FCNL recently said goodbye to our wonderful Kenya Project Associate, Cassidy Regan, as she concluded a two-year term with us. As I reflect on all I learned from Cassidy, it feels important to lift up the work that she did in partnership with many other Friends. I invite you to watch this video to hear Cassidy herself tell the story of this incredible work.

In my last post I wrote about the need for a realistic conversation about peace. Often it can be difficult to talk about peace in productive ways with folks who see no way to stabilize a violent situation other than to engage militarily. However, the elections that took place in Kenya on March 4th of this year offer a powerful example of the positive results that can come from a tangible investment in local peacemaking efforts.

Friends at the 2012 FWCC World Gathering in Kenya.

Many of you may have a direct connection to the work going on in Kenya through your involvement in the Quaker organizations collaborating directly with Kenyan Friends, through your attendance at the World Gathering last April, or in other ways. Do these experiences lead you to support the work of peacemakers in Kenya and elsewhere? How are you led to build peace in your own community? In the movement towards the world we seek, we each bring different gifts to bear through social witness. Whether by addressing the root causes of poverty and homelessness, teaching nonviolent conflict resolution in our schools, or taking action on the climate change that drives conflict worldwide, we each can live into our passions and our faith through action towards a world free from war and the threat of war. I hope you will take the story of Kenya's elections with you as you move through the world, share it with others, and consider how you are led to live into the peace testimony in your own life. We can look to the work of Friends in Kenya, and the efforts to support those peace leaders, as one example.

The FCNL community has been especially mindful of conflict in Kenya since the violence that occurred around the elections there in 2007. One thing that FCNL tries to balance is the leading to work on the many compelling issues of injustice in our world with the constraints of finite capacity and the contemporary political realities of the US government. This means that the organization cannot always respond immediately to violent or otherwise troubling situations that arise. But in this case, FCNL discerned that this was a moment for the organization to develop new programming and even hire a new staff member to focus explicitly on the peaceful prevention of deadly conflict in Kenya. Cassidy Regan has been serving as the FCNL Kenya Project Associate for the past two years. My conversations with her informed this article, and I invite you to read more about her work on our website.

In the aftermath of that deadly conflict, Kenyan Quakers and others redoubled their focus on local peacebuilding projects. Friends organizations internationally saw that this was an important moment to collaborate in support of those efforts. FCNL saw that it could contribute by lobbying for U.S. policies to support violence prevention and peacebuilding in Kenya, informed by recommendations from Kenyans themselves. This means actively supporting local peacebuilding efforts through diplomacy, but this also requires much greater intentionality on the part of the U.S. as to how other U.S. foreign policy can actively undermine those efforts. For example, U.S. counter-military assistance in many African countries can undermine rule of law and humanitarian efforts, because some governments use U.S. weapons to oppress local communities.

FCNL Kenya Project Associate Cassidy Regan speaks on a panel in 2012.

This was also an opportunity for FCNL to put theory into practice around the peaceful prevention of deadly conflict. The FCNL community has long been telling Congress that the most morally sound and cost effective foreign policy would be a focus preventing violence before it takes place abroad. As I mentioned last month, this is an important component of Friends’ peacework - addressing the causes of violence itself, in addition to seeking peaceful means to resolve a conflict already in motion. FCNL has been developing and advocating for new, broad tools for violence prevention. Working with Kenyan Friends would help FCNL apply those tools to a real situation, and demonstrate that they are a viable alternative to war.

The work of Kenyan Friends and others, supported by a team of Quaker organizations and individuals, indeed brought about tangible results. The March 4 elections were predominantly peaceful. Though unfortunately there were reports of several isolated instances of violence, it is clear that local efforts to build peace within individual communities kept the country stable through a difficult electoral process. Certainly Kenya is still on a long road towards a durable peace and meaningful social justice reforms. However, the March elections were a largely successful example of the viability of non-military methods of violence prevention.

Peace activist Getry Agizah visits Washington to speak with members of Congress about U.S. policy in Kenya.

Kenyan Friends will continue working to build peace in their local communities, and FCNL will continue advocating for US support of those efforts, both through direct diplomacy and through greater caution and intentionality concerning military counter-terror assistance. Further, those who advocate for peace with FCNL have a recent, concrete success to point to in the larger conversation about US foreign policy. Kenya demonstrates a truth that the FCNL community has held dear and articulately clearly for decades: peaceful ends will only be achieved through peaceful means. The United States has the tools for violence prevention - and we as Friends have a responsibility to call on those who represent us in Congress to use them to build peace.

Read more about FCNL's advocacy on U.S. policy affecting Kenya and the work of local Kenyan peacebuilder Getry Agizah on our website.

Photo captions (from top to bottom): Friends at the 2012 FWCC World Gathering in Kenya; FCNL Kenya Project Associate Cassidy Regan speaks on a panel in 2012; activist Getry Agizah visits Washington to speak with members of Congress about U.S. policy in Kenya.

Queries

Peacemaking, as I have tried to define and describe it, consists of manifesting the truth and applying it to disordered relationships, relationships that are disordered specifically because they are not nurtured by the truth. Thus peacemaking is not merely the removal of what is sick or ignorant, smoothing out the crinkles of misunderstanding, but the stimulation of growth and the unfolding of all our God-given capacities.

Adam Curle, 1981. From The Spirit of the Quakers, compiled and introduced by Geoffrey Durham.

How does engagement in issues of social injustice and oppression shape your relationship with God?

From the Pendle Hill pamphlet Quaker Witness as Sacrament by Daniel O. Snyder.

How do we cultivate nonviolent conflict resolution within our communities, so that we can grow a larger culture framed by a focus on loving, compassionate interactions?

May 1st, 2013

President Barack Obama
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Obama,

On behalf of a growing constituency of Americans dedicated to the prevention of genocide and mass atrocities, we write to congratulate you on the important progress you continue to make with Presidential Study Directive 10 (PSD-10) and the Atrocities Prevention Board (APB). One year since the public launch of the Board and announcement of the still classified PSD-10 report, the APB has created an impressive interagency architecture to spur long-term reforms that increase the United States’ ability to help prevent mass atrocities. Unfortunately, there has been limited information shared with the public about the U.S. government’s overriding strategy for preventing atrocities.

Working with congressional and civil society supporters and engaging the American public will help deflect criticism that misrepresents the purpose of PSD-10 and the APB, and will increase the prospects of these important new structures living beyond your administration. We urge you to take these immediate steps toward greater transparency, including:

1. Release an Executive Order on Atrocities Prevention that articulates the U.S. government’s comprehensive strategy for preventing mass atrocities and the key functions of those overseeing its implementation. The White House Fact Sheet released in April 2012 was a good start, providing steps taken by specific agencies, but the overall function of the body tasked with implementing that strategy remains a mystery. In the Fact Sheet you committed the APB to begin work on an Executive Order within six months. A year since that announcement, the time for an Executive Order has come. It should serve to further institutionalize the structural progress that has been made, but also comprise the next step in public engagement that could be followed by the public release each year of the APB’s Annual Report to the President.

2. Consult meaningfully with NGOs, the American public and Congress. In order to create a constituency for the APB, it is critical to engage a variety of stakeholders. A year after the APB was established, a clear mechanism for civil society to feed into the APB process does not exist. More specifically, we recommend a framework of annual meetings between the APB and NGOs, quarterly meetings with the sub-APB, and an annual public dialogue exploring countries and cases that should be on the APB’s agenda in the coming year. Additionally, Congress has not been consistently consulted or briefed, turning many potential bipartisan allies into growing critics. Our organizations will be engaging Congress, seeking hearings on atrocities prevention and exploring ways to further institutionalize the U.S. government’s atrocities prevention efforts—including through possible resolutions and legislation. Finally, engaging the American public will be essential to shoring up further support in Congress, for securing the resources needed for atrocities prevention efforts to succeed, and toward your atrocities prevention efforts living beyond your time in office. With surveys showing that 7 in 10 Americans think the U.S. should prevent or stop genocide/mass atrocities from occurring in other parts of the world, engagement with the American public is an untapped resource of support. Many of our organizations will be actively messaging to our growing anti-genocide grassroots constituencies on the importance of the right policy to prevent genocide and mass atrocities.

