01-11-2010, 07:12 PM
Charles, this inquiry sounds interesting, Mengelian, like someone’s idea of thinking about the clash of civilizations (or religions or ideologies) in generational terms…
Cursory Surface-Level Googling:
A general article on the ethical frontiers, lack of regulatory oversight, and need for database to collect names, techniques and the like …
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nat...ility2.htm
http://www.southfloridaworkforce.com/w/index.html
http://www.workforceflorida.com/boards/table.htm
http://www.southfloridaworkforce.com/w/board.html
http://www.corporationwiki.com/Florida/M...02972.aspx VIP
South Florida Workforce Executive Director Rick Beasley hands check to Take Stock in Children (TSIC), a program that helps kids from disadvantaged homes succeed academically
http://www.mdc.edu/main/news/articles/20..._grant.asp
http://www.jid.org/index.php?lang=en
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inter-Ameri...ense_Board
http://www.ndu.edu/press/inter-american-...board.html
http://books.google.com/books?id=Kl_Gqvp...rd&f=false (from 109th Congress listings)
http://maic.jmu.edu/JOURNAL/5.2/focus/maggiebuse.htm
http://www.ndu.edu/press/lib/images/StrForum/SF258.pdf
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news...llege.html
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-1028909381.html
Sounds like the creation of a data base and connections map is in order:
http://www.rightweb.irc-online.org/artic..._Coalition
http://rightweb.irc-online.org/ (has a search feature)
http://www.seekgod.ca/cnp.sn.htm
http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/lib...rs/soa.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Hem...ooperation
http://www.soaw.org/
http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/40/index-a.html
http://gradworks.umi.com/31/50/3150675.html
http://www.muckety.com/
http://www.nndb.com/
Of note:
Inter-American Defense Board Works for Peace Through Security
by Larry Luxner
[typos and paste-up glitches intact)
With the peaceful resolution of old border disputes and the end of Cold War-era proxy wars between leftist guerrillas and right-wing dictatorships, the militaries of Latin America are gradually turning their attention to other pressing concerns, such as disaster relief and the threat of global terrorism.
Thatís the word from Major Gen. Carl H. Freeman, chairman of the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB), which next March celebrates its 60th anniversary.
"The issue is one of joining together to combat global terrorism," said Freeman. "At present, the United States is certainly the leader in this campaign. Most of the countries realize that terrorists can strike anywhere, and that no one is exempt. With the attacks of Sept. 11, the academic debate which had been going on for a long time has effectively been ended."
Freeman said that a week after the attacks, in which terrorists using hijacked planes destroyed New Yorkís World Trade Center and crashed into the Pentagon, the IADB drafted a paper on fighting terrorism that was adopted by foreign ministers meeting at the headquarters of the Organization of American States in Washington.
"The attacks were not against the United States. They were attacks on American soil against citizens of the world. No one wants to stand isolated at this time," said Freeman, adding, "Latin America should give unqualified political support to the effort to combat global terrorism. I think youíll soon see changes in laws which will facilitate identifying and breaking up terrorist groups, banking and finance laws that will hamper their ability to move money and finance terror, greater interest in border and immigration controls and efforts by the regionís militaries to improve their own domestic security."
A little-known organization, the IADB is often confused with the much larger Inter-American Development Bank because of their similar initials. However, few Americans have heard of the Inter-American Defense Board, let alone understand the role it plays in promoting stability throughout the region.
"This is the oldest collective security organization in the world, dating back to 1942, when there were concerns about the influence of Nazi Germany and fascist Italy in the Southern Hemisphere," said Freeman. "At the conclusion of World War II, the IADB was put under the umbrella of the Organization of American States. We are not a U.S. agency. Weíre an international organization chartered by Congress, and our funds come from the OAS, individual member countries and the U.S. government."
The IADB, which comprises 23 nations, operates the Inter-American Defense College on the grounds of Fort McNair in Washington, D.C. The organization has a budget of around $12 million, of which $2 million is funded directly by the OAS. The U.S. government provides transportation on Air Force planes and the free use of its facilities on Fort McNair and other facilities.
