On Thursday, March 27th, Plymouth State University, in conjunction with the College of Business Administration and the World Affairs Council of N.H., hosted Ambassador Rick Barton, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations.
We buy local, we eat local-now diplomacy is local. Ambassador Barton and his team of 155 help avert conflict by asking local people how to solve problems without violence. Working closely with existing movements and established opinion-makers-local leaders, indigenous and international non-governmental organizations, and civic associations their aim is to break the cycles of violence around the world.
Politically motivated violence often targets the most vulnerable. Opening channels for talks and establishing agreements for long-lasting peace, encouraging economic development aren’t enough, according to Barton. He stressed the importance of engaging women-
“50% of the world’s population”- and young people-“another 25% of the global population”-, to institute grassroots democracy and self- sufficiency in countries wrought by violence and poverty.
According to Barton, in Kenya, where in 2013, the US was spending $800 million on HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention while Kenyan leaders unanimously believed their most pressing national concern was political violence, the leading cause of instability in their country.
Violence did break out in the 2013 elections-Six police officers were killed in election violence in 2013, 52 people killed during the 2012 elections, 118 in 2007 and 2008.
Acting on this, Barton’s group secured the funds for Kenyan stake holders to organize and travel to other towns and villages to calm the urge for violence, eventually reaching millions and perhaps helping avoid a civil war, all for the cost equivalent of putting two American soldiers on the ground.
In Syria, Barton’s office financed a series of FM radio stations run by the opposition, putting them in touch with 80% of the population. With no cellphones or Internet possible, this was an effective and locally-controlled solution.
“Applying the answer to a previous situation is not necessarily the best idea,” Barton says. Innovation and flexibility corresponding with an individual situation are imperative, especially where the general public is concerned, however Barton says that although there are, “good local initiatives, the likelihood of any of them succeeding is 20%”. According to Barton this is where US diplomatic and financial support proves useful in increasing the chances of success for start-ups worldwide.