A Call to the New President for Responsible U.S. Global Engagement Released
Posted On: January 14th, 2009
Posted By: Heather_B_Hamilton
Over 145 signatories reflect unprecedented and unusual collaboration across issue areas.
Today, the Connect U.S. Fund released A Call to the New President for Responsible U.S. Global Engagement, a letter signed by over 145 individuals from the foreign policy community – including former President Jimmy Carter, Assistant Secretary of State John Shattuck, and former USAID Administrator J. Brian Atwood – calling on President-Elect Obama to take swift action to restore responsible U.S. global engagement.
The letter has been shared with key individuals from President Obama’s transition team.
In order for the U.S. to achieve critical national security and foreign policy goals, the new administration must:
1) repair U.S. credibility on human rights;
2) address climate change;
3) reduce the nuclear threat; and,
4) strengthen diplomacy and development.
The letter, developed with over 215 members of the foreign policy community, represents an unprecedented collaboration across issue areas and among types of organizations:
- Unusual diversity of signatories: The signatories include a rare mix of former high-level government officials, think-tank analysts, leaders of faith-based organizations and individuals affiliated with advocacy and grassroots NGOs.
- Unprecedented agreement from a cross-issue perspective: This call-to-action, which includes policy recommendations in nuclear nonproliferation, human rights, development and environmental areas, breaks through the traditional issue silos to identify the most pressing policy actions critical to re-establishing U.S. global leadership.
- Unique collaboration and buy-in: Over 215 individuals from the foreign policy community contributed to the letter through an online survey and consultation meetings. The letter was written prior to the election and its recommendations are non-partisan.
Primary Issues:
Human Rights
Counterterrorism
Development-Foreign Assistance
Civil-Military Relations
Nuclear Weapons
Arms Control-Disarmament
Environment
Climate Change and Energy
International Law
International Institutions
National Security-Defense
Peace-Conflict Resolution-Reconstruction
Policy Proposals for the Next President
Advocacy Practices:
None
All contents & comments are the opinions of the authors. The Connect U.S. Fund does not take positions on candidates for political office or political parties.
Updating your comments on youth organizing
Emily's comments are very apropos. Since then, she's helped to create another path-breaking event. On February 5, Jofi Joseph, foreign policy aide to Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, moderated an unprecedented seminar in a hearing room at Rayburn House Office Building, with a group of nuclear experts and advocates, as well as with the general public and the media. The idea was to bring us up-to-date on current issues coming before the Congress in this term on outer space and nuclear policy.
We heard from Dr. Craig Eisendrath, author of War in Heaven-Preventing a Space Arms Race, Steven Starr, of the www.NuclearDarkness.org web site on nuclear climate change, and Ambassador Tom Graham, former chief U.S. nuclear negotiator, on treaties we need to support, such as greater enforcement of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and serious efforts to control fissile materials more securely to prevent nuclear terrorism, the latter a theme emphasized by Jofi Joseph in his discussion.
It was a great success, and capped off by Emily Gleason's discussion of how it is this Millennial Generation that will need to get activated to bring the threat of nuclear confrontation to an end, by ultimately abolishing these weapons.
I was delighted to find out on Friday that scores of students and youth are already involved in the Anti-Nuclear Art Expo being organized by the Ban All Nukes Generation US Youth Network. Kudos to Emily, Kim Nguyen, and all the students at various campuses involved in this great project, one that Emily mentions in her Connect US comment.
Ed Aguilar
A Call for Youth Engagement in Responsible Global Dialogue
I applaud the initiative and clear priorities of Connect US in organizing both the collaboration and content of the appeal letter to our new president Barack Obama. Since his inauguration, he has moved to address the human rights issue by announcing the closure of Guantanamo Bay Prison. However, there is still much to be done.
As a disarmament advocate, I hope that President Obama’s next move is to address and render impotent the nuclear threat. The benefits of drastically scaling back the US nuclear arsenal, with a mind towards global zero, are many. Not only do we eliminate a dire threat to our environment and human health, but we also free up billions of dollars. According to a study funded by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the United States spent over 52 billion dollars in 2008 on nuclear weapons and related programs, however only 10 percent of this went towards funding for attack prevention and non-proliferation measures. How could we use a few extra billion dollars? Affordable healthcare anyone? Accessible education? How about green energy infrastructure?
How do I as a student make my voice heard? How do I get involved and actually participate in the action, and more importantly, how can I help provide this gateway to my peers? How can other groups engage students and young persons in advocacy?
Here are two works in progress:
1. The Ban All Nukes Generation (BANg) USA website offers information on the nuclear weapons threat and opportunities for involvement. One opportunity, sponsored by the Project for Nuclear Awareness of Philadelphia, is an international art contest “Join the Revolution” which asks for submissions from artists of all mediums to contribute to a visual petition for nuclear disarmament. The BANg network can serve as a gateway to student and youth involvement in advocacy groups.
2. I am currently working with a group of students around the world, who were inspired by Hans Blix at the World Federation of United Nations Associations, to build a youth network for nuclear disarmament. The idea is: coordinate globally, act locally. We are currently working to realize this idea through an international youth video dialogue for fall 2009. Stay tuned for more information on the BANg USA website: http://bang-usa.hihym.com/ where you can learn more and get involved in the dialogue project.
Here’s to a future of great possibilities, and an open call for new ideas.
Emily Gleason
Environmental Studies, Temple University
Research Associate, Project for Nuclear Awareness
Emily.pna@gmail.com
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