3. Coordinate with international partners. As stated by the Genocide Prevention Task Force, the U.S. has an interest in promoting strong global norms against genocide and mass atrocities, and coordinated international action is needed for effective prevention. Transparency as to the purpose and function of the Board and broader U.S. government efforts will serve to strengthen the U.S. argument to international partners for the need of similar national strategies that can enhance coordination for a strengthened global effort to prevent genocide and mass atrocities.

In addition, developments in atrocities prevention initiatives at the UN, within regional organizations, and in other capitals offer important points for collaboration and shared learning that cannot be leveraged without more direct and open engagement.

4. Recommit publicly to atrocities prevention as a moral responsibility and national security priority. As the crisis in Syria continues, on the occasion of genocide prevention month, one year since the establishment of the APB, 10 years since the genocide began in Darfur, and nearly 20 years since the Rwanda genocide, we urge you to speak to the American public about your continued prioritization of genocide and atrocity prevention efforts.

Our organizations are passionate about the success of the APB because we want to see real and measurable change on the ground. Ongoing atrocities in Syria, attacks on civilians and blocking of humanitarian aid in Sudan, a renewed cycle of violence in Congo, and recent incitement of anti-Muslim violence in Burma are just a few of the many emergencies around the world that continue to shock our conscience. We believe that the APB can play a powerful role in spurring bold leadership and proactive policy attention to these ongoing atrocities, as well as building capacity throughout the interagency to prevent future crises before the killing begins.

Again we thank you, Mr. President, for your leadership and the important accomplishments you have overseen in the U.S. government’s ability to prevent atrocities. The time to secure and build upon those accomplishments is now. It is time to show the American public what progress has been made, to reiterate your continued commitment to atrocities prevention, and to fully engage the many allies you have in this important task. As organizations dedicated to preventing and stopping genocide and mass atrocities, we are eager to support you and your administration in those efforts.

Sincerely,

3P Human Security
Alliance for Peacebuilding
Auschwitz Institute for Peace and Reconciliation
Better World Campaign
Conference of Major Superiors of Men (CMSM)
Enough Project
Freedom House
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Genocide Watch
Georgia Coalition to Prevent Genocide
Global Rights
Humanity United
Invisible Children
Physicians for Human Rights
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas – Institute Justice Team
STAND
The Peace Alliance
United to End Genocide

U.S. intelligence officials announced today that they suspect the Assad regime has used chemical weapons against the people of Syria. Last August, President Obama said Syria’s use or transfer of chemical weapons would be a “red line” that would change the administration’s calculus on its approach to the conflict. The White House has continued to echo this sentiment—just today in a press conference with reporters, a White House official reiterated: "It is absolutely the case that the President's red line is the use of chemical weapons or the transfer of chemical weapons to terrorist groups,” but said more investigation is needed.

Amid all the uncertainty and political posturing, one thing is still clear: U.S. military intervention in Syria is not the answer to saving lives and ending this conflict. Rather, U.S. military intervention would only exacerbate the conflict and lead to even larger-scale bloodshed. There is no place for “red lines” in effective diplomacy—at least not when what lies on the other side of the line is another U.S. war.

U.S. military intervention would be no guarantee that the Assad regime would not continue to use chemical weapons--the Assad regime could actually be more likely to use chemical weapons in that case, as Assad has threatened.

We believe that the U.S. has a moral imperative to use its diplomatic leverage and resources to intervene in Syria and help end the carnage.

But how should the U.S. help?

Instead of honoring a politically charged “red line,” the U.S. must evaluate how to have the most impact without escalating the violence.

The U.S. can help end this conflict by supporting a comprehensive political solution. Now is the time for the U.S. to redouble its diplomatic engagement with Assad’s allies in Russia and Iran. Since Russia and Iran have more influence on the Assad regime than other countries, it is essential that Russia and Iran reiterate that Assad’s use of chemical weapons is unacceptable. Russia and Iran must also call on Assad to allow the U.N. to investigate its chemical weapons use.

As FCNL has long pointed out, a diplomatic solution is the only way to ensure a true end to this conflict.

The Administration released its 2014 budget request last week. This budget request is used as a resource by Congress as the House and Senate draft their appropriation bills for 2014. The numbers are useful as a predictor for what will happen with the final 2014 appropriations bills, and they show what the Administration's priorities are.

The President’s request for international affairs--and atrocity prevention/Middle East peace-related programs in particular--was mostly hopeful this year. All of our priority peacebuilding accounts were included by name. There was a risk that the Administration wouldn't request any money for the Complex Crises Fund, for example, but that fund was included. Unfortunately it was requested at the lowest level yet: $40 million. Last year the President requested it at $50 million, and it ultimately was funded at $40 million. A request of $40 million means the CCF could be funded at an even lower amount. We'll be lobbying over the next few months to ensure the CCF is funded at the full requested level.

How did these accounts do compared to last year's request?

What are these accounts?

The Complex Crises Fund provides much‐needed, unprogrammed money for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to prevent and respond to emerging or unforeseen crises.

The Conflict Stabilization Operations account funds the Conflict Stabilization Operations bureau. This bureau focuses on preventing deadly conflict by assessing and planning an effectiveresponse to countries struggling with or at risk from conflict or civil strife.

The Contributions to International Peacekeeping Activities (CIPA) account fundsU.S. peacekeeping dues.

The Contributions toInternational Organizations (CIO) account funds the UN Regular Budget and U.S. dues to anumber of other international organizations the U.S. participates in.

The Transition Initiatives (TI) account supports programs that help fragile or conflict-prone countries transition to peace and stability. Since 1994, OTI, part of USAID's Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance, has laid the foundation for long-term development in 31 conflict prone countries by promoting reconciliation, jumpstarting local economies, supporting nascent independent media, and fostering peace and democracy through innovative programming. In countries undergoing a transition from authoritarianism to democracy, violent conflict to peace, or pivotal political events, these initiatives can serve as catalysts for positive political change. TI has developed a strong track record over 15 years in applying short-term assistance to leverage opportunities for advancing peace and mitigating violence. TI continues to work in Kenya, where the risk of renewed violence in advance of the country's next national elections remains high. Since 2008, TI has played an important role in reaching areas most impacted by past deadly conflict, supporting Kenyan communities if efforts to build peace and promote greater transparency within their government.

The Migration and Refugee Assistance account provides protection and assistance needs ofrefugees, conflict victims, stateless persons, and vulnerable migrants worldwide. Funds primarily support the programs ofinternational organizations, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Committeeof the Red Cross (ICRC), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and theInternational Organization for Migration (IOM), as well as non‐governmental organizations (NGOs).

The Palestinian Development Assistance account provides crucial economic funding and budgetary support for the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Gaza. U.S. development assistance to the Palestinian Authority is an important investment in the long‐term stability of the Middle East. This funding has repeatedly come under threat from Congress, as some lawmakers have sought to punish the Palestinian Authority and Palestinians as a whole for seeking U.N. statehood recognition and for pursuing reconciliation efforts between the political parties of Hamas and Fatah. FCNL urges Congress to reject punitive efforts against the Palestinian Authority for seeking a non‐violent, multilateral approach to self-determination at the U.N. and to encourage comprehensive negotiations.

See the PDF here.