"Most of the countries have realized that the key to economic and political success is to settle your disputes peacefully," Freeman told The Washington Diplomat. "In comparison to other areas of the world like the Middle East and Asia, Latin America continues to be the lowest in terms of military spending as a percentage of [gross domestic product]."
Freeman, 54, has spent the last 32 years in the U.S. Army, beginning his military career in Vietnam in 1969.
"I was an international affairs major at Lafayette College [in Easton, Pa.] and took Spanish as my foreign language," he said. "After Iíd been in the army for seven years, I had the opportunity to go to graduate school, so I jumped at the chance. From there, I went through training and attended the Mexican War College for a year as an exchange officer."
Freeman has since been in more than 60 countries, including every nation in Latin America, and he has a masterís degree in Latin American studies from the University of Alabama. His assignments have included commanding a joint task force in Kuwait and overseeing humanitarian relief operations for Haitian refugees at the U.S. military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
"We are totally committed to the support of democracy and regional stability. Thatís our overarching concern," he said. "We want to further confidence and security-building measures, so that countries feel comfortable with their neighbors and understand there are no bellicose intentions. Weíre very much interested in assisting the military as they transition into non-traditional roles. The military is more interested now in taking a look at natural disasters.
"Weíve had earthquakes, mudslides, forest fires and flooding, and in virtually every country, one of the first forces able to respond has been the military because they have the logistics, the communications and the organizational capability," he continued. "For example, the Salvadoran military did a tremendous job responding to the two earthquakes that hit El Salvador earlier this year."
Freeman said one of the IADBís most important projects is the removal of anti-personnel mines and unexploded ordnance left over from the civil wars that shook Central America during the 1970s and 1980s. This program, which involves 32 soldiers from seven IADB member nations, has resulted in the destruction of more than 9,000 mines in Nicaragua and another 3,000 in Costa Rica, Honduras and Guatemala.
The Inter-American Defense College is, however, what the IADB is best known for. In its 39 years of existence, the collegeówhich offers a year-long, graduate-level program in international security and defenseóhas graduated 1,904 students from 23 countries, led by the United States, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Chile and Argentina.
The average IADC student is between 40 and 46 years of age, possesses a college degree, holds the rank of colonel and has seen 20 to 25 years of service. The current class, which began Aug. 6, comprises 58 students from 16 countries led by the United States, Colombia and Venezuela. The college also has 20 advisers and 17 civilian employees. Courses are taught in English, Spanish and Portuguese, and students are fully subsidized by their countriesí governments.
"As a senior security institution, we donít deal strictly with military topics," he said. "We look at the security of the Americas internationally, from an economic, political and social as well as a military point of view," he said.
One of those military topics is Washingtonís renewed interest in selling weaponry to Latin America. During the Clinton administration, the Pentagonóreversing a decades-old ban on such salesóallowed U.S. defense contractors to again sell F-16 fighter jets to Chile and offer similar weaponry to Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela. The United States is also pushing helicopter sales to Colombia under the State Departmentís new anti-drug policy known as Plan Colombia. Freeman disputes those who warn that all this new activity will spark an unnecessary arms race in Latin America.
"Thereís no escalation in arms, only replacement of old systems," said Freeman. "Some countries are assessing the age and technical sophistication of their equipment and have made conscious decisions to upgrade, such as the case in Chile. They weighed the safety considerations of their pilots, who every time they fly F-5s take a risk, so they decided to make a relatively important investment in F-16s."
Other topics covered in classes at the Inter-American Defense College include globalization, economic integration, terrorism, the drug scourge and environmental issues.
"Itís very important to have students from throughout the hemisphere. This way they have the opportunity to get to know each other much better," Freeman said. "Friendships that they form here are important throughout their careers. Weíre bringing in some of the brightest minds in defense and security. We think this institution is truly an investment in the future."
