Center for International Policy

The Center for International Policy (CIP) is a non-profit public policy research and advocacy think tank with offices in Washington, D.C. and New York City. It was founded in 1975 in response to the Vietnam War. The Center describes its mission as "promoting a U.S. foreign policy based on international cooperation, demilitarization and respect for human rights."^[2] The Center is the parent organization for a variety of projects, including The Financial Transparency Coalition, Win Without War and Avoided Deforestation Partners. It also collaborates with the Washington Office on Latin America and the Latin America Working Group to publish the Just the Facts website.

Several prominent individuals serve as senior fellows with CIP, including Wayne Smith, Robert White, Michael Barnes, and Matthew Hoh (director for the Afghanistan Study Group). Luis Gilberto Murillo and Cynthia McClintock are co-chairs of the organization's Board of Directors, which also includes Darcy Burner, Alfredo Duran, Mike Farell, and Dessima Williams.

History

1970s

The Center was founded in 1975 under the fiscal sponsorship of the Fund for Peace by activists, including current Executive Director Bill Goodfellow and then-retired US foreign service official Donald Ranard, who served as the Center's first Executive Director.

During its first years, the Center focused its work on Asia, especially United States foreign policy towards South Korea and its relationships with the Park Chung-hee-led government. In 1976, Ranard testified to Congress on human rights violations in South Korea and the role of South Korean lobbyists in Washington.^[3] In 1978, the Center established an Indochina Program, which advocated the normalization of diplomatic relations with Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia; the program was later closed in 1989.

In the mid-1970s, while at the time also co-chairs of the Center's Board, US Representatives Donald Fraser and Tom Harkin introduced legislation that incorporated foreign countries' human rights records into consideration of security and economic aid.^[4]

1980s

During the 1980s, CIP campaigned in support of the Contadora Group and the subsequent Esquipulas Peace Agreement.

After South Africa received a loan from the International Monetary Fund in 1983, the Center began a campaign that pushed for provisions that prohibited the US representative to the IMF to support loans to countries that practice apartheid.^[5] The Center continued its work with research into labor practices and economic impacts of apartheid in South Africa.

1990s

In 1990, the Center established a joint program with the Costa Rica-based Arias Foundation, founded by Óscar Arias. The organisation's new President, Robert White, also worked extensively with Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide during his exile in Washington in the 1990s.^[6]

Wayne Smith joined the Center in 1991 to establish the Cuba program, working towards the normalisation of relations between the United States and Cuba.

In the mid-1990s, Adam Isacson established the Latin American Security program, which still operates today. The program campaigned against the militarisation of Plan Colombia and supporting the movement of funds to programs for judicial reforms and economic development. In June 1999, the program led the first ever congressional delegation to meet with insurgent leaders inside the territory they controlled.^[7]

2000s

Clarissa Segun and Paul Olweny, leaders for the Demilitarization for Democracy project, joined the Center in 2000. The project campaigned for diplomatic aid and United Nations peacekeeping.^[8] The project eventually closed in 2006.

Sarah Stephens worked on Cuba policy, joining the Center in 2001 with the Freedom to Travel project. She left CIP in 2006 and then launched the Center for Democracy in the Americas (CDA).^[9]

In 2003, then-President Robert White established a program focused on governmental corruption in Central America, specifically illegal logging in Honduras. Former Washington Post foreign correspondent Selig Harrison joined CIP in the same year to head the Center's Asia program which focuses on North Korea and the Indian subcontinent.

With the publishing of his book Capitalism's Achilles Heel: Dirty Money and How to Renew the Free-Market System (Wiley & Sons, 2005), CIP senior fellow Raymond Baker founds Global Financial Integrity (GFI), a non-profit, research and advocacy organisation focused on the role of illicit financial flows. GFI continues today as a program of the Center.

In June 2007, the Americas Program joined CIP after the dissolution of the International Relations Center.^[10] The Americas Program continues as the TransBorder Project and the Americas Project today.

Current Programs

The Center currently operates two key programs - the key Latin America Rights & Security (LARS) program and the Common Defense Campaign (CDC). In addition, Global Financial Integrity and Avoided Deforestation (AD) Partners are projects of the Center.

Within the LARS program, the Americas project and the TransBorder project operate out of Mexico City and New Mexico respectively. The Cuba project, under the leadership of Wayne Smith, operates out of CIP's Washington office.

The Common Defense Campaign is a collection of projects related to US military policy. Win Without War and Afghanistan Study Group focus on the US role in the Afghanistan War. The Asia project, under the leadership of Selig Harrison, continues its original focus on North Korea relations and Indo-Pakistani relations. The Arms & Security Project, based in New York City, focus the worldwide arms trade. The Intelligence Reform Project focuses on the role of the Central Intelligence Agency and argues for its reform.

The Global Financial Integrity program promotes national and multilateral policies to curtail illicit financial flows and enhance global development and security. AD Partners works towards the halting of tropical deforestation.

Current CIP projects:

• Common Defense Campaign
  • Win Without War
  • Afghanistan Study Group
  • Asia Project
  • Arms & Security Project
  • Intelligence Reform Project
• Latin America Rights & Security
  • Just the Facts
  • Americas Project
  • Cuba Project
  • TransBorder Project
• Global Financial Integrity
• Avoided Deforestation Partners

References

External links

• Center for International Policy