April 15, 2013

The Honorable Kay Granger
Chairwoman
House Appropriations Sub-Committee
State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs

The Honorable Nita Lowey
Ranking Member
House Appropriations Sub-Committee
State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs

Dear Representatives Granger and Lowey,

Thank you for supporting international humanitarian and poverty-focused development assistance in the fiscal year 2013 Continuing Resolution. We recognize the challenges of the current budget environment and we thank you for upholding humanitarian and development assistance.

As a coalition of religious and faith-based organizations working to achieve human security and to alleviate suffering around the world, we urge your continued support for sustained international humanitarian and poverty-focused development assistance funding for fiscal year 2014 appropriations. For less than one penny of every one U.S. taxpayer dollar, this funding enables life-saving and life-enriching programs that can help break the cycles of poverty and introduce productive opportunities for individuals, families, and communities around the world.With bipartisan support accounts such as Development Assistance, Disaster Assistance, Migration and Refugee Assistance, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, international food aid, global health programs, and contributions to the International Development Association and Global Food Security Fund save millions of lives while enhancing global and U.S. security.

Through our own global work, we see how U.S. investments touch the lives of millions every year. U.S.-supported nutrition interventions reached more than eight million young children last year, which translates into economic returns as high as $138 later in life for every dollar invested. By investing in country-led plans, Feed the Future has helped millions of small-holder farmers access local markets -- providing them the means to support their families -- and shows an average return on investment of 22 percent.

Through PEPFAR, 5.1 million men, women and children worldwide receive life-saving antiretroviral treatment, and HIV-positive pregnant women gave birth to 230,000 infants who are free of the virus. U.S. investments in primary education have helped increase global literacy rates by 33 percent and triple primary school enrollment in the last 25 years. Educational attainment fuels economic productivity; individual earnings increase 10 percent for every year of school completed. And last year, USAID’s credit guarantees mobilized $524 million in private financing, benefiting almost 1.5 million people. In the case of Uganda, this helped entrepreneurs leverage $28 for every $1 invested.U.S. leadership spurs other partners to act. The U.S. government’s $3.5 billion commitment to Feed the Future leveraged more than five times that amount in additional resources.

Contributions to the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria leverages three additional dollars for every one the United States commits. It is precisely this type of leadership that will help see a world free of extreme poverty, a world free of preventable child deaths, and the first AIDS-free generation since HIV was discovered, all of which are within reach in the coming decades if we sustain our commitment to this promising progress.

At this time of persistent conflict, more frequent and intense natural disasters, and nearly one billion people hungry, U.S. leadership is more important than ever. As you continue work on FY2014 appropriations, we urge your continued, bipartisan support for the vital humanitarian and development work the United States does to help those who are most vulnerable around the world.Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

American Friends Service Committee
American Jewish World Service
Bread for the World
Church World Service
Children's Medical Ministries
Christian Reformed Church Office of Social Justice
Church of the Brethren, Office of Public Witness
Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach
Conference of Major Superiors of Men
The Episcopal Church
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Food for the Hungry
Franciscan Action Network
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ
Islamic Society of North America
Leadership Conference of Women Religious
Living Water International
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Mennonite Central Committee, U.S. Washington Office
Muslim Public Affairs Council
Presbyterian Church USA
Union for Reform Judaism
United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries
United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society
United Methodist Church, Imagine No Malaria Campaign
World Vision

Lately I've been thinking a lot about how and why Quaker faith is so often lived out through social action. One way to engage with this query is to consider each of the Quaker testimonies and explore how they lead Friends to powerful witness for a better world. In my monthly newsletter to FCNL Contacts at Quaker meetings and churches, I have begun this conversation with the peace testimony.

Where does the peace testimony come from?

The first thing about Quakerism I felt confident in explaining to others was our belief in that of God in everyone. So many beautiful things evolve from that one conviction—Friends pedagogy that centers education on the whole child, open business processes that invite all members of the community to share divinely-inspired messages and, of course, the position that no other being should be harmed.

FCNL staff members prepare to race in the Baltimore Marathon wearing t-shirts that read "Don't Iraq Iran." Diplomacy is an important tool for promoting peace.

One expression of this sentiment that speaks to me is the peace statement made by New Zealand Yearly Meeting in 1987: “The primary reason for this stand is our conviction that there is that of God in every one which makes each person too precious to damage or destroy. While someone lives there is always the hope of reaching that of God within them: such hope motivates our search to find non-violent resolution of conflict. Peacemakers are also empowered by that of God in them. Our individual human skills, courage, endurance, and wisdom are vastly augmented by the power of the loving Spirit that connects all people.”

How do we build peace?

Though peace is a widely recognized tenant of Quakerism, I believe this principle has a deeper and more complex significance than some may think. In a recent conversation, our Executive Secretary Diane Randall said, “I see what we do [at FCNL] as straddling the idea of witness and working pragmatically for change. Certainly we witness, we are a Quaker presence and voice in Washington. But we also go beyond that because we work strategically and effectively.”

My concern for a conversation about peace is that it be grounded in reality. As someone who believes in peace, I fear I may not be taken seriously until others see that I understand the implications of my position. Peacemaking is hard, emotional work that can only be accomplished if individuals and groups put aside petty differences and exclusive self-interest. Truly building peace does not only call for a thoughtful, nonviolent response to conflict — it requires that the root causes of conflict be addressed before they lead to violence. This is where I see the FCNL community bring together the prophetic and the pragmatic.

A student from Carolina Friends School tells his members of Congress about his priorities for the federal budget.

The first assertion in FCNL’s statement of principles is simple: "We seek a world free of war and the threat of war." Yet this statement reveals how much Friends have delved into the pragmatic thinking necessary to create the prophetic vision we have for the world. This statement is one of the many reasons I am proud to be a member of this community. It shows that we witness to our conviction that peace is an ethical imperative and that violence is an unacceptable means of resolving conflict. Further, we understand that as long as the causes of conflict are left unaddressed, the world will live under threat of war.

The FCNL community is working to create a world in which humans need not use violence to obtain resources, to assert their human rights against oppressors or to defend themselves against violent acts motivated by intolerance and hate. Peace, then, does not simply imply demilitarization of our nation—though of course that is crucial. It calls for investment in the positive development in everything from sustainable resources at home and abroad, to multicultural education that fosters understanding and respect between different peoples of the earth. Working for peace means disarmament, but it also requires the promotion of community building and peaceful methods of conflict transformation on every level. True peacebuilding is a positive creation, it is well-informed, and it is proactive.

The FCNL community’s work in context

From this fundamental position, FCNL has developed a variety of legislative programs that comprehensively address the task of peacemaking. Folks like you continue to be a crucial part of this work—whether you are led to work for more funding for atrocities prevention, revise U.S. economic policy to make resources accessible to everyone, or stop climate change from fueling conflict worldwide. I see that the FCNL community articulates a powerful vision for how the world should be—and works to persuade Congress to take concrete steps to make this vision a reality. I'm so grateful to being doing this work with you all.

In 2000, FCNL shared this newsletter with its network, advocating for an international code of conduct regulating the sale of small arms. 13 years later, the U.N. has finally adopted a global Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) to help prevent conventional weapons from fueling atrocities.

This Tuesday, countries across the world voted in support of an agreement text that, though imperfect, establishes the following:

Once 50 states have ratified the treaty, it will officially go into effect.

Despite some major challenges (including a recent Senate amendment that would prevent the U.S. from joining the ATT), the U.S. delegation ultimately voiced strong support for the agreement. The next step for U.S. advocates is ensuring that President Obama signs the agreement when it opens in June – and ensuring that the U.S. continues to think critically about its own regulations for foreign arms sales.

