United States Institute of Peace

The United States Institute of Peace is – to quote the Institution's web site – an:
 * independent, nonpartisan federal institution created and funded by Congress to strengthen the nation's capacity to promote the peaceful resolution of international conflict. In 1981, a congressionally chartered commission recommended the creation of a national peace academy. The United States Institute of Peace was signed into law in 1984 by President Ronald Reagan. &hellip; Established in 1984, the Institute meets its congressional mandate through an array of programs, including grants, fellowships, conferences and workshops, library services, publications, and other educational activities. The Institute's Board of Directors is appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the Senate.

In 2004, Chester A. Crocker (USIP's chairman for the previous 12 years) noted that:


 * "The Institute has been enriched by many individuals who have served on this board and made important contributions to its work. I cannot do justice to their service—past and continuing—but I am compelled to mention some of them: in particular, Elspeth's predecessor, John Norton Moore, who played a central role in establishing our institutional life and shaping our substantive programs; Dennis Bark whose rigorous focus on issues of governance and accountability gave us the high standards we cherish; Max Kampelman, my former vice-chair, who helped us master the art of finding solutions (to our own problems as well as to those of other people) and trained us to focus on what makes us unique; Sid Lovett and Mary Louise Smith, whose enthusiasm and essential sense of fairness inspired us all to work for the common good; Scott Thompson, Allen Weinstein, Bill Kintner, Holly Burkhalter, Steve Krasner, and Charles Horner, whose rigorous interest in the central role of ideas in our public life has enriched our programs; Father Ted Hesburgh for consistently raising our aspirations and helping us develop institutional traction in our outreach and Capital campaigns; and two ex officio directors who have played a special role in mentoring and supporting our growth: Erv Rokke and Paul Gaffney, former presidents of the National Defense University."

He went on to add to "mention some people who were here on staff and some who are still here when I joined as a board member in November 1991" which included: Chick Nelson who joined the USIP in 1988 and "has done more to build, create, nurture and protect this institution"; Joe Klaits, "who said his farewell just last week"; Sheryl Brown; David Smock; Neil Kritz; April Hall; Hrach Gregorian; Chris de Paola;  Bernice Carney; and George Foote, "our external counsel since 1986". Other former staff included, Robert Oakley, Sam Lewis, John Richardson, Ken Jensen, Michael Lund, Graeme Bannerman, Greg McCarthy, and Dan Snodderly. 


 * Peter Ackerman is on "the U.S. Advisory Council of the United States Institute of Peace."


 * USIP: Former Fellows

For examples of groups that have received USIP funding see their online Grants Database.

Current and Past Leadership
Accessed November 2008:

President and Chief Executive Officer


 * Richard Solomon, 1992-Present
 * Samuel Lewis, 1987-1992
 * Robert F. Turner, 1986-1987

Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer


 * Patricia Powers Thomson, 2005-2008
 * Harriet Hentges, 1995-2005

History
"In 1976, the first cornerstone for the campaign that led to the creation of the U.S. Institute of Peace was laid when Senator Vance Hartke of Indiana and Senator Mark Hatfield of Oregon introduced a bill to create the George Washington Peace Academy. After hearings in the Senate on the Hartke-Hatfield bill, it was decided that further study was needed. In 1979, a provision was successfully added to the Elementary and Secondary Education Appropriation Bill for the establishment of the Commission on Proposals for the National Academy of Peace and Conflict Resolution.

"A nonpartisan group consisting of appointees named by President Jimmy Carter and the leadership of the House and Senate, the Commission worked for over a year and half. Chaired by Senator Spark Matsunaga of Hawaii, the Matsunaga Commission, as it came to be known, conducted a wide survey and study of the theories, techniques, and institutions involved in the resolution of international conflicts. The commission met with military and government officials, leading educators, conflict resolution professionals, and representatives from various religious, ethnic, and scientific communities. In addition to these sessions, the commission heard from thousands of interested citizens through a series of public meetings held across the nation that resulted in over 6,000 pages of transcripts.

"In 1981, after the completion of its deliberations, the Matsunaga Commission issued a final report recommending the creation of a national peace academy. Based upon the recommendations included in the report, bills were subsequently introduced in both houses of Congress under the bipartisan sponsorship of Senators Mark Hatfield, Spark Matsunaga, and Jennings Randolph and Congressman Dan Glickman.

"A vigorous public campaign led by Milton C. Mapes of the National Peace Academy Campaign supported these efforts. After considerable debate about the appropriate form of the new institution, the United States Institute of Peace Act was finally passed and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1984.

