Category: Heidi Liedtke
Cooperation is the solution
This week, the Center for Strategic and International Studies held an event titled Open or Closed Borders? Understanding Europe’s Challenge with guests Thomas Zwiefelhofer, Deputy Prime Minister of Liechtenstein, Catherine Wiesner, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, and Shelly Pitterman, Regional Representative for the USA and the Caribbean, UNHCR. The Senior Vice President for Europe, Eurasia, and the Arctic Heather A. Conley moderated.
Liechtenstein, although not a member of the European Union, is concerned with the refugee migration issue as a member of the Schengen Agreement enabling border-free travel. As minister of Home Affairs, Deputy Prime Minister Zwiefelhofer is in charge of border issues for Liechtenstein. He argued that the debate over the influx is tearing apart the EU. Solidarity is essential and the responsibility should not fall solely on countries directly affected. Over the past few months, European home affairs ministers have met to discuss and plan resettlement agendas. Ultimately, the quota of refugees for each country to host will be determined by factors like population, GDP, and unemployment to avoid future disputes on unequal hosting.
With a population of just 37,000, Liechtenstein must take special precautions. The country, with humanitarian traditions, has shown readiness to participate in resettlement. But as a small country it must be careful. Zwiefelhofer asserted that Liechtenstein reserves the right to play the sovereignty card by capping refugee totals. He also argued for higher contributions to aid, especially for the UN World Food Programme.
although the number of refugees seems overwhelming, Shelly Pitterman emphasized that it is only 1% of Europe’s population, whereas refugees in Lebanon make up 25%. Assisting Syria’s immediate neighbors needs to be a priority. The challenges in Europe are manageable. Had there have been more leadership from the beginning, the problem would have been better addressed. Engagement by all states is key. Closing borders will not stop refugees, but rather make their journey “more dramatic.”
Catherine Wiesner shared the US prospective and basic position. Saving lives and maintaining human rights is the first priority. In order to do this, it is necessary to close the gap in funding. The problem demands shared responsibility. All those capable and with the power to do so should engage. Member states of the EU have different capabilities, but overall the burden of humanitarian assistance should be manageable.
The panel considered the question of normalization of mega conflict and the highest number of displaced persons to date. Pitterman argued political solutions and long term planning must coincide with humanitarian assistance. Wiesner commented that we have adapted to the new normal by reaching out to private donors. People are more inclined to donate to natural disasters than conflict, but private donors and programs like Google Match have been assets. As for the United States, increasing the number of resettled refugees and speeding up the process is in the works.
The common theme was a cry for unity and fairly-shared responsibility. A handful of nations cannot carry the burden. What Europe is experiencing is only a symptom of much bigger and deeper issues. Cooperation is crucial to resolving both those and the humanitarian crisis.
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Palestine’s way forward
With Palestine’s flag now flying at UN headquarters, the Middle East Institute held a discussion last week of Palestinian Politics and Strategy in Challenging Times. The event featured Husam Zomlot, Ambassador at Large for Palestine, and moderator Matthew Duss, President of Foundation for Middle East Peace. While Palestine has recently been overshadowed by other hot topics like the Islamic State and the Iranian nuclear deal, Zomlot shed light on current Palestinian thinking and options for the US.
Zomlot described Palestine as in limbo. The 1988 Palestinian offer of a two-state solution failed to deliver results. It was misunderstood to be a starting point for further negotiation rather than a compromise solution in which the Palestinians were giving up most of their territorial claim. Thereafter the Oslo accords, institution-building from the ground up, and the “peace process” have all failed.
It is time, Zomlot suggested, to give up on the current process. Things have changed for both populations. Israel today is not the same Israel it was thirty years ago and should not be treated the same. Nor is Palestine the same. The two sides cannot resolve the situation on their own. The “peace process” as currently pursued is designed to prevent rather than reach a peaceful outcome. The US generally has the right goals, but cannot reach them unilaterally.
That said, where to now? Palestinian political unity is vital. It will enable Palestinians to demand their rights even before they have a state. But is also high time that the US recognize the Palestinian state and cooperate with an effort to impose a two-state solution through a UN Security Council resolution.
Matt Duss asked how the idea of fighting for rights rather than land fits into current Palestinian politics.
Zomlot responded that the notion that a two-state solution is in Israel’s best interest so that it can be both Jewish and democratic may not be true any longer. Current Israeli decision makers may want the West Bank and East Jerusalem more than they want to be democratic. A second false premise is that Israel has to create a Palestinian state so that it can be accepted as part of the region. But Israel doesn’t want to be part of the Middle East. It associates itself with Europe.
Zomlot suggested the Palestinians now have to reassert their own identity and demand their rights. They should not abandon the goal of a two-state solution, but should insist first on their rights. US recognition and cooperation in passage of a UN Security Council resolution imposing an outcome on the parties would be a big step forward.