While arms control activists maintain that the ATT will have an impact either way, the support of the world’s major arms suppliers – including the U.S. – is critical to the treaty’s implementation. And though the U.S. often cites its relatively strong arms trade standards, ongoing transfers to regimes like that in Bahrain raise serious questions about U.S. commitment to human rights.

Still, the treaty’s adoption alone remains a tremendous success and a big step forward for a $70 billion market left unregulated until now. Send a message today thanking President Obama for his support, and urge him to sign on to the treaty as soon as possible. For many around the world most impacted by the irresponsible sale of small arms, this week was true history in the making – and it’s time for the U.S. to be on the right side.

Thanks in part to advocacy from FCNL’s network and others, Senator Coons has introduced a resolution focused on continued U.S. support for peace in Kenya. As Kenyans await verdicts on some important court cases – including one challenging the results of Kenya’s presidential election, due to be decided in a few days – Friends have emphasized that violence prevention and peacebuilding are as critical now as they were on Election Day.

The resolution (S. Res. 90), which is co-sponsored by Senator Cardin and Senator Flake, states its purpose as:

standing with the people of Kenya following their national and local elections on March 4, 2013, and urging a peaceful and credible resolution of electoral disputes in the courts.”

In bringing this forward, these senators have offered a signal that the U.S. will continue to stand with those working toward peace and social justice in Kenya long after the polls have left the headlines. And while U.S.-Kenya policy is far from perfect – still raising major concerns about the impacts of U.S. military assistance, for example – this focus on peaceful prevention is a big step in the right direction.

Write to your senators now to encourage them to join S. Res. 90, and add their names to those who recognize what so many Kenyans are doing to prevent violence and make change in their communities. In the weeks following the court cases and beyond, our voices will continue to call for U.S. engagement that helps support, rather than undermine, efforts toward long-term peace.

Below are a few updates on Kenya's elections so far. For more detailed background, see these earlier blog posts (here and here) or FCNL's Kenya page.

After a long vote-counting process, Kenya’s Electoral Commission has announced results for races across the country, ranging from county governors to the new president of Kenya. But while victors have been declared, court cases to contest these results have also been filed – even including, said Friends in Kenya, “court cases on the court cases.”

One of the most contentious of those cases is, of course, that focused on the outcome of the presidential election. President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta – who is both the son of Kenya's first president and an indictee at the International Criminal Court – has, as of now, won the vote by a narrow margin. But while a number of news sources have declared Kenyatta the next president, the opposition candidate, Prime Minister Raila Odinga, has filed a court case challenging the result.

Given widespread reports of electoral irregularities – including bribery, intimidation, and ballot-stuffing – legal appeals on the part of Odinga and many others are filed with good cause, offering an important means of voicing concerns and establishing electoral accountability. Moreover, they indicate a stark contrast to 2007, when confidence in Kenya's judicial system was too low to make the mechanism seem trustworthy. Though Kenyan Friends emphasize that many grievances will be left unaddressed by the courts this time around, as well, they’ve been heartened to see this alternative to violence widely utilized so far.

Still, as international media and others highlight Kenya’s peaceful elections, many in Kenya are anxiously aware of the inevitable disappointment these court verdicts will bring in a few days' time. While non-violent polls are an important start, they maintain that the tension isn’t over yet.

So far, the U.S. has continued to emphasize its support for court-based dispute resolution and has congratulated Kenyans on a peaceful election process. As Kenya awaits a number of decisions, we urge the U.S. to:

According to Kenyan Friends, support for peace on the part of the U.S. and international community is as essential now as it was a month ago. As tempting as it is to note Kenya's current stability and declare a success for prevention, the truth remains that peace is an ongoing effort – and those working toward it must acknowledge the road ahead in both the elections and beyond.

Write to your senators now to urge them to co-sponsor Senator Coons's resolution on Kenya's ongoing electoral process, which states that the U.S. will continue to stand with Kenyan communities in the weeks and months to come.

Testimony to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs

March 14, 2013

Submitted by Diane Randall, Executive Secretary
Friends Committee on National Legislation

Chairwoman Granger and members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today. My name is Diane Randall and I am the Executive Secretary at the Friends Committee on National Legislation. FCNL is a nonpartisan, Quaker lobby in the public interest. We are the oldest registered religious lobby organization in the United States,with a grassroots network of nearly 60,000 around the country.

Since its founding nearly 70 years ago, FCNL has worked to help heal the wounds of war and promote disarmament and lasting peace. From lobbying in support the Marshall Plan in the 1940’s to lobbying for the peaceful prevention of deadly conflict today, FCNL advocates for policies to build a more just and peaceful world. We fully support a number of accounts within the International Affairs budget.

1. The Complex Crises Fund (CCF)
2. The Conflict Stabilization Operations Bureau
3. Paying U.N. dues in full and on time
4. Palestinian Development Assistance
5. The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization

Today, my testimony will focus on FCNL’s priority to strengthen civilian capacities to prevent violent conflict before the killing starts. I will talk about peacebuilding in Kenya and briefly mention humanitarian support for Palestine—areas intimately connected with the worldwide network of Quakers.

First, peacebuilding in Kenya. When conflicts escalate, civilian agencies need flexible funding to act quickly order to undertake rapid stabilization, prevention, and crisis response activities. In FY2010, Congress funded the Complex Crises Fund for the first time. Housed within USAID, the Complex Crises Fund has been used as a rapid response fund in several countries, including Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Tunisia, and Kyrgyzstan.

Kenya is home to the largest number of Quakers in the world. Since post-election violence engulfed significant parts of the country five years ago, a network of Quaker grassroots peacebuilders have worked tirelessly to prevent more violence. A year ago when I visited Kenya, I saw how these local civil society actors are making a profound impact, confirming the need and benefit of flexible funding to support local peacebuilding efforts. The Complex Crises Fund has been used in Kenya in advance of the recent presidential elections that were widely anticipated as a potential flashpoint to renew the electoral-related violence that exploded in 2007-2008. Prior to the contentious constitutional referendum in 2010, the CCF was used to train civil society organizations to monitor radio and public events for hate speech. More recently, the fund helped establish an office in Mombasa where local staff members conduct youth peacebuilding efforts and investigate divisive land issues that have prompted violence. These important investments help prevent violence. We note, however, the ongoing growth of counter-terrorism and military aid to Kenya. We urge the subcommittee to closely monitor and evaluate these security programs to assure that the positive developments in peacebuilding and the emphasis on human rights, rule of law, and effective governance are not offset by a military role.

We are cautiously optimistic that peace will prevail following Kenya’s elections earlier this month, and we are confident that the resources of the Complex Crises Fund made a difference in increasing the United States’ preventive activitiesDespite the growing track record of the Complex Crises Fund, this Subcommittee eliminated the fund in the past two fiscal years. The CCF has continued to receive funding, through the Senate’s preservation of the Fund, albeit dramatically reduced.

We urge you to fully fund the Administration’s FY2014 request for the Complex Crises Fund.

Quakers have also had a longstanding presence is Israel and the Palestinian Territories. U.S. assistance for Palestinian humanitarian and development efforts is vital to the U.S. pursuit of a just and lasting resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Cuts to this aid would signal a sharp rebuke to the growing Palestinian nonviolence movement and undermine the rising forces of democracy and nonviolence throughout the Middle East.

For more than a century, Quakers have worked for peace in the Middle East. In 1949, the United Nations asked the American Friends Service Committee – a sister organization - to organize relief efforts for Palestinian refugees--which AFSC led until the United Nations Relief Works Agency or UNRWA began its operations in 1950. UNRWA has a vital role for stability and humanitarian assistance for a population in distress, and we urge Congress to fully support its operations.

