Don't stand by, STAND up!

State Department Sends Diplomatic Team to Assist with CPA Implementation

dansolomon — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 07:40:39 -0400

The State Department announced yesterday the creation of a Sudan negotiation support team, which will assist the U.S. diplomatic mission in Sudan in facilitating the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) implementation process. The support team, led by veteran U.S. Ambassador Princeton Lyman, will meet with various stakeholders in the CPA process over the next several weeks, including the leadership of the National Congress Party (NCP) and Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLA), as well as international actors from Norway, the United Kingdom, and the U.N.

As the Enough Project's David Sullivan noted in a Politico article yesterday, this is a positive development for U.S. diplomatic engagement in Sudan:

“This is a welcome sign for us from the administration that it needs to bring in folks with that kind of résumé...It’s a good step. We now seem to be acknowledging the successful model that helped result in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005 that was negotiated by a team of senior diplomats on the ground in support of an Africa-led process.”

Ambassador Lyman's extensive credentials in diplomacy in Africa--he served as the first U.S. Ambassador to post-apartheid South Africa, as well as Ambassador to Nigeria--are an encouraging indication of the Obama administration's growing prioritization of the CPA implementation process. Sudan Now, the coalition of Sudan advocacy organizations, has continuously called for an increase in U.S. diplomatic engagement in the CPA process.

The United States' participation in the CPA implementation process must be coordinated and multilateral. While this positive step is encouraging, further schisms in the Obama administration's Sudan policy could jeopardize the diplomatic operation. President Obama must demonstrate the leadership required to ensure the success of Ambassador Lyman's diplomatic team, as well as a peaceful referendum on Southern Sudanese independence.

U.S. Supports Commission of Inquiry into Crimes in Burma

dansolomon — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 11:39:39 -0400

According to reports by the Washington Post and Foreign Policy magazine's Turtle Bay blog, the Obama administration will push for a commission of inquiry into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Burma. This development comes after months of grassroots campaigning and advocacy from human rights organizations, including the US Campaign for Burma, STAND, and Human Rights Watch. According to administration officials, the decision does not reverse the administration's policy of engagement with the Burmese regime:

The decision reflects mounting frustration that nearly two years of diplomatic outreach, including several visits by senior American diplomats to Burma, have failed to persuade the country's military ruler, Senior Leader Than Shwe, to release Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, from house arrest or to allow the political opposition to participate in the country's upcoming election.

Two senior U.S. officials said the Obama administration reached its decision following a lengthy internal review of U.S. policy toward Burma. They also insist that the move is consistent with the U.S. policy of engagement with Burma. "We don't see diplomacy as a reward: it's a tool that we hope will have results," according to one of the officials.

The official said the decision to push for a commission of inquiry reflects a judgment that there is merit in allegations of mass crimes by the Burmese military, that Suu Kyi's political party supports such a commission, and that the Burmese government failed to "come forward with steps to bring progress towards democracy." It also reflected mounting Congressional calls for tougher action against the Burmese regime.

Last month, STAND activists lobbied Senators in support of Senators Feinstein and Gregg's Dear Colleague letter on a commission of inquiry into crimes in Burma. The letter received signatures from 32 Senators, many of whom met with STAND students.

UN Dispatch blogger Mark Leon Goldberg argues that the recent decision highlights a new opportunity for U.S. engagement with the International Criminal Court:

This kind of ICC bank shot is a good example of how the United States can constructively interact with institutions or treaty regimes that it may support, but in all likelihood will never formally join. These kinds of strategies are going to become increasingly relevant; treaties that were once considered uncontroversial, like the CEDAW and Law of the Seas, have in today's political climate become suddenly contentious. Unless something radically changes in the Senate, the United States will have to navigate a future in which it is in permanent observer status to these conventions, treaties and institutions. Administrations that are supportive of these institutions in principal (as the Obama administration is with the ICC) will have to find a way to influence these structures from the sidelines.

