On March 17, accompanied by armed agents of the FBI and the police, the Ministry of Effectiveness of the Government (DOGE) used the threat of violence to dismantle an American symbol of peace. This hostile takeover of the United States Peace Institute (USIP) challenged the independent status and location of the organization in a private office building – not federal. Doge would have threatened to finish $ 190,000,000 in federal contracts held by the former USIP security company, inter-conUnless they have given access to the building. At the entrance, DOGE employees opened firearms safety personnel, expelled USIP staff and destroyed the USIP badge, an emblem of peace and diplomacy. They have since transferred this private $ 500 million building to the federal government. The militarized dismantling of the USIP, which reflects the unprecedented scope of the executive branch in an independent organization, has Wider implications for the non -profit sector. The targeted withdrawal of the Institute and the subsequent erasure of archives accessible to the public on peacebuilding and human rights threatens world peace and stability.
USIP was created in 1984 As a non -partisan and independent organization To strengthen us the gentle power in the Cold War. According to George MooseThe CEO now formed, the Institute “was built as a symbol of the aspiration of the American people to be manufacturers of peace in the world”. Funded by the congress to prevent an undue influence of partisan donors, the Institute serves as a research and training center to advance conflict resolution and promote democratic governance. USIP was led by former diplomats who served under republican and democratic administrations and Provides financial audit reports at Congress every year. By law its board of directors is bipartite. By law, The appointment and abolition of members of the board of directors require the approval of the Senate or the Board of Directors.
As researchers in peace studies having a field expertise in human rights, democracy and peacebuilding, we have often criticized the way in which the United States has exercised its exercise gentle power – The informal influence exerted by culture and foreign policies intended to attract allies. In our classrooms, we ask questions about the ethics and efficiency of the peaceful peace processes and foreign aid programs that are attached to the channels. American soft power can do damage – both in the country and abroad – when he The local agency of those closest to the war. Our external institutions like the USIP are not perfect, but they represent the best of American idealism and humanitarianism. More importantly, they advance financial, political and ethical interests by continuing international security without resorting to violence.
The alternative to soft energy is coercion, which The proof demonstrates will finally end Come at a large financial and human cost. Rather than trying to win friends, the holders of the coercive power is intimidated others with economic and military, sometimes achieving their short -term but inevitably objectives resentment of buildings in the process. The Trump administration’s foreign policy program, illustrated by the takeover of institutes such as USIP and the American agency for international developmentsignals a net turn American foreign policy of gentle power to hard power.
What are the consequences of diversion of diplomacy and humanitarian assistance and coercion? World wars are increasing For the first time in decades. Congress must continue to invest in Long -term strategies to prevent violenceResolve in progress conflicts and strengthen peace. With an annual budget of only $ 55 million, USIP financing is a profitable strategy to reduce American expenditure in foreign wars. Despite the small budget (only 0.125% of USAID $ 44 billionand 0.000004% of1.38 dollars billion from the Ministry of Defense Budget), USIP improved the results of diplomacy and supported democratic transitions to peace.
In Colombia, USIP supported civil society networks As they offered non -violent protection of civilians captured between factions at war, prevented the recruitment of young people in armed groups and favored the processes of regional reconciliation at the local level. These programs, which facilitated in the middle of the warhas strengthened civil society organizations which, in turn, played a central role in the creation of the victim’s peace agreement Signed between the government and the revolutionary armed forces of Colombia (FARC) in 2016, ending the longest war of the Western hemisphere.
The peace agreements, although important, are insufficient alone. Almost half of all peace agreements Return to armed conflicts within five years. USIP supported research to deepen our understanding when and why the peace agreements fail. Recent The scholarship has shown that complete agreementswhich include attention to the deep causes of war, have high success rates. In Colombia, the USIP therefore supported a complete peace agreement while continuing to invest in local capacities for peace, as effective Community dialogues between the group’s groups and the FARC.
Wars forever are Financially unsustainable and inhuman. Rather than standing while Doge dismantles the USIP, the Congress should double the investment of our country in this institute and the work it does in Research, education and action. Peace is an active process that requires continuous support if we want to build Social infrastructure for peace which prevent recurrence of war.
We urge our fellow citizens to reject the diversion of the ally and the aid, to coercion. We must hold Doge responsible for illegal activity and defend peace. Peace consolidation is not an idealistic prosecution; It is a financially viable and socially effective means of progressing to a better future while protecting human rights in the country and abroad.
Angela Lederach is a deputy professor of peace and justice studies at Chapman University and a graduate of the Kroc Institute for international peace studies at the University of Our Lady. She is the author of Feel the grass grows: slow peace ecologies in Colombia (Stanford University Press, 2023)
Karie Cross Riddle is a deputy professor of political science at Pepperdine University and a graduate of the Kroc Institute for international peace studies at the University of Our Lady. She is the author of Critical feminist just feminist: theory of earth in the base of the base (Oxford University Press, 2024).
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