Ramallah Friends School is a recipient of USAID’s American School and Hospitals Assistance program,. In 2011, nearly $200 million in for USAID and NGO development assistance was blocked by Congress. We are grateful that this committee did release that funding and would encourage the committee to protect those funds going forward.

We urge Congress to support the Administration’s FY2014 request for Economic Support Funds for the Palestinian Authority and for the Migration and Refugees Account, which funds UNRWA.

The Friends Committee on National Legislation believes that the United States has the tools and resources to help foster a more peaceful and just world. By investing in early efforts to prevent violence before it breaks out and faithfully providing humanitarian and economic assistance to vulnerable communities, the United States can help avoid costly military interventions. Our written testimony includes more details on the proposals I’ve presented, and I thank you for your service to promote effective US foreign policy through the effective use of peacebuilding and development assistance and for this opportunity to share our views.

See also Diane Randall's full written public witness testimony submitted 3/1/2013:

See a PDF of the written testimony.

Saving Lives and Treasure:
Investing in the Peaceful Prevention of Deadly Conflict

Public Witness Testimony, Submitted to the House Appropriations
Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related ProgramsMarch 1, 2013

Since 1943, FCNL has lobbied Congress to prevent war and help build a more peaceful, just world. After all these years, we are encouraged by the consensus now emerging among policymakers that the U.S. needs to invest more in developing nonmilitary tools for addressing global problems and preventing deadly conflict before it erupts. Such investments would save not only lives, but significant taxpayer dollars as well. As Friends, we have seen that the peaceful prevention of deadly conflict is possible through partnerships with local civil society around the world. Our request specifically pertains to the Complex Crises Fund, Conflict Stabilization Operations, Transition Initiatives, the Global Security Contingency Fund, Palestinian Development Assistance, Migration and Refugees Assistance, Contributions to International Organizations and Contributions to International Peacekeeping at the State Department and USAID.

We agree with Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, Secretary of State John Kerry, and bipartisan leaders in Congress who recognize the importance of strengthening civilian capacity in order to meet today’s complex security and humanitarian challenges.

The international affairs budget includes a number of modest but important investments that will preserve scarce resources by improving the U.S. government’s ability to prevent and mitigate conflict. The initiatives outlined below represent relatively small investments that could save billions of dollars and thousands of lives by preventing crises from turning violent, stemming mass atrocities, and avoiding costly interventions.

Complex Crises Fund (CCF)

The Complex Crises Fund (CCF) provides USAID with a critical source of flexible funding “to prevent and respond to emerging or unforeseen crises.” The HELP Commission, Council on Foreign Relations, and Albright-Cohen Genocide Prevention Task Force have all called for such a fund for civilian agencies. Without flexible funding, civilian agencies are often unable to act quickly when conflicts escalate or to undertake rapid stabilization, prevention, and crisis response activities. Previously, the Department of Defense had been left to fill this gap, undertaking its own crisis response activities or transferring funding to civilian agencies under the temporary Sec. 1207 authority granted by Congress since 2006. The Sec. 1207 authority expired at the end of 2010, with the CCF replacing it. The CCF was used last year by USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives in Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Tunisia, and Sri Lanka.

We urge you to fully fund the Administration’s FY2014 request for the Complex Crises Fund.

Conflict Stabilization Operations (CSO)

The Conflict Stabilization Operations bureau was created out of the 2010 Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review, and funds the Civilian Response Corps (CRC) and the former Office for the Coordinator of Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS). The CSO Bureau absorbs the mandate and activities of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization, and is charged with leading integrated, civilian efforts to prevent, respond to, and stabilize crises all over the world. CSO serves as the home bureau for State Department expertise on these issues.

Over the past year, the CSO bureau has worked in four priority engagements, including Kenya. In Kenya, CSO has helped connect key community members in volatile areas in order to strengthen networks for peace. In the Rift Valley, CSO has helped facilitate the formation of a Kenyan-led group of interfaith, youth and humanitarian leaders that meet weekly to coordinate around initiatives such as voter registration outreach and mapping of early warning systems. In the coast, they made possible the hiring of 25-30 local Kenyan monitors in tense areas beginning in January of 2013, who will add capacity to violence prevention networks already in place.

We urge you to fully fund the Administration’s FY2014 request for Conflict Stabilization Operations.

Transition Initiatives (TI)

The international affairs budget also includes funding for the Transition Initiatives (TI) account, which supports programs that help fragile or conflict-prone countries transition to peace and stability. Since 1994, OTI, part of USAID’s Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance, has laid the foundation for long-term development in 31 conflict-prone countries by promoting reconciliation, jumpstarting local economies, supporting nascent independent media, and fostering peace and democracy through innovative programming. In countries undergoing a transition from authoritarianism to democracy, violent conflict to peace, or pivotal political events, these initiatives can serve as catalysts for positive political change. TI has developed a strong track record over 15 years in applying short-term assistance to leverage opportunities for advancing peace and mitigating violence.

We urge you to fully fund the Administration’s FY2014 request for USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives.

Global Security Contingency Fund (GSCF)

The FY12 budget requested $50 million for a new account, the Global Security Contingency Fund (GSCF), to enhance foreign militaries as well as to provide justice sector rule of law and stabilization assistance. The fund was not authorized, however funding for these purposes was allocated for the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Capability Fund for FY12. The fund is to be pooled jointly between the Department of State and Department of Defense, and the Secretary of State must consult with the Secretary of Defense before using these funds. This fund is very similar to the 1207 transfer funds which were allowed to expire in 2010, in part because your committee and other congressional appropriators believed civilian agencies should be given direct authority over their own funding streams. FCNL is concerned that the administration’s proposed GSCF recreates the 1207 authority and perpetuates the militarization of aid. While DoD may act as the implementer for some security assistance programs, the State Department and civilian leaders should decide how U.S. taxpayer dollars are spent on foreign assistance.

We urge you to include report language that would focus the GSCF specifically on civilian rule of law and comprehensive justice reform, and appropriate this account solely to the Department of State and USAID, rather than a joint account with the Department of Defense. We urge appropriators to exercise vigilant oversight over this account as it is implemented.

Contributions to International Organizations

The CIO account provides money to pay U.S. assessed dues at 45 international organizations including the World Health Organization, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the World Trade Organization, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, and the United Nations. These organizations help advance a wide range of shared goals, including promoting economic growth, monitoring weapons proliferation, creating global trade norms, and addressing global health pandemics.

We urge you to fully fund the Administration’s FY2014 request for Contributions to International Organizations.

Contributions to International Peacekeeping Activities

UN peace operations are cost-efficient and often prove vital in consolidating the peace in countries emerging from conflict. Funding these operations through the CIPA account saves lives in Darfur, Chad, Liberia, Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and other conflict zones. By supporting UN peacekeeping, we lessen the burden on our own forces and reduce our own expenditures. In 2006, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study concluded that UN peacekeeping is eight times less expensive than funding a U.S. force.

We urge you to fully fund the Administration’s FY2015 request for Contributions to International Peacekeeping Activities.

Palestinian Development Assistance

This account provides crucial economic funding and budgetary support for the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Gaza. U.S. development assistance to the Palestinian Authority is an important investment in the long-term stability of the Middle East. This funding has repeatedly come under threat from Congress, as some lawmakers have sought to punish the Palestinian Authority and Palestinians as a whole for seeking U.N. statehood recognition and for pursuing reconciliation efforts between the political parties of Hamas and Fatah. FCNL urges Congress to reject punitive efforts against the Palestinian Authority for seeking a non-violent, multilateral approach to self-determination at the U.N. and to encourage comprehensive negotiations in good faith between Israel and a unified Palestinian government, encouraging rather than impeding Palestinian reconciliation efforts.

We urge you to support Economic Support Funds for the Palestinian Authority, and reject onerous, punitive restrictions on aid.

