On June 17, 2010, Alison Giffen,
Research Fellow and Deputy Director of the Future of Peace Operations
Program, briefed the American Engagement Caucus in the House of
Representatives on “Protecting Civilians in Armed Conflict: Translating
US National Security Strategy Aspirations into Reality.” The 2010
National Security Strategy commits the United States to build support
in other countries “to contribute to sustaining global peace and
stability operations, through UN peacekeeping and regional
organizations and to work both multilaterally and bilaterally to
mobilize diplomatic, humanitarian, financial, and—in certain
instances—military means to prevent and respond to genocide and mass
atrocities.” At the briefing, Alison Giffen and Erin Weir, Refugee
International’s Senior Advocate for Peacekeeping, discussed how ready
the United Nations, regional organizations and/or single nations are to
effectively prevent and respond to widespread and systematic abuse
against civilians and what steps they should take to meet this
commitment.