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Beyond refugees
On Friday the United States Institute of Peace and Atlantic Council jointly hosted an event titled Middle East Strategy Task Force: Beyond Refugees. The panelists included Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State, Stephen Hadley, former National Security Advisor, David Miliband, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, USIP President Nancy Lindborg, and Antoine Frem, Mayor of Jounieh, Lebanon.
Manal Omar, USIP Acting Vice President of the Middle East and Africa Center delivered opening remarks on the goals and findings of the task force’s research. The goal of the group is to outline a strategy that moves beyond refugees and focuses on rebuilding societies for a brighter post-conflict future. She highlighted one important finding: starting with small areas will be much more successful than looking for national solutions. But the strategy for the Middle East must be a global one. Current international aid is insufficient.
Albright said destruction of whole societies in the Middle East is not only a humanitarian emergency, but a political crisis. The international community’s lack of action to end the violence should be seen as a political failure. The lack of effort by the international community is disappointing. The policy failures in the Middle East are clear, even if solutions are difficult to reach.
Lindborg cited four reasons why pushing forward is challenging. Over 60 million people globally are displaced. Funding limitations prevent accomplishing all that is pledged to do. Second, the institutional architecture for providing assistance is not fast enough. Research suggests that in some situations handing out cash rather than food is better for the local economy. Third is the failure to provide education and prevent a “lost generation.” Lastly, security is a challenge. A solution must tackle the heart of the crisis.
Miliband, focused on Europe and the refugees. The feeble response by Europe is not just threatening the refugees, but the European Union as a whole. Refugees must be distributed across the EU. Even though Europe is getting the most attention, it is important to remember that 85% of refugees are in poor countries. He agreed with Lindborg that handing out cash is a better option than physical aid because it empowers the people, limits waste and boosts economies. Miliband concurred with Albright that political solutions are needed to stop the killings.
Lebanon currently hosts 1.2 million refugees. One out of four people in the country are refugees. Mayor Antoine Frem noted that this pressure has exasperated preexisting conditions. The country is a quasi-stable state with severe debt, political, and sectarian issues. Frem stressed that Lebanon alone cannot solve the crisis.
Asked if Russia and the United States would be able to work together, Albright responded “yes,” there is the potential for cooperation, but the difficult part is figuring out the political solution. She added:
…if the Russians really do think that they have some influence on Assad, they can be a part of this and say, ‘we can discuss whether you are in the government or not, but we cannot discuss it if you are dropping barrel bombs’ and they should use their influence that way. The Russians wish to be seen as a normal country. I think it would be useful if they said something that made clear that barrel bombs are not the way to deal with civilians.
She added that it is important not to forget Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
Another question asked about the feasibility of a safe zone. Both the moderator Hadley and Miliband spoke in favor of establishing such an area. Hadley argued that a safe zone must exist strictly for humanitarian purposes to protect civilians rather than to train fighters.
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Peace picks September 21- 26
- No Reconciliation, No Peace: Building Ways for People to Live Together After Violent Conflict | Monday, September 21st | 10:00 – 11:30 | United States Institute of Peace | REGISTER TO ATTEND | On the United Nations-declared International Day of Peace, September 21, USIP highlights an essential process for any country to heal from a violent conflict: reconciliation.USIP is convening this reconciliation discussion as part of a daylong celebration of the international day of peace. If you would like to take some action for peace, share it with us at #PeaceDayChallenge.For a society that has lived through war or other violent conflicts, a reconciliation process is fundamental to finding a way to live in lasting peace. Reconciliation allows grievances to be heard and addressed, and the social contract to be renewed.A forum led by USIP President Lindborg will explore how collaborative reconciliation processes can ensure a more inclusive peace for the community and for individuals. USIP practitioners will discuss their recent reconciliation work, which combines the Institute’s research and thought leadership with work alongside its partners in conflict zones. Speakers include Nancy Lindborg, President, USIP, Elizabeth A. Cole, Senior Program Officer, Center for Applied Research on Conflict, Virginia M. Bouvier, Senior Advisor for Latin American Programs, Sarhang Hamasaee, Senior Program Officer, Center for Middle East and Africa, Susan Hayward, Director, Religion and Peacebuilding, Center for Governance, Law and Society.
Photo Credit United Nations Photo Flickr - U.S. Policy Against ISIS: Protecting Minorities in the Middle East | Monday, September 21st | 11:00 – 1:00 | Syrian American Council and Muslim Public Affairs Council | REGISTER TO ATTEND by emailing ssolh@gmail.com | Since March 2011, religious and ethnic minorities in Syria have been brutally oppressed under the Assad regime and at the hands of ISIS. Join this discussion about the future of Christians and minorities in Syria, the role of the Assad regime in fanning the flames of sectarianism, and recommendations for US policymakers. Speakers include: Sheikh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi, former preacher of the Grand Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Hind Kabawat, Director of Interfaith Peacebuilding at the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy, and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University.