Upcoming STAND Protest Covered in Cape Cod Newspaper

dansolomon — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 09:46:44 -0400

Press coverage of STAND's national day of action has begun to trickle in. Today's Cape Cod Times features an article about tonight's protest in Hyannis, Massachusetts. The protest, which will take place alongside similar protests across the country, will call on President Obama to implement a Sudan policy that holds the Sudanese government accountable for its continued backsliding. The national day of action is a response to reports that the Obama administration plans to approve an exclusively incentive-based Sudan policy, in contrast to the more holistic policy the administration released last fall:

The vigil and "die-in" are 7:30 to 11 p.m. at the Hyannis Village Green, according to organizer MacKenzie J. Hamilton of Harwich. Hamilton is a national outreach coordinator for STAND: Student-led Division of the Genocide Intervention Network.

Speakers from STAND chapters in Harwich and Dennis-Yarmouth high schools are expected to speak. Also invited are three men from southern Sudan and Cape political leaders and candidates.

Similar vigils are planned in Boston and Northampton, Hamilton said.

"It's such an important time in Sudan's history," she said last night, as Obama considers what position the U.S. will take to improve the future for a country torn apart by civil war.

Update: Cape Cod STAND chapters have posted a press release at Cape Cod Today.

STAND Activists Press Obama Administration on Sudan Policy

dansolomon — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 10:14:46 -0400

As we mentioned yesterday, Foreign Policy magazine's The Cable blog reported divisions in the Obama administration over Sudan policy decisions. At a time of escalating violence in Darfur and the potential for all-out war between Northern and Southern Sudan, STAND activists are organizing in their communities to convey the urgency of the situation to administration officials.

Facebook events have already developed for Kentucky, North Carolina, Michigan, Georgia, Eastern and Western Massachusetts, Boston, Washington, DC, and New York vigils--further events are developing in South Carolina, Chicago, Minneapolis, and the San Francisco area. It is crucial that Sudan activists demonstrate the widespread public support for a holistic, comprehensive policy on Sudan. The situation has never been more urgent.

Join Sudan activists on Facebook, Twitter, and in your communities to urge President Obama to demonstrate leadership on Sudan.

Contact a STAND Outreach Coordinator for more information about organizing in your community this week.

FP Report Highlights Schism in Obama Administration on Sudan Policy

dansolomon — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 16:29:03 -0400

A recent report by Foreign Policy magazine's Josh Rogin suggests that the Obama administration is divided over the implementation strategy for the administration's Sudan policy, which was released to last October. The administration--in particular, President Obama's special envoy to Sudan, retired Maj. Gen. Scott Gration--has received much criticism from the Sudan advocacy community for its unwillingness to leverage diplomatic and economic pressure against the Sudanese regime.

The schism reported by Mr. Rogin will endanger the effectiveness of President Obama's Sudan policy. This is indeed a problematic prospect, given recent reports of escalating violence in Darfur, a worsening humanitarian situation in the region, and the various political risk factors associated with the upcoming referendum on Southern Sudanese independence. According to Foreign Policy, the policy divide manifested itself during a principals-level meeting on Sudan last week. Gen. Gration and Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, clashed over the special envoy's incentive-based Sudan policy recommendations:

The news comes in the wake of a contentious principals-level meeting at the White House last week, in which Gration clashed openly with U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice over the direction of Sudan policy.

At the meeting, Rice was said to be "furious" when Gration proposed a plan that makes the January referendum a priority, deemphasizes the ongoing crisis in Darfur, and is devoid of any additional pressures on the government in Khartoum.

According to multiple sources briefed on the meeting, Gration's plan was endorsed by almost all the other participants, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and will now go the president for his approval. Rice was invited to provide a written dissent. Vice President Joseph Biden did not attend.

STAND has repeatedly emphasized the importance of the upcoming referendum to the Obama administration's Sudan policy. However, it is crucial that the administration recognize the potential for conflict in both Darfur and Southern Sudan, and act to prevent such conflict from occurring. The administration must leverage the pressures and incentives mentioned in last fall's Sudan policy. Sudan is teetering on the brink of all-out war; clear international leadership from President Obama and Vice President Biden is needed to ensure that such a war does not occur.