Migration and Refugee Assistance

This account provides protection and assistance needs of refugees, conflict victims, stateless persons, and vulnerable migrants worldwide. Funds primarily support the programs of international organizations, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), as well as non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The President’s FY 13 budget request for the MRA account is $1.6254 billion. FCNL, along with a host of humanitarian and refugee advocacy groups, supports increasing this funding for the MRA account to $1.875 billion. A funding level of $1.875 billion for FY 13 would match the FY12 total funding level enacted.

We urge you to the Administration’s FY2014 request for Migration and Refugee Assistance (MRA) account.

Counterterrorism and Military Assistance focused on Africa

In the past, the administration has requested that accounts including Antiterrorism Assistance, International Military Education and Training, and Foreign Military Financing provide counterterrorism and military assistance to a number of countries in Africa. As concerns around militant extremism on the continent grow, we fear that a focus on violent approaches – rather than on those dedicated to addressing root causes of conflict – may undermine U.S. support for what is most effective in countering violent extremism: peaceful, just societies. A number of governments and security forces receiving U.S. security assistance have used counterterrorism as justification for human rights abuses and political oppression, exacerbating the potential for radicalization and instability. At times, U.S. equipment and resources have been used to perpetuate deadly conflict. The U.S. should evaluate the dangers of these policies moving forward, as well as consider how they may contribute to negative dynamics.

We urge you to closely monitor lethal counterterror and military assistance to African countries, as well as to include report language that ensures evaluation of its impact on issues of governance and human rights.

Below are a few updates on Kenya's elections so far. For more detailed background, see this earlier blog post or FCNL's Kenya page.

Yesterday’s elections began with tragic violence on Kenya’s coast, but the remaining hours were marked with high turn-out and predominantly peaceful voting. As results are announced and the electoral process continues, efforts on the part of those working to keep peace in their communities will be ongoing for days and weeks to come.

In the meantime, Kenya’s Electoral Commission has urged caution amid delays in vote counting and reports of faulty ballots. Friends in Kenya echoed some similar concerns in a recent blog post, noting technical difficulties and instances of bribery at polling stations where they served as election observers.

Fortunately, work to prevent violence in Kenya has remained strong despite these road bumps – an effort that is, in many ways, unprecedented. Media outlets around the world have highlighted Kenyan peace initiatives – from trains painted with graffiti to clerics delivering sermons on peace nationwide – and Friends in Kenya shared their own press release highlighting community-driven violence prevention and social justice campaigns last week.

On Friday, the U.S. State Department also released a fact sheet outlining U.S. policies aimed at supporting free, fair, and peaceful elections. Since then, U.S. spokespeople have continued to actively express hopes for peaceful engagement on the part of both candidates and their constituents, echoing President Obama’s sentiments from a rare, preemptive message to Kenyans last month.

Write a letter to the editor for your local newspaper today that highlights efforts toward peace in Kenya and urges your policymakers to pay attention. While the road ahead is long, Kenyan Friends and thousands of others continue to offer an example of the peaceful prevention of deadly conflict in action – and U.S. support for these efforts, though still a work in progress, is an important step forward.

After two years of advocacy on U.S.-Kenya policy here in Washington – and years of peacebuilding work on the part of Kenyan Friends – it’s difficult to believe that Kenya’s national elections are just a few days away. Voters have been registered, two presidential debates have concluded, and many domestic and international poll observers have begun their missions.

A number of articles over the past couple of weeks, including this one from the New York Times, have painted dire pictures of the electoral situation. The lesser told story, however, seems to be that of the many Kenyans – including Kenyan Friends – who are successfully working to build peace and prevent violence in their communities.

A group of Quaker organizations have been holding monthly conference calls focused on supporting peace and preventing violence in Kenya. While speaking with Quakers based in New York, Nairobi, western Kenya, and the UK yesterday, Kenyan Friends shared a number of concerns around the potential for violence in their areas and beyond. They noted widespread instances of bribery and reports that many are leaving their homes in fear of intimidation. As tension rises, participants in Friends’ violence prevention workshops and community monitoring system ask how they can possibly respond to all of the troubling news.

According to Getry Agizah of the Friends Church Peace Team, peacebuilders have only one choice in the final days before the elections: to rely on the communities with which they work and the relationships they’ve built together. Even as concerns increase, so do Friends' efforts to lead more trainings on non-violence, equip more community members with mediation skills, and hold more grassroots forums on the importance of peace.

What we can do,” Getry shares with Friends' networks in Kenya, “is create a safe space in our own surroundings. If we can make it our goal to keep peace in our own small ways, in our own communities, then we will make a difference – no matter what.”

As is typical in Washington, many are turning their eyes toward Kenya right now – in the final moments before the elections – and asking questions about the potential for violence and the steps that need to be taken to support peace. Kenyan Friends and FCNL emphasize that as Monday approaches, it's most critical for the international community to stand with those in Kenya who have been working toward peace over the past five years. In our own small ways, we can each take action to highlight the power of non-violence in the face of adversity.

Write to your members of Congress now to urge them to make a statement in support of all that Kenyan communities have done and will continue to do to peacefully prevent deadly conflict. Regardless of what the elections bring, Kenyan Friends’ efforts will make a difference – and have already begun laying the foundation for long-term change. Their work should serve as a lesson to us all, from peacebuilders in western Kenya to policymakers in Washington, DC.

In its first term, your administration elevated the prevention of mass atrocities to a core national security interest and took steps to bolster this priority. We applaud the fundamental structural changes in the U.S. government, as represented by the establishment of the Atrocities Prevention Board (APB), inclusion of mass atrocities in the Director for National Intelligence’s Annual Threats Assessment testimony in 2010 and 2012, appointment of a Director for War Crimes and Mass Atrocities at the National Security Council, and the release of Presidential Study Directive 10 that resulted in a government-wide assessment of atrocities prevention capacities. These steps help better anticipate, prevent, and respond to situations of mass violence against civilians, and fulfill America’s promise of global leadership.

In your second term, you have an opportunity to institutionalize these achievements, and we recommend you take the following steps:

Your second term in office presents an unprecedented opportunity for the Administration to strengthen and institutionalize new systems and capacities to prevent mass violence against civilians. The first term produced tremendous accomplishments. However, there is more work to be done to improve U.S. leadership on mass atrocities and to prevent violence that shocks our consciences.

We look forward to partnering with your Administration as it proceeds with its agenda for the next four years.

Sincerely,

3P Human Security
Alliance for Peacebuilding
Auschwitz Institute for Peace and Reconciliation
Better World Campaign
Conference of Major Superiors of Men
Freedom House
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Global Rights
Human Rights First
Humanity United
Invisible Children
Oxfam America
Physicians for Human Rights
The Enough Project
The Peace Alliance
United to End Genocide

John Norris
Executive Director, Sustainable Security & Peacebuilding Initiative
Center for American Progress

Mark L. Schneider
Senior Vice President
International Crisis Group

Amb. Mark P. Lagon
Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, and Council on Foreign Relations

Tod Lindberg
Research Fellow
Hoover Institution

*The Prevention and Protection Working Group is a coalition of human rights, religious, humanitarian, anti-genocide, peace and other organizations dedicated to improving U.S. government policies and civilian capacities to prevent violent conflict, mass atrocities and protect civilians threatened by such crises.

cc: Vice President Joe Biden
Secretary John Kerry, Department of State
Secretary Timothy Geithner, Department of Treasury
Attorney General Eric Holder, Department of Justice
Secretary Janet Napolitano, Department of Homeland Security
Secretary Leon Panetta, Department of Defense
Tom Donilon, National Security Advisor
Rajiv Shah, USAID Administrator
Susan Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations
General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Samantha Power, Senior Director of Multilateral Affairs National Security CouncilSteven Pomper, Director for War Crimes and Atrocities National Security Council

Earlier this week, the White House released a videotaped message from President Obama to the people of Kenya. While the statement iterated U.S. support for a fair and peaceful election – and included some recommendations that Kenyans could just as easily encourage on the part of the United States – his ultimate emphasis was on the power Kenyans have to reject violence on March 4th and beyond.

