Month: June 2020
Misusing the US military
I quickly signed up Friday to this letter, published originally at justsecurity.org) and drafted by former Foreign Service colleagues Douglas A. Silliman, Ambassador Deborah A. McCarthy and Thomas Countryman. Gratitude to them or their worthy idea and quick execution:
The Strength of America’s Apolitical Military
The United States is passing through a period unlike any our country has experienced before. Our population, our society, and our economy have been devastated by the pandemic and the resulting depression-level unemployment. We deplore the brutal killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis which has provoked more widespread protests than the United States has seen in decades.
As former American ambassadors, generals and admirals, and senior federal officials, we are alarmed by calls from the President and some political leaders for the use of U.S. military personnel to end legitimate protests in cities and towns across America.
Many of us served across the globe, including in war zones, diplomats and military officers working side by side to advance American interests and values. We called out violations of human rights and the authoritarian regimes that deployed their military against their own citizens. Our values define us as a nation and as a global leader.
The professionalism and political neutrality of the U.S. military have been examples for people around the world who aspire to greater freedom and democracy in their own societies. They are among our nation’s greatest assets in protecting Americans and asserting American interests across the globe.
Cities and neighborhoods in which Americans are assembling peacefully, speaking freely, and seeking redress of their grievances are not “battlespaces.” Federal, state, and local officials must never seek to “dominate” those exercising their First Amendment rights. Rather they have a responsibility to ensure that peaceful protest can take place safely as well as to protect those taking part. We condemn all criminal acts against persons and property, but cannot agree that responding to these acts is beyond the capabilities of local and state authorities.
Our military is composed of and represents all of America. Misuse of the military for political purposes would weaken the fabric of our democracy, denigrate those who serve in uniform to protect and defend the Constitution, and undermine our nation’s strength abroad. There is no role for the U.S. military in dealing with American citizens exercising their constitutional right to free speech, however uncomfortable that speech may be for some.
We are concerned about the use of U.S. military assets to intimidate and break up peaceful protestors in Washington, D.C. Using the rotor wash of helicopters flying at low altitude to disperse protestors is reckless and unnecessary. The stationing of D.C. Air National Guard troops in full battle armor on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial is inflammatory and risks sullying the reputation of our men and women in uniform in the eyes of their fellow Americans and of the world.
Declaring peaceful protestors “thugs” and “terrorists” and falsely seeking to divide Americans into those who support “law and order” and those who do not will not end the demonstrations. The deployment of military forces against American citizens exercising their constitutional rights will not heal the divides in our society.
We urge the President and state and local governments to focus their efforts on uniting the country and supporting reforms to ensure equal police treatment of all citizens, regardless of race or ethnicity.
Ultimately, the issues that have driven the protests cannot be addressed by our military. They must be resolved through political processes.
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Peace Picks | June 7 – 14
Notice: Due to recent public health concerns, upcoming events are only available via live-streaming.
- U.S. Diplomacy & Women’s Leadership in the MENA Region | June 8, 2020 | 10:00 AM – 11:35 AM | Johns Hopkins SAIS | Register Here
Johns Hopkins SAIS invites you to a discussion with distinguished women involved in U.S. diplomacy in the Middle East and North Africa region as they share their views on women’s leadership in U.S. diplomacy, current U.S. engagement in the region and how this will be affected by COVID-19. The conversation, moderated by Dr. Chiedo Nwankwor, Director of SAIS Women Lead, will also touch upon the challenges these women faced representing the U.S. in the highest foreign policy decision making circles in the MENA region and more.
Speakers:
Anne Patterson: Former Assistant Secretary of State for the Near East and US Ambassador to Egypt and Pakistan
Deborah Jones: Former US Ambassador to Libya and Kuwait
Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley: Former US Ambassador to Malta
Robin Raphel: Former Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia and US Ambassador to Tunisia
Kirsten Fontenrose: Director of the Scowcroft Center at the Atlantic Council and Former Director of the Gulf region at the National Security Council
Hafed Al-Ghwell: Senior Fellow, Johns Hopkins SAIS Foreign Policy Institute
- The Dilemmas of New Global Disorder | June 9, 2020 | 10:00 AM – 11:15 AM | Johns Hopkins SAIS | Register Here
To recognize Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski’s legacy, Johns Hopkins SAIS and its Foreign Policy Institute have established the Zbigniew Brzezinski Initiative, a unique set of academic programs that builds on the school’s strengths as a leading center for training graduate students in international policy and relevant academic research. The Initiative comprises both immediate programming and longer-term plans, which together will equip a new generation of policy experts capable of the authoritative analysis, strategic vision, and active diplomacy that were hallmarks of Dr. Brzezinski’s role as a scholar, policy advisor, and statesman.
