The Foreign Service Journal, December 2008

28 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 8 ne of the more remarkable aspects of the intense debate about America’s global role is the current widespread support for helping to stabilize weak and failing states. Less than a decade ago, such missions were politically controversial, derided as nationbuilding or mere social work. Today, leaders on both sides of the political aisle are championing ideas to equip the U.S. government to handle such situations. The lack of capacity in key international affairs agen- cies, particularly the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development, has been a major focus of this discussion. While the U.S. military has embarked on reforms in planning and doctrine to improve its ability to perform stability operations — including a directive placing that objective on par with combat operations and a new counterinsurgency manu- al — the civilian agencies have lagged behind. Looking at the larger picture, the steady and steep growth of defense budgets contrasts starkly with the lack of support for diplomacy and development. The result- ing shortfall in funding for international affairs agencies has implications well beyond the problem of failing states. It hinders the ability of the United States to man- age the full range of challenges we confront. The Importance of Civilian Capacity Within the professional national security policy com- munity, there is near-universal consensus on the serious- ness of the situation and the need to strengthen civilian capacity. Just in the last several years, dozens of high- level commissions, working groups, congressionally mandated efforts and publications have examined the problem and proposed solutions. Some call for major change, such as a new Cabinet agency and an overhauled congressional committee structure, while others stress more modest (yet important) initiatives such as revamped personnel training. Defense Secretary Rob- ert Gates has emerged as one of the most forceful and articulate spokesmen for such efforts. The repeated calls from the nation’s top defense offi- cial for the expansion of civilian capabilities naturally gar- nered wide attention. Even so, comprehensive action to remedy this weakness has not been forthcoming. Efforts by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to reorient her agency toward “transformational diplomacy,” including F O C U S O N I D E A S F O R T H E N E W A DM I N I S T R AT I O N T HE C IVILIAN C ORE OF A MERICAN P OWER P RESIDENT - ELECT O BAMA SHOULD TELL HIS NATIONAL SECURITY TEAM TO PREPARE A JOINT INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS AND NATIONAL SECURITY BUDGET FOR F ISCAL Y EAR 2010. B Y D AVID S HORR , D EREK C HOLLET AND V IKRAM S INGH O David Shorr is a program officer at the Stanley Founda- tion, and Derek Chollet and Vikram Singh are fellows at the Center for a New American Security. Together, they co-direct a joint Stanley-CNAS project on strengthening civilian capacity. The views expressed here are the authors’ own.