Stay tuned for further updates on opportunities for you to ring the alarm on the administration's stagnating Sudan policy.

Obama Administration Stalling on Sudan: Take Action Now!

dansolomon — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 12:44:19 -0400

With the referendum on Southern Sudanese independence approaching this January, the international community needs to be prepared for the re-emergence of conflict in Sudan. Reports indicate that the United States is not poised to face this challenge.

Urge Secretary Clinton to take action to prevent all-out war in Sudan.

Last Wednesday morning, a senior State Department official was quoted in the New York Times saying, "There is no sense of urgency that this is a crucial moment [in Sudan]."

In contrast to this official's statement, there has rarely been a more crucial moment in Sudan's contemporary history. New violence in Darfur has escalated to 2007 levels, just months before Southern Sudan is scheduled to vote on its own independence. If the referendum does not progress smoothly, Sudan could descend into all-out war.

We need to hold the State Department publicly accountable for inaction on Sudan.

Please tell Secretary Clinton to take action on Sudan.

A lesbian, a black girl and a U.S. Army Major walk into a room...

akroetsch — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 12:04:53 -0400

Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke. On the morning of July 26th, two members of STAND and a U.S. Major entered Oklahoma Senator Inhofe's office. I caught up with them after the meeting, and Jenn Polish’s adrenaline rush was vigorous, her energy infectious. “It’s interesting, honestly, because it was a really good exchange of views...people have to come to conclusions in their own time, their own space. That’s what social change is.”

Meaningful change often happens slowly, over a period of time--through conversations and, sometimes, confrontations. I couldn't help but think of Jenn’s meeting as a symbolic indicator of the significant progress we have made. Here stood two citizens who have faced injustice in their own lives, fighting for those suffering a world away, exchanging views with a man who had served his country’s military and continued to do so through public service.

But maybe it wasn't symbolic. Perhaps, that morning, two American students simply walked onto the Hill to meet with a Senator's legislative assistant, and the assistant did his daily job and met with his boss’ constituents. Nevertheless, it speaks magnitudes about America and our democratic process. Since elementary school, we’ve been taught about our forefathers and America’s founding principles of democracy, individual rights, and freedom of speech. In fact, in Canada or England, freedom of speech falls short of being absolute, for hate speech (any communication which disparages a person or a group on the basis of some characteristic such as race or sexual orientation) is prohibited. America has the most resolute preservation of freedom of speech, allowing all expressions as long as it does not present “immediate, imminent lawless action” as ruled in Brandenburg v. Ohio in 1969. Our constitution demands that we express our beliefs, and we should demand it ourselves.

In America, every citizen has a voice. In today's interconnected world, individuals and organizations -- not just countries -- play a defining role in international affairs, and the State Department has been taking initiatives to capitalize on these new possibilities. Take, for example, the “Engaging the Community on Foreign Affairs” Facebook page. STAND members voiced their concerns about the Obama administration’s inaction on Sudan,

“Mr. President: Millions of lives – and your legacy – are on the line. Your personal leadership is needed now to prevent a return to war in Sudan…your administration must respond with a policy that is coherent, strategic, and unified. With the lives of millions potentially hanging in the balance, now is the time for your personal leadership on this issue.”

Genocide prevention activists aren’t the only ones utilizing new social media. In response to STAND members' posts, someone named Gil Donovan cheekily posted on STAND's Facebook page,

"Mr. President: Millions of lives – and your legacy – are on the line. Your CONTINUED leadership is needed IN THE USA now to prevent a war AMONGST OUR OWN PEOPLE. People in THIS COUNTRY are starving. Thank you."

I agree with Mr. Donovan. Millions of lives are on the line, and the President's continued leadership is, indeed, needed here at home. Though I’m pretty sure that my neighbors are not arming themselves for the Civil War of 2010, we do face fights of our own. We struggle with immigration reform; economic disparity; religion (c’mon New York), LGBT rights; pro-life vs. pro-choice; health care; unemployment; resource depletion; cost of education. These issues plague our country and need not only attention, but action. No matter the issue or what box we check when we vote, as citizens, we do our best to do, as rapper and activist Omekongo would say, "what we can, when we can, where we can," in every way we can. Through dialogue and civic engagement, we empower ourselves and our communities. We make our own voices louder and hold those in power accountable. Some of us make the choice to amplify others’ voices. Fortunately, helping others and helping ourselves are not mutually exclusive.

