the South Sudanese diaspora gathered at the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) last week to explore ways of fostering their national unity, supporting peace efforts in a conflict with tribal dimensions and countering online speech that disparages people of other tribes.

Type: Analysis

Potential Colombia Peace Pact Will Be Only the Beginning

Potential Colombia Peace Pact Will Be Only the Beginning

Friday, January 31, 2014

By: Virginia M. Bouvier;  Viola Gienger;  Virginia M. Bouvier

Half of all peace agreements break down in the first five years after they are signed. That’s a sobering prospect that means U.S. support will be just as important even if an accord is reached in negotiations underway between the government of Colombia and the FARC guerrillas.

Type: Blog

NATO’s Balancing Act

NATO’s Balancing Act

Friday, January 17, 2014

NATO's Balancing Act evaluates the alliance’s performance of its three core tasks—collective defense, crisis management, and cooperative security—and reviews its members’ efforts to achieve the right balance among them. Yost considers NATO's role in the evolving global security environment and its implications for collective defense and crisis management in the Balkans, Afghanistan, Africa, Libya, and elsewhere.

Type: Book

Considering the Lessons of Mandela’s Legacy and South Africa’s Reconciliation

Considering the Lessons of Mandela’s Legacy and South Africa’s Reconciliation

Thursday, January 16, 2014

By: USIP Staff

Though the politics and causes of conflicts differ significantly, the experience of South Africa’s peaceful, negotiated turn from racial apartheid to democratic majority rule suggests that a few principles exemplified by the late Nelson Mandela’s leadership are broadly applicable to other conflicts with hardened divisions, according to former participants in the South African transformation who gathered this week at the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP).

Type: Analysis

Conflict Analysis & PreventionMediation, Negotiation & Dialogue

View All Publications