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.