I began my tenure as U.S. Secretary of State by stressing the need to elevate diplomacy and development alongside defense — a “smart power” approach to solving global problems. To make that approach succeed, however, U.S. civilian power must be strengthened and amplified.
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On Social and Economic Development
Microlending in a War Zone
In a country where villagers typically do not farm enough land to actually subsist, where malnutrition and stunted growth are in fact the norm and where the situation is worsening as land is divided and passed on to children, Hakim began to realize that peace cannot be pursued separately from economic security and food security.
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What Oman Can Teach Us
In short, one of the lessons of Oman is that one of the best and most cost-effective ways to tame extremism is to promote education for all. Many researchers have found links between rising education and reduced conflict. One study published in 2006, for example, suggested that a doubling of primary school enrollment in a poor country was associated with halving the risk of civil war. Another found that raising the average educational attainment in a country by a single grade could significantly reduce the risk of conflict.
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United States, Pakistan and Afghanistan – Allies in War, but the Goals Clash
By HELENE COOPER, NYT, October 9, 2010 IN the panoply of national security conundrums facing the Obama administration, there is one that stands...
It Takes a Village to Raise a School
New York Times, OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR, DANA BURDE, September 16, 2010 Americans are right to be alarmed by the rising numbers of roadside bombs and...
UNICEF to boost aid efficiency by targeting poorest
…a new study on aid distribution undertaken by UNICEF showed aid agencies could save millions of lives by going first to the most disadvantaged mothers and children and their communities.
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Somalia: the intervention dilemma
This Policy Brief examines the apparent urgency to increase AMISOM force levels. It interrogates the AU’s interventionist strategy in Somalia, including the planned troop surge, analyses the terrorist dimension of the bombings, drawing parallels with the Afghanistan case as a basis for suggestions for a clear and holistic approach to the conflict in Somalia.
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US Government Report Argues for Police Force for American Interventions Overseas
The report, conducted for the US Army’s Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute (PKSOI) at the Army War College, examined the need for a “stability police force” (SPF), which it described as “a high-end police force that engages in a range of tasks such as crowd and riot control, special weapons and tactics (SWAT) and investigations of organized criminal groups.” Most soldiers do not possess the specialized skills an SPF officer needs to prevent violence, the report notes. “Most soldiers are trained to apply overwhelming force to secure victory, rather than minimal force to prevent escalation.” The SPF would also train indigenous police forces, much like what occurs today in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Education aid – an apparent success story in Faryab Province
NATO-member states have troops in different parts of the country, where they are also engaged in aid activities through the so-called Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs). Aid agencies have criticized the involvement of PRTs in humanitarian and development projects, labelling the process “aid militarization”. “Our military has no involvement in our civilian development projects,” said Aas, the outgoing Norwegian ambassador to Afghanistan, adding that his country’s aid was strongly “scrutinized and monitored” in order to prevent mismanagement and corruption.
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Afghan refugees forced to start over after floods
After fleeing the Soviet invasion of his country with nothing, Afghan refugee Ziarat Gul spent three decades building a new life in neighboring Pakistan. After the devastating floods that rolled across Pakistan last month, he is back to nothing.
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Armed Conflict Forces Increasing Numbers of Afghans to Flee
The latest estimates indicate that 240,000 persons are currently internally displaced due to armed conflict and insecurity.
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The Humanitarian’s Dilemma: collective action or inaction in international relief?
‘…highly competitive with each other. Polluted by the internal power politics and the unsavoury characteristics seen in many big corporations, large aid agencies can be obsessed with raising money through their own appeal efforts. Media coverage as an end in itself is too often an aim of their activities. Marketing and branding have too high a profile. Perhaps worst of all, relief efforts in the field are sometimes competitive with little collaboration between agencies, including smaller, grass-roots charities that may have better networks in affected counties and so are well placed to immediately implement emergency relief…’
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