Speakers:
Nicholas Kristof: New York Times columnist
Dean Eliot A. Cohen: Dean of the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
Ambassador Mark F. Brzezinski: American Ambassador to Sweden from 2011-2015
- A New Iraqi Government and the Future of the Popular Mobilization Forces | June 10, 2020 | 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM | The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington | Register Here
As the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant surged into Iraq in the summer of 2014, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called on Iraqis to volunteer to protect their country. From this initiative emerged the Popular Mobilization Forces, which were largely organized by pro-Iran and Iranian-supported militias.
Subsequent efforts to place these forces under the command of the Iraqi government failed, and many PMF units forged a command relationship with Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the PMF deputy commander, and Qassim Soleimani, Iranian Quds Force commander. While the PMF initially gained widespread popular support among Shias for its role in defeating ISIL, the killing of Suleimani and Muhandis in January and the withdrawal of units associated with Sistani from the PMF in April opened new questions about the future of the PMF and its relationship with both the Iraqi government and Iran.
What does the loss of the PMF’s two most influential figures mean for the future leadership of these forces? Will the new Iraqi government be able to establish effective control over the PMF or will Iran continue its operational domination? Will growing popular discontent with the PMF lead to clashes with the Iraqi army and police?
Speakers:
Ali Alfoneh: Senior Fellow, The Arab Gulf States Institute Washington
Michael Knights: Senior Fellow, The Washington Institute
Amb. Rend Al-Rahim: Co-Founder and President, Iraq Foundation
- Webinar: China’s role in the MENA region post-COVID-19 | June 10, 2020 | 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM | Brookings | Register Here
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the world, placing great strains on public finances and health systems. The pandemic is likely to create seismic changes in the economic, political, and security dimensions of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, as well as recalibrate its relations with global powers, including China.
Early on in the crisis, MENA energy producers, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar, sent medical supplies to China, the world’s largest consumer of Middle Eastern crude. As China slowly fought back the virus, it reciprocated by sending supplies to various MENA states, while conducting a public relations campaign in the region. In light of an ineffective U.S. response to the pandemic, China has sought to showcase its governance model and swift response. China’s public outreach and diplomacy during the crisis has aimed to reframe the narrative about its role in the region and globally, amid deepening mistrust and competition with the United States and Europe.
The Brookings Doha Center invites you to attend a webinar on China’s role in the MENA region post-COVID-19. The discussion will address the following questions: Within the context of regional and global economic challenges, how will Chinese-MENA relations evolve in the post-COVID-19 era? How can MENA states navigate rising U.S.-China tensions? And, in the long term, can China supplant the roles of the United States and Europe in the region, particularly in the Gulf and North Africa?
Speakers:
Adel Abdel Ghafar: Fellow, Foreign Policy, Brookings Doha Center
Degang Sun: Professor, Institute of International Studies, Fudan University
Emilie Tran: Course Coordinator of European Studies-French Stream at the Hong Kong Baptist University
Yahia H. Zoubir: Visiting Fellow-Brookings Doha Center
Zeno Leoni: Teaching Fellow in Challenges to the International Order- King’s College London
- Egypt Faces the Pandemic: Health and Economic Effects | June 11, 2020 | 10:00 AM – 11:15 AM | Carnegie Endowment for International Peace | Register Here
How hard will Egypt be hit by the pandemic’s health effects? To what extent is its health system meeting the challenge? And how will Egyptians cope with the inescapable difficulties of a global recession, collapse of tourism, and return of many workers from the Gulf?
Speakers:
Ayman Sabae: right to health researcher at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
Timothy E. Kaldas: independent risk advisor and nonresident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy
Michelle Dunne: director and senior fellow in the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Webinar: Reopening America- Equitably solutions for workers and their families in the COVID-19 era | June 12, 2020 | 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM | Brookings | Register Here
As the United States continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is clear that reopening the economy will be a phased process dependent upon transmission rates. Social distancing, reduced economic activity, and disruptions in our everyday lives are likely to continue for some time, with profound implications on societal, community, and individual well-being. The disproportionately harmful effects on people of color are already well documented.
As Americans strive to return to work, there are major issues to address regarding health and health care access; disruptions in child care and K-12 education; and income and support for displaced workers, those unable to work due to health conditions, and undocumented and informal workers. Meanwhile, many business owners are struggling both operationally and financially, and are unsure if they can keep their doors open. As these dynamics continue, lawmakers and leaders in the private and social sectors will need to continue to evaluate the role of government and develop creative and equitable policy solutions for the country’s new normal.