"The Institute's Board of Directors was installed in February 1986 and held its first meeting. In April of that same year, an initial staff of three people opened the Institute's first office at 730 Jackson Place NW, Washington, D.C."

Islam
In 2006 it was reported that the USIP was "working together with radical Islamists promoting fundamentalism under the guise of their new 'Muslim World Initiative'." 

Iraq
"The $87 billion Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense and for the Reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan, 2004, signed by President Bush on November 6, 2003 (Public Law 108-106) made available to the United States Institute of Peace $10 million for “activities supporting peace enforcement, peacekeeping and post-conflict peacebuilding” in Iraq."

"The Institute has received $10 million from Congress that it plans to use for programs to prevent sectarian violence, promote the rule of law, train and educate a new generation of Iraqi leaders, and prepare American civilians for assignment in Iraq. In coordination with CPA’s Office of National Security, the Institute has already organized training for dozens of senior Iraqi diplomats, military, and police officials at the National Defense University focused on negotiation, consensus, and team-building skills. Over a two-year period, the Institute plans to train approximately 750 senior Iraqi officials. The Institute is also organizing training workshops for developing Iraqi leaders at the provincial level, with an emphasis on conflict management skills and coalition building with pragmatic, problem-solving workshops focused on intergroup issues. Additionally, interviews were conducted to capture the lessons learned by key U.S. personnel as they return from Iraq. This project aims to debrief civilian and military personnel who have worked on a range of reconstruction projects."

USIP Specialists
Source
 * Pamela Aall
 * Anatoly Adamishin
 * Judy Barsalou
 * Dorina Bekoe
 * Linda Bishai
 * Virginia Bouvier
 * Keith Bowen
 * Shlomo Brom
 * Daniel Brumberg
 * Ronald “Skip” Cole
 * A. Heather Coyne
 * John Crist
 * Beth Cole DeGrasse
 * Michael J. Dziedzic
 * Christine Fair
 * Theodore Feifer
 * Gerald Gahima
 * Hind Haider
 * Imad Harb
 * Jeffrey Helsing
 * Anne Hingeley
 * Qamar-ul Huda
 * Paul Hughes
 * Deborah Isser
 * Patricia Karam
 * Noor Kirdar
 * Neil Kritz
 * Scott Lasensky
 * Michael Lekson
 * Abdeslam E. M. Maghraoui
 * G. Eugene Martin
 * Gary Matthews
 * Alison Milofsky
 * Jonathan Morgenstein
 * Albaqir Mukhtar
 * Charles E. Nelson
 * Brenda Oppermann
 * Robert M. Perito
 * Colette Rausch
 * Steven Riskin
 * Daniel P. Serwer
 * Taylor Seybolt
 * David J. Smith
 * David R. Smock
 * Richard H. Solomon
 * Tara Sonenshine
 * Paul B. Stares
 * Nina Sughrue
 * Lynn M. Tesser
 * J. Alexander Thier
 * Patricia Thomson is USIP’s executive vice president, its second-ranking officer.
 * Astrid Tuminez
 * Paul A. Wee
 * Carola Weil
 * Jacqueline H. Wilson
 * Mona Yacoubian

Ex-staff

 * Sloan Mann
 * Liane Martindale
 * Jonathan Morrow

Grant Program Staff
Accessed January 2008:

Program Director and Area Specialists
 * Steven Heydemann, Vice President of Grants and Fellowships
 * Barmak Pazhwak, Program Officer (Afghanistan)
 * Steve Riskin, Senior Program Officer
 * Taylor Seybolt, Senior Program Officer
 * Carola Weil, Program Officer

Technical, Programmatic, and Administrative Staff
 * April R. Hall, Director of Grant Administration
 * Mauna Dosso, Program Specialist
 * Cornelia Smith, Senior Program Assistant
 * Sonia Eqbal, Program Assistant
 * Dahlia A. Shaaban, Program Assistant (Iraq)

Current Board (2008)
Accessed November 2008:


 * J. Robinson West (Chairman) - Chairman, PFC Energy
 * George E. Moose (Vice Chairman) - Adjunct Professor of Practice, The George Washington University
 * Anne H. Cahn - Former Scholar in Residence, American University
 * Chester A. Crocker - James R. Schlesinger Professor of Strategic Studies, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University
 * (NEW) Ikram U. Khan - President, Quality Care Consultants, LLC
 * (NEW) Kerry Kennedy - Human Rights Activist
 * (NEW) Stephen D. Krasner - Graham H. Stuart Professor of International Relations, Stanford University
 * Kathleen Martinez - Executive Director, World Institute on Disability
 * Jeremy A. Rabkin - Professor, George Mason School of Law
 * Ron Silver - Actor, Producer, Director, Primiparous Productions, Inc.
 * Judy Van Rest - Executive Vice President, International Republican Institute
 * (NEW) Nancy Zirkin - Executive Vice President, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights

Members ex officio


 * Robert M. Gates - Department of Defense
 * David J. Kramer - Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Department of State
 * Richard H. Solomon - President, United States Institute of Peace (nonvoting)
 * Frances C. Wilson - Lieutenant General, U.S. Marine Corps, President, National Defense University

Accessed August 2008:


 * J. Robinson West (Chair)- Chairman, PFC Energy
 * María Otero (Vice Chair)- President, ACCION International
 * Holly J. Burkhalter - Vice President, Government Relations, International Justice Mission
 * Anne H. Cahn - Former Scholar in Residence, American University
 * Chester A. Crocker - James R. Schlesinger Professor of Strategic Studies, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University
 * Laurie S. Fulton - Partner, Williams and Connolly
 * Charles Horner - Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute (right-wing think tank)
 * (NEW) Kathleen Martinez - Executive Director, World Institute on Disability
 * (NEW) George E. Moose - Adjunct Professor of Practice, The George Washington University
 * (NEW) Jeremy A. Rabkin - Professor, George Mason School of Law
 * (NEW) Ron Silver - Actor, Producer, Director, Primiparous Productions, Inc.
 * Judy Van Rest - Executive Vice President, International Republican Institute

Board (2006)

 * J. Robinson West, (Chair) Chairman, PFC Energy, Washington, DC
 * María Otero (Vice Chair), President, ACCION International, Boston, MA.
 * Betty F. Bumpers, Founder and former President, Peace Links, Washington, DC
 * Holly J. Burkhalter, Advocacy Director, Physicians for Human Rights, Washington, DC
 * Chester A. Crocker
 * James R. Schlesinger Professor of Strategic Studies School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University
 * Laurie S. Fulton, Williams and Connolly, Washington, DC
 * Charles Horner, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute, Washington, DC
 * Seymour Martin Lipset, Hazel Professor of Public Policy, George Mason University,
 * Mora L. McLean, President, Africa-America Institute, New York, NY
 * Barbara W. Snelling, Former State Senator and former Lieutenant Governor Shelburne, VT

Other board members in July 2004
Source (Announced, but eventually not approved.)
 * Stephen D. Krasner, Graham H. Stuart Professor of International Relations, Stanford University
 * Daniel Pipes, Director, Middle East Forum, Philadelphia, PA

Other board members in September 2002
Source
 * Marc E. Leland, Esq., President, Marc E. Leland & Associates, Arlington, Va.
 * Harriet Zimmerman, Vice President, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Washington, D.C., and director of Coalition for a Democratic Majority

Members ex officio (2006)

 * Michael M. Dunn, Lieutenant General, U.S. Air Force, President, National Defense University
 * Barry Lowenkron, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
 * Peter W. Rodman, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
 * Richard H. Solomon, President, United States Institute of Peace (nonvoting)

Other Members ex officio (2004)
Source
 * Lorne W. Craner, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor

Other Members ex officio (2002)
Source
 * Douglas J. Feith, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy
 * Paul G. Gaffney II, Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy; President, National Defense University

Members 1990
(Source: Diamond and Hatch, 1990)
 * Samuel W. Lewis President
 * Elspeth D. Rostow Vice Chair
 * John N. Moore Chair
 * John A. Baldwin
 * Dennis Bark
 * Stephen Hadley
 * William R. Kinter
 * Evron Kirkpatrick
 * Ronald F. Lehman
 * Morris Leibman
 * Sidney Lovett
 * Richard J. Neuhaus
 * Richard Schifter
 * W. Scott Thompson
 * W. Bruce Weinrod
 * Allen Weinstein

Members 1985
Nine of the eleven non-Government members were: The two others members being considered in 1985 were: [http://www.archives.gov/news/john-roberts/reagan-library-collections-2/ChronFile-Box65-06-18-1985to06-30-1985.pdf. Source]
 * W. Bruce Weinrod
 * Dennis L. Bark
 * Richard J. Neuhaus
 * Sidney Lovett
 * William R. Kinter
 * Martin Colman
 * Evron Kirkpatrick
 * W. Scott Thompson
 * John N. Moore
 * Allen Weinstein
 * Wendy Borcherdt

Contact

 * Web: www.usip.org

Related Sourcewatch articles

 * National Endowment for Democracy
 * National Peace Foundation
 * Peace Alliance
 * Points of Peace Foundation
 * William A. Schabas
 * Iraq Study Group
 * Elspeth Rostow - former chair
 * Mary Hope Schwoebel