The Foreign Service Journal, October 2016

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2016 13 TALKING POINTS Colombia Peace Agreement T he Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (known as FARC) final- ized a peace agreement on Aug. 25 that they hope will bring an end to a bloody 52-year war. The agreement—which must still be approved by Colombian voters on Oct. 2—outlines five main objectives: (1) Ending political violence; (2) Justice for the victims of the conflict; (3) Rural development and government investment in infrastructure; (4) Recognition of FARC as a political party and a guarantee of five seats in the Colombian Senate; and (5) Ending the drug trade. “This is a transformational moment for our hemisphere,” said Bernard Aronson, the U.S. envoy to the peace talks. “It is a final repudiation of political violence as a means of changing governments.” Per- haps the peace deal’s biggest selling point to ordinary Colombians is the possibility that it will kick the economy into over- drive, by opening conflict zones to new investment and infrastructure projects. The United States’ “Plan Colombia” has been a cornerstone of the U.S.- Colombia relationship and is widely cred- ited with helping to mitigate the threat from FARC guerillas. Reducing the illegal coca crop—the backbone of FARC funding—is also of great concern to the United States, which is the main consumer of the drug. Although coca production has gone up in the last few years, U.S. Ambassador to Colombia Kevin Whitaker is confident that with FARC engaged on a diplomatic level, the group will be more open to get- ting out of the narcotics trade. A rejection by voters on Oct. 2 would be a harsh blow to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, as well as to the U.S. diplomats who have worked with Colom- bian authorities for many years to achieve this agreement. To Address Extremism, Start with Development A s the United States works to defeat terrorist groups like the so-called Islamic State, battlefield victories are not enough, say State Department Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism Michael Ortiz and USAID Coordinator for Countering Violent Extremism Russell Porter in a July 20 Department of State “DipNote” blog post. The underlying factors that allow these groups to recruit and mobilize people to commit acts of violence in furtherance of ideologies of hate must also be addressed. In May, the U.S. Agency for Interna- tional Development and the State Depart- ment released the first-ever Joint Strategy on Countering Violent Extremism (called CVE) to prevent extremism from taking hold by using the tools of development and diplomacy. The links between violent extremism and underdevelopment are mutually reinforcing; and USAID and the State Department recognize that the need has never been greater to address these issues. Extremists’ actions overwhelm health systems, feed insecurity and instabil- ity, displace people from their homes and drive migration. And they impede economic growth by discouraging invest- ment—not only from international com- panies, but also from local entrepreneurs. Research shows that prevention efforts are most effective when led by local com- munities themselves—with young people, women, local governments, teachers and civil society directing and owning the efforts. Development programs that reduce the allure of violent extremist groups have immeasurable payoffs, both in terms of reaching development goals—meaning- ful objectives in their own right—and in terms of advancing U.S. foreign policy objectives. Visa Delays Endanger Translators F our years after working with the U.S. military as a translator in Afghanistan, Zar Mohammad Stanikzai has become a prisoner in his own home, reports Emma- rie Huetteman in The New York Times on Aug. 9. Mr. Stanikzai is awaiting a determina- tion by Congress on a special visa as part of a program to translators and interpret- ers who assisted the military during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He first applied for the program in 2013, after he came under fire in his car and a local imamwarned his father that Mr. Stanikzai could be killed for working for Americans. For more than eight years, the State Department has managed a visa program From top: Local leaders from around the world launch Strong Cities Network in September 2015. Children in Chad react to participatory theater performance, part of a USAID program to counter extremism. World leaders at the Countering Violent Extremism Summit at the White House in February 2015. FRO MTOP:U.S.STATEDEPT/USAID /WHITEHOUSE