As the elections draw closer, U.S.-Kenya policy should reflect this focus on all that Kenyan communities (including Kenyan Friends) have and continue to do to build peace. Along those lines, here are some final recommendations from FCNL’s most recent policy brief on Kenya:

1.) Establish a clear, comprehensive plan of response for potential outcomes in Kenya, which includes:

2.) Coordinate closely with other international and domestic observers.

3.) Ensure that current counterterror and security assistance does not contribute to human rights abuses and ethnic or religious profiling. Continue to press the Kenyan government to develop an immediate, medium-term electoral plan for police that focuses on civilian protection and violence prevention, and emphasize that aid will be withheld in the event of violations.

Last week, 32 organizations joined FCNL in calling on President Obama to support African efforts toward peaceful solutions – rather than violent ones – as fears around militant extremism grow. The letter was written in response to recent reports that the administration may request an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) in Africa, a move which could both legitimize current military activities and enable vast expansion of the administration’s purview in the “war on terror.”

While controversy continues around what’s allowed by the 2001 AUMF (which authorized use of force against those responsible for the September 11th attacks), we remain concerned that military operations, assistance, and training legitimized by any legislation – new or old – could do more harm than good. A few consequences we've already seen include:

1.) Directly undermining non-violent solutions and democratic processes: From Mali to Uganda, U.S. military partnerships have drawn criticism for providing assistance and training to governments and security forces that oppress and abuse their communities. While the U.S. government simultaneously claims to support democratic institutions and movements, it often seems to ignore how certain counterterror policies directly undermine those efforts – and therefore undermine the prospects for peaceful solutions.

2.) Putting more communities at risk: While militant extremist groups threaten the civilians they target, military efforts to counter them frequently do the same. Unintended consequences can be rampant, as is seen in reports that have explicitly linked arms and militia in Mali to the aftermath of crisis in Libya. As international forces undertake operations in Mali, many are raising questions as to whether civilian protection is a main priority – or whether offensive, short-term operations will instead take precedence over long-term stability and safety.

3.) Failing to end the spread and address the root causes of militant extremism: After more than a decade in Afghanistan, the threat of militant extremism seems only to have been displaced – and, based on recent reports evaluating the impact of drone strikes – to have grown in response to U.S. violence. Though the contexts in Mali, Somalia, and the myriad other countries U.S. counterterror policies have and may impact vary dramatically, the roots of extremism often lie in complex histories and dynamics. While many state that it's naïve to offer these conditions as an excuse, it’s equally naïve to offer force as the primary solution.

As conflict in Mali and elsewhere escalates – and entire communities and regions are put at risk – many advocates feel that alternatives to force grow slim. But at what point will the U.S. government consider how its current policies help to enable and perpetuate these cycles of violence, making the next crisis more and more and more likely? The continued U.S. emphasis on military solutions – be they through training foreign forces in Mali or undertaking covert drone strikes in Somalia – does not seem to bring the security it claims to seek.

So: if war is not the answer, what is? Though no one can offer a panacea – and though it’s not always easy to find local actors working to prevent violence – the truth remains that the U.S. can take many more steps to better work with community-based peacebuilders when possible. It can take many more steps to invest in the diplomatic efforts that might help support peaceful solutions and prevent crises before they erupt. And it can take many more steps to assess whether its current lethal tactics are actually achieving their goals.

As the threat of militant extremism in African countries becomes more prominent, FCNL and 32 allies continue to challenge the U.S. government to try a different approach: one that looks ahead at sources of deadly conflict, supports those working in their communities to prevent and address its causes in the long-term, and substantively considers the idea that violence begets more violence. Until then, this potential request for an AUMF in Africa suggests the U.S. will make the same mistakes – over and over and over again.

Just two weeks ago, FCNL sent a letter to senators urging them to reconsider unchecked counterterror and military assistance to Kenyan security forces, following growing reports of human rights abuses in the name of counterterrorism. A week later, a different article revealed how U.S.-backed lethal aid in Libya made its way to militant extremists, much to President Obama’s dismay. Further unintended consequences of NATO’s operations in Libya, according to some, include the current crisis in Mali, where the Pentagon is now planning to help support a multinational military intervention next year.

Even as reports of the blowback for overreliance on military solutions grow, the U.S. government far too often turns to an infusion of weapons and violence in response to instability. While the toll on African communities has indeed been rising as a result of violent extremism – and there are no panaceas for its complex causes and conditions from place to place – evidence indicates that war in the name of countering this extremism is as unlikely to work in African countries as it has been in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Instead, we urge the U.S. government – from the administration to Congress – to consider what steps it might take to better work with those in Mali, Nigeria, Kenya and elsewhere who are seeking long-term solutions that prioritize justice, peace and stability. Moreover, we urge U.S. policymakers to consider how their own actions, such as those which support foreign governments and security forces known for human rights abuses and repression, serve to undermine that very security they claim to pursue. The longer the U.S. excessively invests in and utilizes military tools, the longer they’ll seem to be the only ones available – putting not only thousands of communities worldwide, but our own servicemembers, aid workers and civilians at risk.

Syria has now been at war for twenty months. By some counts, over 40,000 people have died, hundreds of thousands have sought refuge in Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon, and about 1.5 million people have been displaced within Syria.

Today it was reported that the Syrian government has fired Scud missiles at rebels, representing a significant escalation in the fighting. Following reports of Syrian government activity at chemical weapons sites earlier this month, President Obama and Secretary Clinton each publicly warned Bashar Assad not to use chemical weapons, implying that the U.S. may respond with military force. Secretary Clinton said “This is a red line for the United States…suffice it to say, we are certainly planning to take action if that eventuality were to occur.”

Additionally, NATO recently decided to move Patriot missiles and troops to Turkey’s border with Syria over the next month, a threatening move meant to deter the Syrian government from attacking Turkey, which supports the rebels. NATO officials claim their missiles will be programmed only to intercept missiles into Turkey. Nonetheless, adding more weapons will further militarize the conflict and undermine a future political settlement.

In the face of recent developments and some indications that a U.S. military response may be on the table, we at FCNL reaffirm our conviction that U.S. military intervention would further exacerbate the conflict.

Diplomacy is Key

The U.S. has a long history of diplomatic estrangement from Syria—an estrangement that has severely hampered the range of diplomatic options available to the U.S. during Syria’s horrific civil war. However, the U.S. can help end the violence by supporting the U.N. Special Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi, particularly by prioritizing his efforts to secure a ceasefire so a comprehensive peace agreement can be reached, as he successfully achieved when working to help end the Lebanese civil war.

Both Iran and Russia have continued to support Assad’s repressive regime. Urging Iran and Russia to abandon their support for the Assad regime should be one of the United States’ diplomatic priorities. As former Obama Administration official Vali Nasr pointed out, “the United States and its allies must enlist the cooperation of Mr. Assad’s allies — Russia and, especially, Iran — to find a power-sharing arrangement for a post-Assad Syria that all sides can support, however difficult that may be to achieve.”

Unfortunately, even when Iran volunteered to discuss Syria in U.N.-mediated negotiations, the Obama administration refused to include Iran in this discussion.

Regarding Russia, when the U.S. has pressured Russia to abandon its military support for the Assad dictatorship, Russia has often pointed to continuing U.S. support for the dictatorship in Bahrain. As John Feffer noted, “If the United States wants Russia to sever its relationship with Assad, it should begin by severing its relationship with the Bahraini dictatorship. The first and most important sign of such a divorce would be the withdrawal of the U.S. Fifth Fleet from Bahrain.”