Students at the Inter-American Defense College go on four field trips annually. Last year, the curriculum included a trip to Ottawa to meet with Canadian defense officials; a visit to Norfolk, Va., to visit with major U.S. military installations, municipal government officials and the local chamber of commerce; a week-long trip to New York for meetings with United Nations ambassadors, the Council of Foreign Relations, Wall Street officials and the New York City Police Departmentís anti-terrorism squad; and an overseas trip to Uruguay and Brazil.
In addition, the school receives frequent guest speakers. These include leading academics from Georgetown University, George Washington University, Amnesty International, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and other institutions, as well as 20 to 30 ambassadors in the Washingt on diplomatic community.
Heads of state who have addressed IADC students include Venezuelan President Hugo Ch·vez and two former presidents: Jamil Mahuad of Ecuador and Alberto Fujimori of Peru. This year, speaking invitations have been extended to Mexican President Vicente Fox and Mexican Foreign Minister, Jorge CastaÒeda.
Freeman added that since the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, "We have revamped our curriculum to look at the changing role of the military in light of evolving threats," such as global terrorism, biological warfare and the potential use of weapons of mass destruction.
Freeman said that the Inter-American Defense College should not be confused with the notorious School of the Americas at Fort Benning, Ga., which he attended and at which he spent another six months teaching math and logistics. That school, whose name has since been changed to the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, has been linked by opponents of U.S. policy in Latin America with torture and human-rights violations committed by Panamaís Manuel Noriega and other graduates.
"Weíll occasionally send guest instructors down to speak, and we have discussions on peacekeeping operations, but there are no formal ties between the institutions," said Freeman, although he added that the school "was a pioneer in teaching about human rights and respect for individuals" and that the whole controversy has been blown out of proportion.
"The School of the Americas has probably had around 55,000 graduates," he said, "So to single out a half-dozen or so individuals is very unfair. Those individuals who have gone on to become dictators or commit atrocities didnít learn that at the School of the Americas."
He added, "One of the best ways to change people is to work with them, not to avoid engagement. So we freely discuss a wide range of issues dealing with ethics and respect for human rights."
Asked if that philosophy includes Cubaówhose OAS membership has been suspended since 1962 and which therefore cannot participate in Inter-American Defense Board activitiesóFreeman chose his words carefully.
"Speaking from a regional perspective and not as a representative of the U.S. government, I think the best way to bring about change in any totalitarian government is to seek to open it up, whether it be North Korea or Cuba. The longer the country remains isolated from the mainstream of international thought, the longer it lags behind."
Insisting that heís not criticizing U.S. policy toward Cuba, he said, "I understand very well why they have that policy, but I also understand why many countries favor a more open engagement with Cuba."
He quickly added that the Castro regime has the worst record in the hemisphere when it comes to human rights. "In that area, Cuba personifies all those elements to which we are opposed."
Larry Luxner is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat. He can be reached via e-mail at larry@luxner.com.
http://www.washdiplomat.com/01-11/a2_11_01.html
An interview with the director of the academic organ of the IADC, the IAD College
http://www.offnews.info/verArticulo.php?...doID=10204
Generalized backdrop and blather:
A long read which, on quick scan, is a useful backgrounder on US military interests in South America … http://usregsec.sdsu.edu/docs/ColonelWei...ne1998.pdf
Abstract:
This paper examines the juggling act central to international diplomacy and international military education in the 21st century and explores the difficulty of “keeping all the balls in the air” to balance diverse political and professional interests in a complex inter-agency and international environment. The Inter-American Defense College (IADC), located in Washington DC and operating under the authority of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Inter American Defense Board (IADB), juggles these tensions daily as it seeks to prepare senior military and civilian officials from member nations to be strategic advisors in matters of hemispheric security and defense. Forced to evolve in the changing regional landscape of the post-Cold War era, the College has sought to maintain relevance by targeting academic improvements and continuing to provide unique opportunities for regional knowledge sharing and relationship-building at a senior level. This paper offers an inside look at the dilemmas of mixing international defense missions and academic programming, authored by one of the members of an external consultant team contracted to support innovations in curriculum development, staff development, strategic partnerships, and evaluation systems at the IADC. Best practices and lessons learned are shared, with a view to potential implications beyond the Americas.
