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Follow on Google News | Institute for Peace Budget Cut by Congress: Zero Funding for U.S. Institute of PeaceInstitute for Peace Budget Cut by Congress: Zero Funding for U.S. Institute of Peace - the only Congressionally mandated and funded institution to develop civilian capacity to perform international conflict management and peace-building gets dropped.
By: Dream-Maker Inc. 'We're a think-and do-tank that works to put words into action; teach and train others to manage violent conflicts; and to promote sustainable peace worldwide.' http://www.usip.org The United States Institute of Peace — the only Congressionally mandated and funded institution to develop civilian capacity to perform international conflict management and peace-building. Richard Solomon for Politico wrote: ‘The Institute of Peace was set up by Congress as a non-partisan effort, during the presidency of Ronald Reagan. Its origins began earlier — through a legislated commission chaired by Sen. Spark Matsunaga (D-Hawaii), a World War II veteran of the Army’s famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team, who believed passionately in the importance of the U.S. as international peacemaker. The Institute has been federally funded for 27 years as an independent organization to support the military, the State Department, successive administrations and the international community in preventing deadly violence and manage unfolding conflicts overseas, as well as to help societies move from war to peace. How ironic, even as our nation is at war in Afghanistan and shifting from war to peace in Iraq, that anyone in Congress could decide that now is the right time to undermine a proven, innovative congressional institution on the frontlines — helping U.S. men and women in uniform, and on the civilian side, to save lives.’ Read more: http://www.politico.com/ Washington D.C. (Feb. 17, 2011) – Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today released the following statement after the House of Representatives voted 268-163 to eliminate all funding for the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP). “It is a sad day when the House votes to eliminate one of the few programs in the budget which is dedicated to conflict prevention and non-violence, while at the same time, enabling another $158 billion in the same budget for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have spent $1.1 trillion for war in the past decade, and in striking funding for USIP, Congress has demonstrated that it is on the war path. Everything in the path of war had better take careful notice,” said Kucinich. “This is a wake up call for all Americans who believe in the cause of peace. We must not permit the forces of war to annihilate any hope for peace in our society. This is a time when all Americans who work for peace to come together, to stand as one, to finally unify our efforts and to demand that our government stand for peace,” added Kucinich. “The USIP funding must be restored.” The senate remains the next line of defense. Paul F. Davis in his essay, ‘Military Intervention and Foreign Aid: Lessons for the United States’ writes: …As U.S. failures in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq have proven (and U.S. General Petraeus has said), wars cannot be fought, nor won ‘through military means alone’ (Sachs 217). President Bush himself recognized: “I don’t think you can win it [the war on terrorism]…” (Sachs 215). Roosevelt rightly sought to defend the ‘four freedoms’ -- from fear and want, of speech and belief (Sachs 216). The military-industrial- Tony Blair said ‘poverty and frustration could breed terrorism’ (De Waal 232). The U.S. therefore must learn how to uphold the dignity of individuals and nations, before endeavoring to liberate them from oppressors and uplift them with benefits of aid. Benefits of U.S. aid have often been ‘purchased at an excessive political and psychological cost to both lenders and borrowers. The critical question is whether the transfer of wealth between nations can be made compatible with human dignity…’ (Fulbright 225). ‘The way in which the gift, or loan, is provided’ (227) can disrupt or preserve human dignity. Exhorting fellow Americans, Senator Fulbright warned: ‘Extended in the wrong way, generosity can be perceived by its intended beneficiary as insulting and contemptuous’ Internal ‘turf battles’ (Cooper) at U.S. Aid disrupting the flow of charitable contributions to the needy abroad must not be permitted to hinder aid. Internal rivalries, partisan bickering, differing philosophies of diplomacy, ideological interests, and corporate constituents should neither get in the way, nor slow the distribution of strategic aid and peacemakers to assist to the poor and battle weary in developing countries. Aiding developing countries requires knowledge of their struggles, willingness to listen and study the issues, humility to put our agenda aside, and patience to act wisely and gain credibility. “Certainty is not in itself an asset; that depends on whether what one is certain about is actually true” (Albright 283). The Rwandan army fooled the world for months, while it imprisoned ‘intellectuals, priests, teachers, businessmen, and opponents to the regime’ (Uvin 64). Effective leaders recognize a mixed development strategy that combines all of our strengths gains more than overly simplistic and narrow minded strict power-and-security thinking. U.S. Army General Abizaid warned that “unless the State Department devoted more people and money to developing Iraq’s government and economy, the surge wouldn’t work.” (Cloud & Jaffe 247) Governance and economics were the State Department’s turf, but no matter how hard they tried without sufficient funding their proposed reconstruction and development projects in each of the eighteen Iraq provinces would not be fulfilled. While the Pentagon had a half-trillion- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld controlled the flow of information, keeping the State Department in the dark to prevent them from meddling with his plans. An ‘expert bureaucratic infighter’ Rumsfeld isolated (191) and essentially crippled the State Department. When former CIA director Robert Gates replaced Rumsfeld at the Pentagon, he called for a bigger budget for the State Department (238,272). When General Casey asked for advisors from the State Department to help the new Maliki government in Iraq, six days after the Maliki government was already formed Secretary of State Condi Rice offered a paltry sum of forty-eight advisors. ‘Colonel Hix, who had done a major strategy assessment for Casey months earlier, had estimated that it would take as many as 10,000 people to mount a reconstruction effort’ (Cloud & Jaffe 228-229). General Casey became perturbed and frustrated with the State Department’s inability to produce when needed. Hence an opportunity to reshape Iraq was missed by the U.S. because of an inadequate supply of supervisors and peacemakers ready to provide technical assistance when called upon. The Defense Department’s failure to have a clear postwar plan prior to invading and occupying Iraq, the State Department’s ‘sabotaging democracy’ by playing favorites preferring secular over religious parties when disbursing material assistance, and attempting to ‘arrange outcomes’ were tragic errors that destroyed U.S. credibility, raised suspicions, and thwarted security (Albright 170,176-178) Colonel Lee Donne Olvey’s confession: “We followed a policy of unabashed elitism” (Cloud & Jaffe 52) is an indictment against the failed U.S. military intervention and aid operation in Iraq during the second Bush administration. These painful lessons learned must be remembered and never repeated. Full essay and references: http://www.goodreads.com/ # # # Challenging presumptions, transcending limitations, and reconciling nations. Empowering individuals and organizations to live their dreams! End
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