There are no easy answers to ending the carnage in Syria, but the U.S. can help stop further violence by engaging in principled diplomacy. Effective diplomacy will require engaging all the external actors to the conflict.

We do not want the U.S. government to come in and say, ‘These are our problems.’ Rather, we want them to know that there are grassroots leaders all over Kenya building peace – and that the U.S. can do more to work with and support them.”

Last week, the Friends Church Peace Team (FCPT)’s Getry Agizah headed back to Kenya from Washington, DC, after sharing her experience and insight with U.S. policymakers and local Friends for a second time. In meetings that ranged from congressional offices to the White House, she urged preventive action and meaningful partnerships with Kenyan communities.

Over the past few months, Getry’s organization has been finalizing the details of a grassroots citizen reporting system, which uses local participants trained in Alternatives to Violence and mediation to monitor their areas for signs of trouble. When a worrisome situation occurs, citizen reporters send a text message to a database checked by FCPT staff. Staff then send the information to another group from the area in which the incident occurred, known as the “watchdog unit.” The watchdog unit’s first job is to verify the details received, making sure that no rumors are causing undue alarm. Through speaking with the parties involved, neighbors, and others, they piece together facts and, if something has occurred, eventually brainstorm different methods of non-violent intervention.

This way,” Getry says, “the solutions are actually coming from members of the community rather than the FCPT staff. If they’d like us to offer tools, resources, a mediator from outside, we will – but first, we want to be sure that they use their knowledge of the area to find the right response.”

The system has already been used to help prevent further conflict in two tense situations: one in which a farmer’s crops were burned and another in which someone was killed. Both communities are undergoing mediation, and no violence has occurred since.

As Getry described this process to U.S. policymakers, the impact of her words was clear. She offered congressional staff a concrete example of how community-based violence prevention and peacebuilding can look, and she’ll be connecting with staff from U.S. conflict prevention programs like the Office of Transition Initiatives and the State Department’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations to further share her work once she returns to Kenya.

In the meantime, she encouraged the U.S. government to take some important steps, including:

Getry’s voice for peace is one that we always need more of here in Washington, and FCNL is grateful that she once again shared her story of peaceful prevention – and reminded our policymakers that war is not the answer.

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20500

RE: July Arms Trade Treaty conference and the next steps

Dear Mr. President,

We appreciate your administration's stated support for the conclusion of negotiations for an effective Arms Trade Treaty at the July 2-27 UN Diplomatic Conference.

However, we were deeply disappointed to hear the head of the U.S. delegation announce on the morning of the final day that the administration still had concerns with the draft treaty text and needed more time to address them.

The decision by your team to stop short of the diplomatic finish line was surprising to us and to many of the governments at the conference given that the U.S. delegation succeeded in pressing other countries to support a July 26 draft treaty text that incorporated key U.S. positions and avoided U.S. redlines. Furthermore, none of the remaining concerns cited by the U.S. team on floor on the morning of July 27 appear to have been core treaty issues.

We agree with the assertion in the statement issued at the close of the conference by more than 90 countries, including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, that: “We had expected to adopt such a draft Treaty today. Compromises have had to be made, but overall the text…put forward yesterday has the overwhelming support of the international community.” Like those states, we believe it should have been possible to wrap up loose ends on the final day.

The July 26 draft, if adopted, would help reduce enormous human suffering caused by irresponsible international arms transfers and arms brokering. With specific fixes, we believe its adoption should be supported by the United States and other major arms exporting and importing countries, and promptly.

With these points in mind, we encourage you, Secretary Clinton, and Ambassador Rice to work with other states at the UN General Assembly to build upon the July ATT conference and draft treaty text in order to open the way for the treaty's approval and opening for signature as quickly as possible.

We would ask you to provide some clarification regarding the specific issues that led the White House to hold back its support from the ATT draft treaty text and for an explanation for how the United States intends to proceed on the issue at the UNGA and beyond.

Surely, securing agreement on a sound treaty won't be easy. But we believe it can be achieved if responsible leaders from key countries work together in the weeks ahead.

We believe the United States, as the world's leading arms supplier, has a special responsibility to help achieve a robust ATT. It is also in the U.S. national security interest to protect American soldiers and the human rights and lives of innocent civilians caught up in dangerous conflicts fueled by the illicit and irresponsible international trade of conventional arms and ammunition.

Thanks for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Eric Sapp,
Executive Director,
American Values Network

Suzanne Nossel,
Executive Director,
Amnesty International USA

Daryl G. Kimball,
Executive Director,
Arms Control Association

William D. Hartung,
Director, Arms and Security Project,
Center for International Policy

Kathi Lynn Austin,
Executive Director,
Conflict Awareness Project

Diane Randall,
Executive Secretary,
Friends Committee on National Legislation

Michael Christ,
Executive Director,
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War

Galen Carey,
Vice President, Government Relations,
National Association of Evangelicals

Raymond C. Offenheiser,
President,
Oxfam America

Hon. Ross Robertson MP,
Assistant Speaker of Parliament (New Zealand), and President,
Parliamentarians for Global Action

Mickey Jackson,
Student Coordinator,
STAND (the student-led division of United to End Genocide)

Thomas H. Andrews,
President and CEO,
United to End Genocide

CC: Denis McDonough, Deputy National Security Advisor
Rose Gottemoeller, Acting Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security
Tom Countryman, Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation

UPDATE: Since this post was written in late August, more than 100 people have died in clashes in Tana River. A Kenyan politician has been charged with violent incitement, and a recent article raised concerns that security forces sent to disarm those involved actually attacked civilians (though a subsequent statement from a Kenyan official disputed this claim). The continued instability highlights the need for immediate investment in mediation, violence prevention, and long-term conflict transformation.

Last night, at least 48 people were killed in an attack on Reketa village in southeastern Kenya. The violence is believed to have been undertaken in revenge, following ethnic clashes between two tribes that have escalated during the past few weeks. The 48 identified included 6 men, 11 children, and 31 women.

The area has a history of conflict over land and resources, and many in Kenya have noted the imminent elections as a source of rising tension. One nearby resident was quoted in the IRIN article linked above:

If you go by history, you will find that such incidents usually occur whenever we approach an election," he said. "The reason behind it being to displace people in order to achieve a certain voting pattern that will favour particular politicians... The end result is always death and destruction."

While Kenyan politicians have not been formally implicated in fueling this tragedy as of yet, local leaders have said that warnings of rising tension weren’t heeded by security forces and that representatives have historically exacerbated divisions. A number of Kenyans have also criticized their government’s lacking commitment to rural and marginalized communities, saying that the roots of the conflict require long-term solutions.

Reketa is not the first village to experience deadly clashes in recent months, though the brutality and extent of the killing has shocked many. Thousands have been displaced in places including Isiolo, and those along Kenya’s border continue to suffer from attacks – which, in some instances, may have involved soldiers trained to fight in Somalia by Kenyan forces. The Kenyan government announced this week that it will undertake a disarmament campaign in communities nationwide to prevent further violence, but, given the vast human rights abuses committed during such campaigns in the past, this response may not serve to increase security.

As March of 2013 approaches, the likelihood of violent clashes in Kenya will only increase. During our last conference call, the Friends Church Peace Team (FCPT) reported that it has already begun training its election monitors and working to determine how Kenyan peacebuilders can translate their experience into effective mediation and violence response. Though no initiative can offer a panacea for the many injustices and conflicts impacting Kenyan communities – and nothing can bring back the lives of those lost in Reketa and elsewhere – grassroots groups like FCPT still prove that people hold the power build peace, even in the aftermath of devastating violence.