The United States government has the structural capacity to effectively address multiple issues. Most Americans think that the U.S. spends between 15-20% on foreign affairs. The truth? Less than 1.4% of the national budget is allocated to international affairs. Significantly, Mr. Gates, the United States defense secretary, has been the most eloquent advocate in government for balance in financing. According to Nicholas Kristof’s latest article, “Gates has noted that the military has more people in its marching bands than the State Department has diplomats.” Furthermore, the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency has gone from 7,500 employees in 2002 to 16,500 today. The United States clearly resources its Defense Department sufficiently, demonstrated by its astronomical growth. Addressing the most traumatic violations of human rights does not come at the cost of our own interests. The U.S. can engage in more than one issue at a time.

It is absurd to say that one has to "choose" a cause to fight for. Case in point: Jenn Polish, a vigilant anti-genocide activist, additionally spends several hours a week educating her community about HIV prevention. Her STAND chapter, in additional to their advocacy on international issues, provides a food pantry for the local community. Furthermore, they will be working with Generation Citizen, a community-based organization that looks to expand democratic participation among low-income youth. Generation Citizen was created by Scott Warren, former STAND Student Director. Jenn and Scott connected at STAND Camp. When a person fights against injustice abroad, it does not automatically mean that they are against justice here, in the same way that when a medical student decides to become a veterinarian, it by no means implies that they value a pet's life over a human's. Support for one does not mean a lack of support for the other.

So, as I was saying, "a lesbian, a black girl, and a U.S. army major walk into a room." Ready for the punch line? There isn't one. What's more important is what happened before and what happens after.

When Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous speech in front of 200,000 people on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, he shared his dream. When Harvey Milk was elected to the Supervisory Board of San Francisco, he gave hope. These big moments were, irrefutably, significant. But these historical moments are only powerful due to the way they impacted their communities. These defining moments moved a group of people to meaningful action. This is what we, equally in our roles as movement-builders, and as individual, engaged citizens, have committed ourselves to.

Because change takes time. After all, America elected a half-black President less than two years ago. Harvey Milk’s hope became more of a reality only last Wednesday. The Jewish Holocaust ended in 1945, Bush jotted “Not on my watch!” in the margins of a report on the Clinton administration’s inaction to Rwanda in 2001, and as a candidate in 2007, Obama promised that his "conscience cannot rest" until the “genocide” in Darfur is stopped. Yet genocide, child soldier recruitment, and the use of rape as a tool of war occur as I edit this piece, and, as you read it.

We've got a long way to go. But, we are taking those challenging steps in order to bridge the gap between the world we have and the world we want. Thousands of students across the country are taking a STAND in their schools and communities, and more people join us everyday. A couple of weeks ago, at STAND Camp, over seventy STAND leaders got together in Maryland to learn the tools for effective organizing, advocacy, new media, and campaigns. I joined the movement because I wanted to take a step out of myself and do something. I’ve stayed because of the friends I’ve met that have made that same decision. We are building a community, bolstering our passion with concrete skills and working towards results-oriented action. We are building the first permanent anti-genocide constituency. And we’re here to stay. Together, we are taking a stand to preserve, first and foremost, the most basic human right: the right to life. Because without life, there comes no Liberty, or Happiness, or Property. And, because we made a promise. And we made it to each other. We're acting together to ensure that the President keeps his, too.

Andrea Hong

STAND Student Director

Smith College '11

Join us and take action now.

STAND has over 400 chapters nation-wide. Find one near you by e-mailing newchapter@standnow.org

Questions? Comments? e-mail director@standnow.org

Bipartisan Genocide Prevention Resolution Introduced in the U.S. Senate

dansolomon — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 12:45:00 -0400

Big news for the anti-genocide movement!