- Multiple Security Challenges in Central Europe: Migration Crisis and Relations With Russia | Monday, September 21st | 6:00 | Women’s Foreign Policy Group | REGISTER TO ATTEND | This special event is part of the embassy series. Embassy Series events are held at embassies, consulates, and diplomatic residences in Washington and New York and highlight issues pertinent to the host country. The evening will be held at the resident of Ambassador Reka Szemerkenyi and will include a program and reception. Please note there is a fee. H.E. Szemerkenyi was appointed Ambassador of Hungary to the United States in 2015.
- Is nuclear war risk growing? | Monday, September 21st | 6:30 – 8:30 | Project for the Study of the 21st Century | REGISTER TO ATTEND | Is great power nuclear war back on the agenda? Ahead of the publication of PS21’s landmark survey of national security experts on conventional and nuclear conflict risk, we bring together a panel to discuss just how real the risks might be. This discussion — which comes ahead of the survey’s publication in the first week of October — will focus on where the greatest risk of superpower conflict might lie and how it might be avoided. Speakers include: Elbridge Colby, senior fellow, Center for a New American Security, Scott Cheney-Peters, founder, Center for International Maritime Security, Rachel Rizzo, program assistant, Strategy Initiative, Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security, Atlantic Council.
- The ISIS Apocalypse: The history, strategy, and doomsday vision of the Islamic State | Tuesday, September 22nd | 10:00 – 11:00 | Brookings Institution | REGISTER TO ATTEND |The Islamic State is one of the most lethal and successful jihadist groups in modern history, surpassing even al-Qaida. How has it attracted so many followers and conquered so much land in its relatively brief existence?In The ISIS Apocalypse (St. Martin’s Press, 2015), Will McCants examines the Islamic State’s tactics and goals, and the many ways in which it is more ruthless, more apocalyptic, and more devoted to state-building than any of its predecessors or current competitors. Based almost entirely on primary sources in Arabic—including ancient religious texts and secret al-Qaida and Islamic State letters that few have seen—The ISIS Apocalypse explores how religious fervor, strategic calculation, and doomsday prophecy shaped the Islamic State’s past and foreshadow its dark future.On September 22, McCants will discuss ISIS’ strategy and the future of jihadi terrorism. NPR Counterterrorism Correspondent Dina Temple-Raston will moderate the discussion, after which McCants will take audience questions.
- Preparing for Peace: Challenges for Post-Conflict Reconstruction in Yemen | Tuesday, September 22nd | 12:00 – 1:30 |The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington | REGISTER TO ATTEND | Yemen is in the grip of its most severe crisis in years, with a Saudi-led military campaign against the rebel Houthis now in its sixth month. Civilian casualties continue to mount, the internally displaced population grows, and Yemen’s already weak infrastructure teeters on the verge of collapse.Amidst the chaos and suffering of the ongoing war, what are the prospects for a political solution, and how does Yemen tackle the urgent need for reconciliation and reconstruction in a post-conflict scenario? What will be the immediate priorities, and how quickly can the international community mobilize resources to help stabilize and rebuild Yemen? The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington is pleased to host a panel discussion on these and other aspects of the challenges that will face Yemen and the international community following the cessation of the ongoing conflict. Speakers include: Amatalalim Alsoswa, Formerly United Nations Development Programme, Leslie Campbell, National Democratic Institute, Fatima Abo Alasrar, Independent policy analyst from Yemen.
- Charting NATO’s Future | Thursday, September 24th | 9:00 – 2:00 | Atlantic Council | REGISTER TO ATTEND | The transatlantic community faces urgent challenges on multiple fronts. In the East, the crisis in Ukraine continues unabated, coupled with Russian assertiveness and pushing West-Russia tensions to an all-time high in the post-Cold War environment. In the south, conflicts in the wider Middle East have fueled the rise of new terrorist groups and catalyzed one of the worst refugee crises that Europe has faced since World War II. At the same time, the transatlantic community faces challenges in political unity, from ongoing debates about burden-sharing and defense spending to the rise of fringe political parties to new cracks and fissures in European unity and solidarity. The Atlantic Council is convening leading experts from across Europe and North America to analyze these critically important issues, what they mean for NATO’s future, and what policies and strategies NATO and its members should consider ahead of the Warsaw Summit in 2016. Speakers include: Chuck Hagel, former Secretary of Defense, Frederick Kempe, President and CEO, Atlantic Council,
Fabrice Pothier, Director, Policy Planning, Office of the Secretary General, NATO, and others.