Click here to view the document
http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_ap...index.html
Cursory Surface-Level Googling:
A general article on the ethical frontiers, lack of regulatory oversight, and need for database to collect names, techniques and the like …
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nat...ility2.htm
http://www.southfloridaworkforce.com/w/index.html
http://www.workforceflorida.com/boards/table.htm
http://www.southfloridaworkforce.com/w/board.html
http://www.corporationwiki.com/Florida/M...02972.aspx VIP
South Florida Workforce Executive Director Rick Beasley hands check to Take Stock in Children (TSIC), a program that helps kids from disadvantaged homes succeed academically
http://www.mdc.edu/main/news/articles/20..._grant.asp
http://www.jid.org/index.php?lang=en
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inter-Ameri...ense_Board
http://www.ndu.edu/press/inter-american-...board.html
http://books.google.com/books?id=Kl_Gqvp...rd&f=false (from 109th Congress listings)
http://maic.jmu.edu/JOURNAL/5.2/focus/maggiebuse.htm
http://www.ndu.edu/press/lib/images/StrForum/SF258.pdf
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news...llege.html
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-1028909381.html
Sounds like the creation of a data base and connections map is in order:
http://www.rightweb.irc-online.org/artic..._Coalition
http://rightweb.irc-online.org/ (has a search feature)
http://www.seekgod.ca/cnp.sn.htm
http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/lib...rs/soa.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Hem...ooperation
http://www.soaw.org/
http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/40/index-a.html
http://gradworks.umi.com/31/50/3150675.html
http://www.muckety.com/
http://www.nndb.com/
Of note:
Inter-American Defense Board Works for Peace Through Security
by Larry Luxner
[typos and paste-up glitches intact)
With the peaceful resolution of old border disputes and the end of Cold War-era proxy wars between leftist guerrillas and right-wing dictatorships, the militaries of Latin America are gradually turning their attention to other pressing concerns, such as disaster relief and the threat of global terrorism.
Thatís the word from Major Gen. Carl H. Freeman, chairman of the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB), which next March celebrates its 60th anniversary.
"The issue is one of joining together to combat global terrorism," said Freeman. "At present, the United States is certainly the leader in this campaign. Most of the countries realize that terrorists can strike anywhere, and that no one is exempt. With the attacks of Sept. 11, the academic debate which had been going on for a long time has effectively been ended."
Freeman said that a week after the attacks, in which terrorists using hijacked planes destroyed New Yorkís World Trade Center and crashed into the Pentagon, the IADB drafted a paper on fighting terrorism that was adopted by foreign ministers meeting at the headquarters of the Organization of American States in Washington.
"The attacks were not against the United States. They were attacks on American soil against citizens of the world. No one wants to stand isolated at this time," said Freeman, adding, "Latin America should give unqualified political support to the effort to combat global terrorism. I think youíll soon see changes in laws which will facilitate identifying and breaking up terrorist groups, banking and finance laws that will hamper their ability to move money and finance terror, greater interest in border and immigration controls and efforts by the regionís militaries to improve their own domestic security."
A little-known organization, the IADB is often confused with the much larger Inter-American Development Bank because of their similar initials. However, few Americans have heard of the Inter-American Defense Board, let alone understand the role it plays in promoting stability throughout the region.
"This is the oldest collective security organization in the world, dating back to 1942, when there were concerns about the influence of Nazi Germany and fascist Italy in the Southern Hemisphere," said Freeman. "At the conclusion of World War II, the IADB was put under the umbrella of the Organization of American States. We are not a U.S. agency. Weíre an international organization chartered by Congress, and our funds come from the OAS, individual member countries and the U.S. government."
The IADB, which comprises 23 nations, operates the Inter-American Defense College on the grounds of Fort McNair in Washington, D.C. The organization has a budget of around $12 million, of which $2 million is funded directly by the OAS. The U.S. government provides transportation on Air Force planes and the free use of its facilities on Fort McNair and other facilities.