This morning, Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced a resolution calling for the development of an interagency genocide prevention strategy. The resolution is the result of extensive work by the anti-genocide community to develop a bipartisan consensus around genocide and mass atrocities prevention. Students have played an integral role in this process.

This resolution, based in the recommendations of the Genocide Prevention Task Force, is an important first step in the development of a coordinated U.S. government strategy to prevent and end genocide and mass atrocities. As the Genocide Intervention Network recently wrote on Facebook, this resolution will facilitate "long-term structural change" in the U.S. government's approach to these issues.

Read the full text of the resolution here.

CNN Reports on U.S. Conflict Minerals Legislation; Blogosphere Responds

dansolomon — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 11:47:53 -0400

The Enough Project's John Prendergast, and Sasha Lezhnev, of the Grassroots Reconciliation Group, have published an op-ed on CNN's website lauding Congress' recent progress on conflict minerals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Prendergast and Lezhnev are optimistic about the impact of the conflict minerals legislation on the conflict resolution process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo:

By requiring that publicly listed manufacturers who use these minerals conduct independent audits of their supply chains, this legislation will help curb the conflict minerals trade.

Courageous members of Congress from both parties fought hard together with a coalition of faith-based organizations, women's rights advocates and student groups for the past two years to enact this law, standing up for what is right and bravely battling against special-interest lobbyists.

Meanwhile, a debate over the conflict minerals legislation is taking place across the human rights and Congo-interest blogospheres. Andrew Sullivan, of the Daily Dish, aggregates the most recent posts here. Responding to the critiques of bloggers like Laura Seay, at Texas in Africa, Jason Stearns, at Congo Siasa, expresses his confidence in the legislation, as a preliminary step towards commercial accountability in the Congo:

Yes, I wish we could have greater engagement in strengthening the Congolese judiciary and police. I wish there could be meaningful land reform and that disputes over farming rights could be settled by expert mediators (UN Habitat is beginning to do this). I wish we could have transparent democratic institutions throughout the country. But none of those issues stand necessarily in contradiction with due diligence in the minerals trade. I can't tell you how often I have been in meetings with officials at the State Department, insisting that they help in security sector reform and in paying attention to the return of Congolese Tutsi refugees. Nothing much came of that. Now that we have a chance to help promote meaningful reform in the minerals trade, I think we should seize the opportunity.

Read Stearns' summary of the legislation here.

After STAND Camp, Students Take to the Hill

dansolomon — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:12:47 -0400

Last week, STAND hosted over sixty chapter leaders from around the country at STAND Camp 2010. Over four days at a retreat center in Maryland, students heard from John Prendergast, Omekongo Dibinga, Carl Wilkens, and many other anti-genocide activists and policy specialists. Students participated in community organizing and advocacy training sessions from STAND partners and alumni at the New Organizing Institute, USAID, and Organizing for America. After a fulfilling (and exhausting) weekend of campaign strategizing, policy debates, and movement building, STAND chapter leaders took to the Hill to lobby their elected officials on Sudan, Burma, and genocide prevention.

Students met with 16 Senators and one Representative on Monday. They urged their Senators to take action on Sudan by pressing for a greater U.S. role in the Darfur peace process, the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, and the fulfillment of the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Omar al-Bashir. Students urged their Senators to sign Senators Feinstein and Gregg's recent Dear Colleague letter supporting a UN commission of inquiry into crimes in Burma.

This week's STAND Lobby Day demonstrated the power of political will to effect change in U.S. government institutions. The Senators and Representatives responded to student advocacy--32 Senators, many of whom met with STAND students on Monday, became signatories of Senators Feinstein and Gregg's Dear Colleague letter. Senators and Representatives engaged STAND chapter leaders on critical legislative and policy issues, as in STAND Outreach Coordinator Mac Hamilton's conversation about the commission of inquiry with Sen. John Kerry's foreign policy team.

These next several months will be critical moments for the movement to prevent and end genocide. We need to continue to pressure our elected officials to take an active role in supporting genocide prevention and civilian protection worldwide. Continue to lobby your elected officials on these critical issues--your voice can tip the scale.