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Getting With It: Putting Momentum behind the U.S. – India Nuclear Deal | Thursday, September 24 | 12:30 – 2:00 | Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies | REGISTER TO ATTEND | Speakers include: Vijay Sazawal, nuclear industry expert, and Paul Murphy, Special Counsel at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy.
- The Islamic State: The Face of Sectarian Violence and Extremism in the Middle East | Thursday, September 24 | 6:00 – 8:00 | Elliot School of International Affairs | REGISTER TO ATTEND | What is behind the rise of sectarianism and extremism in the region? What is the appeal of the Islamic State — a search for a new religious/cultural identity, religious zealotry, or an excuse for legitimized violence? Why has mainstream traditional Islam failed to challenge the appeal of extremist groups? How should governments, clerics and communities confront religious extremism and sectarianism? Speakers include: Joseph Bahout, visiting scholar in Carnegie’s Middle East Program.
Russian Military Forum: Russia in the Middle East | Friday, September 25 | 2:00 -3:30 | Center For Strategic & International Studies | REGISTER TO ATTEND | Please join us for a discussion on Russia’s rising influence in the Middle East.
After being virtually shut out of the region for many years, Russia has lately increased its influence by capitalizing on recent developments, such as the Arab Spring, the Syrian crisis and the Iran nuclear accord. This has allowed Russia to enhance relations and expand military-to-military ties with various states in the region. But Russia’s objectives and strategy for the region remain unclear. Long-time Russia experts Michael Kofman and Stephen Blank will explore these developments in greater detail, including their implications for the region, and for the U.S. more generally. Speakers include: Michael Kofman, Public Policy Fellow, Kennan Instiute, Woodrom Wilson Center, Stephen Blank, Senior Fellow for Russia, American Foreign Policy Council.
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Protecting civilians as a strategic necessity
The Atlantic Council hosted an event Wednesday afternoon on “Protecting Civilians in Syria: Parameters of the Problem and Policy Options.” Congressman Ed Royce, chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Medical Director Rola Hallam, of Hand in Hand for Syria, Executive Director Valerie Szybala of the newly established Syria Institute, and the Atlantic Council’s Fred Hof argued that civilian protection is a vital strategic necessity in the Syria conflict.
Royce said 90% of attacks in Syria are on civilian locations such as markets, schools and hospitals. He quoted Congressman Engel’s 2013 statement predicting that lack of US engagement would generate chaos in Syria. Responsibility falls on policy makers who, he suggested, have dragged their feet.
Royce highlighted use of chemical weapons, involvement of organizations like Hezbollah and ISIS, and the activities of Russia and Iran. The Syrian Government is by far the largest abuser of chemical weapons. Chlorine and mustard gas are dropped from helicopters, which only the government operates. The purpose is trauma and terror, generating ethnic cleansing. It is a mistake to allow chemical weapons use to go unpunished.
Russia and Iran have further complicated the situation. Russia is bringing aircraft and tanks into Syria. Both Iran and Russia have increased diplomatic tension in the region with the suspicious “eleventh hour” efforts to lift the arms embargo on Iran in the nuclear deal.
Royce urged decisive action against Assad: “Assad must go.” Working to eliminate his deliberate targeting of civilians is an important step in ending the the conflict and slowing the advance of ISIS, especially the influx of individuals from outside Syria who have transpired from the “Virtual Caliphate” to physical fighters. He also supported a safe-zone to protect the Syrian civilians.
The second half of the event was a discussion on medical neutrality, sieges and barrel bombs. Hallam gave a moving statement on the reality of grassroots medical efforts. Her organization has established six hospitals in northern Syria. Rather than picking locations by supply routes or most demand, the organization unfortunately must choose places with the least risk of bombing. Safety is the number one priority. Over 300 hospitals have been specifically targeted, 90% by the government.
The crisis is political and military rather than humanitarian. Food baskets and stethoscopes do not stop barrel bombs. “Humanitarians are fattening up the cow before the slaughter” one Syrian told her. What is needed is strong political leadership to stop the bleeding. This will be remembered as the biggest catastrophe of the century.
Szybala shed light on besieged individuals in Syria in hopes of inspiring smarter policy options. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians are living under siege surrounded by armed actors who intentionally block the supply of aid over an extended period of time. Sieges are a “method of punishment” classified by Szybala as an “invisible crisis” under-reported by the UN. Besieged populations are targets of excessive violence and chemical attacks.
Hof concluded that the Security Council must take action. Civilian protection is a strategic necessity. What is happening is no longer mass murder but genocide, which requires an international response. Diplomacy has to focus on getting Russia and Iran to abandon their Syrian client.
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