"Most of the countries have realized that the key to economic and political success is to settle your disputes peacefully," Freeman told The Washington Diplomat. "In comparison to other areas of the world like the Middle East and Asia, Latin America continues to be the lowest in terms of military spending as a percentage of [gross domestic product]."
Freeman, 54, has spent the last 32 years in the U.S. Army, beginning his military career in Vietnam in 1969.
"I was an international affairs major at Lafayette College [in Easton, Pa.] and took Spanish as my foreign language," he said. "After Iíd been in the army for seven years, I had the opportunity to go to graduate school, so I jumped at the chance. From there, I went through training and attended the Mexican War College for a year as an exchange officer."
Freeman has since been in more than 60 countries, including every nation in Latin America, and he has a masterís degree in Latin American studies from the University of Alabama. His assignments have included commanding a joint task force in Kuwait and overseeing humanitarian relief operations for Haitian refugees at the U.S. military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
"We are totally committed to the support of democracy and regional stability. Thatís our overarching concern," he said. "We want to further confidence and security-building measures, so that countries feel comfortable with their neighbors and understand there are no bellicose intentions. Weíre very much interested in assisting the military as they transition into non-traditional roles. The military is more interested now in taking a look at natural disasters.
"Weíve had earthquakes, mudslides, forest fires and flooding, and in virtually every country, one of the first forces able to respond has been the military because they have the logistics, the communications and the organizational capability," he continued. "For example, the Salvadoran military did a tremendous job responding to the two earthquakes that hit El Salvador earlier this year."
Freeman said one of the IADBís most important projects is the removal of anti-personnel mines and unexploded ordnance left over from the civil wars that shook Central America during the 1970s and 1980s. This program, which involves 32 soldiers from seven IADB member nations, has resulted in the destruction of more than 9,000 mines in Nicaragua and another 3,000 in Costa Rica, Honduras and Guatemala.
The Inter-American Defense College is, however, what the IADB is best known for. In its 39 years of existence, the collegeówhich offers a year-long, graduate-level program in international security and defenseóhas graduated 1,904 students from 23 countries, led by the United States, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Chile and Argentina.
The average IADC student is between 40 and 46 years of age, possesses a college degree, holds the rank of colonel and has seen 20 to 25 years of service. The current class, which began Aug. 6, comprises 58 students from 16 countries led by the United States, Colombia and Venezuela. The college also has 20 advisers and 17 civilian employees. Courses are taught in English, Spanish and Portuguese, and students are fully subsidized by their countriesí governments.
"As a senior security institution, we donít deal strictly with military topics," he said. "We look at the security of the Americas internationally, from an economic, political and social as well as a military point of view," he said.
One of those military topics is Washingtonís renewed interest in selling weaponry to Latin America. During the Clinton administration, the Pentagonóreversing a decades-old ban on such salesóallowed U.S. defense contractors to again sell F-16 fighter jets to Chile and offer similar weaponry to Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela. The United States is also pushing helicopter sales to Colombia under the State Departmentís new anti-drug policy known as Plan Colombia. Freeman disputes those who warn that all this new activity will spark an unnecessary arms race in Latin America.
"Thereís no escalation in arms, only replacement of old systems," said Freeman. "Some countries are assessing the age and technical sophistication of their equipment and have made conscious decisions to upgrade, such as the case in Chile. They weighed the safety considerations of their pilots, who every time they fly F-5s take a risk, so they decided to make a relatively important investment in F-16s."
Other topics covered in classes at the Inter-American Defense College include globalization, economic integration, terrorism, the drug scourge and environmental issues.
"Itís very important to have students from throughout the hemisphere. This way they have the opportunity to get to know each other much better," Freeman said. "Friendships that they form here are important throughout their careers. Weíre bringing in some of the brightest minds in defense and security. We think this institution is truly an investment in the future."
Students at the Inter-American Defense College go on four field trips annually. Last year, the curriculum included a trip to Ottawa to meet with Canadian defense officials; a visit to Norfolk, Va., to visit with major U.S. military installations, municipal government officials and the local chamber of commerce; a week-long trip to New York for meetings with United Nations ambassadors, the Council of Foreign Relations, Wall Street officials and the New York City Police Departmentís anti-terrorism squad; and an overseas trip to Uruguay and Brazil.