On June 12, the Governance Studies and Metropolitan Policy programs at Brookings will cohost a webinar to discuss equitable solutions for workers and their families as the American economy begins to reopen. Speakers will explore how challenges across multiple areas of life, work, and economic activity combine to create a unique moment that requires careful thought and wide-ranging, equity-focused solutions.
Speakers:
John Allen: President, Brookings
Camille Busette: Senior Fellow, Economic Studies, Governance Studies, Metropolitan Policy Program; Director, Race, Prosperity, and Inclusion Initiative
Annelies Goger: David M. Rubenstein Fellow, Metropolitan Policy Program
Anika Goss: Executive Director, Detrit Future City
Martha Ross: Fellow, Metropolitan Policy Program
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Stevenson’s army, June 7
– CJCS Milley has reached out to Capitol Hill leaders.
– “General” Barr backtracks, too. But Politico has photos of his anti-protester activities in 1968.
– A former speechwriter for Gen. Dunford describes weakening of civilian control of US military.
– Several reports say Trump demanded 10,000 active duty military to be deployed in DC.
-WaPo writer suggests US counterinsurgency and urban warfare doctrine has made militarization of police more acceptable.
– WSJ has long article describing souring of US corporate views of China.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I plan to republish here. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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Stevenson’s army, June 6
– SecDef Esper, without consulting the president, has ordered National Guardsmen deployed to DC not to carry weapons. He has also sent additional Guard units back to their home states.
– WSJ reports, confirmed by WaPo and NYT, that President Trump has ordered the withdrawal of 9500 US troops from Germany,cutting the current 35,000 to a new ceiling of 25,000.
– In what looks like a damage-control effort, “friends” of Gen. Milley tell the NYT that he argued forcefully against invoking the Insurrection Act and otherwise distanced himselkf from Trump’s photo op.
– Similarly, “people who know him” tell WaPo how Gen.Mattis came to write his scathing critique of the president.
– The WH is now an armed camp, with a much greater security perimeter than I remember from the antiwar demonstrations in 1969. High fencing now surrounds 15th-17th streets, and Constitution Ave to H St. And look at the huge no vehicle cordon in much of downtown DC for today’s expected protests.
-FP quotes several of my civ-mil friends on the current situation.
– BTW, I wondered why there was so much fuss about Sen. Cotton’s “send in the troops” op-ed when it never appeared in the print edition of NYT. I learned today that it had been scheduled for Sunday, was released early, and now has been cancelled.
– On this 76th anniversary of D-Day, WaPo has some photographs from then.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I plan to republish here. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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Stevenson’s army, Jun 5
– A former Senate staffer explains the success of the NDAA as a process. [I’d like to see the same for State and foreign aid.]
– Bloomberg has a history lesson: when MacArthur attacked the Bonus Army and hurt Hoover.
-Politico has more details on the many federal police forces.
– A Senator put a hold on top USAF nomination in order to get planes for his state. Many precedents for this kind of hostage-taking.
– BTW, Trump relented and let Esper send 82d airborne troops home.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I plan to republish here. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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Stevenson’s army, June 4
Perhaps Secretary Esper and Chairman Milley have been shamed into restraint — by the avalanche of criticism from Gen Mattis, Dean Cohen, George Will, and others. What we do know is that the president shouted angrily at Esper in a Wednesday meeting and ordered him not to send 82d airborne troops back to NC, as Esper had earlier ordered. Esper reversed his decision. I don’t see how Esper can remain in office; I expect he’ll resign or be fired.
What we also know is that military operations in DC have actually been run by Attorney General Barr since the weekend. He ordered the clearing of Lafayette Square. He is in charge of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Bureau of Prisons police which were deployed at the Square.[Attorneys General like to be addressed as “General,” though their title is actually the noun rather than the following adjective. And DC has over 30 police forces with varying jurisdictions and chains of command — DC Metro police, Park Police, Capitol police, Secret Service, US Marshals, Diplomatic Security, etc. It is unclear precisely which forces have been sent where in DC in recent days.]
Interesting development: yesterday, NYT posted an opinion piece by Senator Cotton urging “send in the troops.”That provocative article does not appear in the print edition, perhaps because of blowback from Times staffers and others.
Why have Republicans been so silent? Anne Applebaum discusses pressures for complicity and collaboration from Eastern Europe in The Atlantic. [BTW, an excellent series dramatizing moral dilemmas and compromises is “A French Village,” set in a rural French village during WWII and available through Amazon Prime.]
On this 31st anniversary of the Chinese attacks on protesters in Tiananmen Square, NYT sees this as opportune moment for China to crack down on Hong Kong.
FYI, there’s already some encryption on Senate phones.
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