By Sean Langberg

Sean is the Co-Chair of the STAND chapter at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Side note: Sean’s chapter is hosting an atrocity prevention conference on December 1 and 2, 2012. The registration deadline is November 15, and attendance is free for students. For more information, visit http://standnow.org/NCconference. 

Barack Obama and Mitt Romney met last night in Florida to discuss their plans for some popular foreign policy issues. This presidential debate is different because voters are typically less informed about foreign policy issues and, as a result, many election experts think the debate is less important than ones focused on issues such as the economy and taxes. This is not necessarily wrong or unnatural. Voters are more inclined to care about issues that directly affect them. However, while many voters may not consider the US position on sanctions in Burma when they stop into the ballot box on November 6, thousands of atrocity prevention advocates across the country will. Moreover, the intimate connections between foreign and domestic policy mean that issues that may seem remote are actually very pertinent to the everyday US citizens. Examples include war spending, soldier deployments, and foreign aid appropriations.

Let’s start with what the candidates did talk about. Iran, Israel, Benghazi, China, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and a dose of Syria. Check the cable news ticker for more info.

Now what did Obama and Romney not talk about? First, neither of the candidates mentioned anything of significance regarding Syria. Neither wants to involve the US military directly, but think that material support and training are acceptable. Second, continuing violence in Sudan was completely left off the table despite the independence of South Sudan during Obama’s term. Third, Aung San Suu Kyi’s recent trip to the United States and the cycles of reform in Burma. Fourth (and least surprising), the ongoing violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo supported by Rwanda and a multitude of domestic armed groups. All of these issues are ones that the US government engages with, but are rarely discussed in popular discourse. It’s our job, as advocates of peace and atrocity prevention to bring these issues to the forefront with the help of civilians on the ground and diaspora groups in the US. Last, by no means are these the only issues that were neglected. Other important ones such as climate change, US-Mexico border violence, and the Israel-Palestine peace process were largely ignored as well.

It’s important to note that calling last night the “foreign policy debate” is a bit of a misnomer. The issues that the candidates discussed (Iran, Benghazi, etc.) will be a small fraction of their actual foreign policy. Crafting and implementing a global geopolitical code is a complicated, often ad hoc process that involves everyone from the US Postal Service to the Central Intelligence Agency. In my experience, Stand is committed to viewing foreign policy as the broad, intricate issue it is rather than focusing on headline-grabbing issues. Our engagement with conflict minerals (Securities and Exchange Commission/Department of Commerce), foreign aid (Congress, USAID, et al), and the Sudan peace process (Department of State, Department of Energy, et al) represents only a portion of the comprehensive advocacy and policy solutions that are required. Students, diaspora groups, and professional allies must continue to push our representatives to act, develop smart prevention strategies, and empower communities affected by mass violence no matter what CNN reports on November 6.

United Nations observers monitoring violence in Syria suspended operations today amidst increasing violence and threats to their safety.  The lead monitor, Robert Mood, became concerned after some of the monitors came under fire last Tuesday as they entered the scene of a massacre.  This comes over a month after a ceasefire was supposed to take effect.  However, Assad’s remaining loyal forces continue to shell centers of opposition in an attempt crush the sixteen month old uprising.  

The United Nations Security Council approved the monitoring mission on April 14th as the internationally agreed upon ceasefire collapsed.  However, despite the presence of the monitors, Assad continued his violence campaign.  During this time there were two instances of mass killing in Houla and Qubair that garnered significant media attention.  More broadly, thousands of civilians have been killed since the mission began with unofficial estimates around 14,000 dead.  

Today’s development is another blow to international efforts at resolving the Syrian crisis through peaceful diplomacy.  The now famous Annan six-point plan adopted last April was widely seen as the most promising peace effort.  However, after months of continued violence many are calling the plan a failure and the suspension of the monitoring mission will only bolster those claims.  Realizing the fragility of his efforts, former Secretary-General Kofi Annan released a revised agenda that reflects a more nuanced understanding of the conflict.  The plan calls for the creation of a Syria “contact group” consisting of regional partners and other relevant state actors.  This group, notably including Russia, would try to find a political solution to the crisis most likely involving Assad’s protection in exile.  

While today’s announcement is not favorable to non-violent resolution measures, it should not be seen as an invitation for military operations.  The international community must remain committed to finding a diplomatic solution.  Recent claims that the conflict is now a civil war is somewhat of a misnomer because of the international support opposition and loyalist forces receive from Russia, Saudi Arabia, others.  In order to reach a responsible non-military conclusion, these actors must be deliberately engaged and persuaded that a post-Assad Syria is safer for the region.

As the school year winds down and summer begins, our jobs as civilian protection advocates are not complete.  As Burma slowly continues down the road to civilian control, the Obama Administration is ready to lift a first round of sanctions.  However, many activists, both American and Burmese, have urged caution as the US normalizes its relationship with Burma.  Renewing the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act is a crucial step to maintaining pressure on the Burmese military and urging more reform.  

As a student civilian protection organization, we can use our leverage as informed advocates and citizens to pressure our Congresspeople to co-sponsor and pass the act.  By informing your chapter, local networks, family, and friends and taking action through 1-800-Genocide, we can help ensure that reform in Burma continues.  

As always, the STAND Managing Committee is here to support your efforts as you educate, organize, and lobby.  Ask us for help, for guidance, and to amplify your actions and the actions of your communities as you work to pass the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act and promote substantive reform.  

Acess more information about the act and our efforts here.