In addition, the school receives frequent guest speakers. These include leading academics from Georgetown University, George Washington University, Amnesty International, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and other institutions, as well as 20 to 30 ambassadors in the Washingt on diplomatic community.
Heads of state who have addressed IADC students include Venezuelan President Hugo Ch·vez and two former presidents: Jamil Mahuad of Ecuador and Alberto Fujimori of Peru. This year, speaking invitations have been extended to Mexican President Vicente Fox and Mexican Foreign Minister, Jorge CastaÒeda.
Freeman added that since the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, "We have revamped our curriculum to look at the changing role of the military in light of evolving threats," such as global terrorism, biological warfare and the potential use of weapons of mass destruction.
Freeman said that the Inter-American Defense College should not be confused with the notorious School of the Americas at Fort Benning, Ga., which he attended and at which he spent another six months teaching math and logistics. That school, whose name has since been changed to the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, has been linked by opponents of U.S. policy in Latin America with torture and human-rights violations committed by Panamaís Manuel Noriega and other graduates.
"Weíll occasionally send guest instructors down to speak, and we have discussions on peacekeeping operations, but there are no formal ties between the institutions," said Freeman, although he added that the school "was a pioneer in teaching about human rights and respect for individuals" and that the whole controversy has been blown out of proportion.
"The School of the Americas has probably had around 55,000 graduates," he said, "So to single out a half-dozen or so individuals is very unfair. Those individuals who have gone on to become dictators or commit atrocities didnít learn that at the School of the Americas."
He added, "One of the best ways to change people is to work with them, not to avoid engagement. So we freely discuss a wide range of issues dealing with ethics and respect for human rights."
Asked if that philosophy includes Cubaówhose OAS membership has been suspended since 1962 and which therefore cannot participate in Inter-American Defense Board activitiesóFreeman chose his words carefully.
"Speaking from a regional perspective and not as a representative of the U.S. government, I think the best way to bring about change in any totalitarian government is to seek to open it up, whether it be North Korea or Cuba. The longer the country remains isolated from the mainstream of international thought, the longer it lags behind."
Insisting that heís not criticizing U.S. policy toward Cuba, he said, "I understand very well why they have that policy, but I also understand why many countries favor a more open engagement with Cuba."
He quickly added that the Castro regime has the worst record in the hemisphere when it comes to human rights. "In that area, Cuba personifies all those elements to which we are opposed."
Larry Luxner is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat. He can be reached via e-mail at larry@luxner.com.
http://www.washdiplomat.com/01-11/a2_11_01.html
An interview with the director of the academic organ of the IADC, the IAD College
http://www.offnews.info/verArticulo.php?...doID=10204
Generalized backdrop and blather:
A long read which, on quick scan, is a useful backgrounder on US military interests in South America … http://usregsec.sdsu.edu/docs/ColonelWei...ne1998.pdf
Abstract:
This paper examines the juggling act central to international diplomacy and international military education in the 21st century and explores the difficulty of “keeping all the balls in the air” to balance diverse political and professional interests in a complex inter-agency and international environment. The Inter-American Defense College (IADC), located in Washington DC and operating under the authority of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Inter American Defense Board (IADB), juggles these tensions daily as it seeks to prepare senior military and civilian officials from member nations to be strategic advisors in matters of hemispheric security and defense. Forced to evolve in the changing regional landscape of the post-Cold War era, the College has sought to maintain relevance by targeting academic improvements and continuing to provide unique opportunities for regional knowledge sharing and relationship-building at a senior level. This paper offers an inside look at the dilemmas of mixing international defense missions and academic programming, authored by one of the members of an external consultant team contracted to support innovations in curriculum development, staff development, strategic partnerships, and evaluation systems at the IADC. Best practices and lessons learned are shared, with a view to potential implications beyond the Americas.
Click here to view the document
http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_ap...index.html
"Where is the intersection between the world's deep hunger and your deep gladness?"