US Forms Task Force to Maintain Grip On Colombian Peace Process

Posted by Stephen Peacock - April 18, 2005 at 11:34 pm
A nascent Peace Process Task Force organized by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has been meeting regularly to prepare for what it calls “the hoped-for, multi-year Colombian peace process,” according to a newly obtained government planning document. One of the group’s goals is to scrutinize and, if deemed necessary, alter the course of initiatives launched by “non-U.S.” governmental organizations such as the International Criminal Court and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the document points out. The task force will work in tandem with an interagency working group whose broader aim is to “plan possible future responses” to international, national, regional, and local policy developments. Based on documentation obtained via the federal database known as the Electronic Posting System, the purpose of task-force policy analyses is to alert USAID and the American Embassy in Bogota when such developments take place – and to assess the potential impact on “strategic USG [U.S. government] interests.” The desired outcome is to figure how these policy changes “can be better integrated with” U.S.-led peace initiatives, the document says.

Assisting the government of Colombia with rebel demobilization and societal reincorporation clearly is a goal of this latest endeavor by USAID. It is equally clear that the initiative will serve the corollary purpose of preserving U.S. hegemony in the region.

USAID on April 15 formally began searching for an executive coordinator of the task force. The person selected for this job likewise will serve as chairman of the Task Force Secretariat, which USAID describes as “an informal subgroup” that serves as the “strategic and operational arm” of the Secretariat. The coordinator/chairman will wear a  third hat as de facto Chief Advisor to the U.S Mission.

Minimum requirements for the post include a masters degree in law, political science, national security affairs, or public administration, and “at least 10 years of international development experience,” with five of those years involving “successful work” in conflict resolution, demobilization and reincorporation programs, or transitional and restorative justice efforts. Compensation for the position will be established in the $89,625-$116,517 range.

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About Stephen Peacock

I'm currently a high school English teacher and writer. I'm also a former Washington, DC, journalist, having worked for Communications Daily and Washington Internet Daily (WID), investigative newsletters that cover the telecommunications, broadcast and Internet industries. Following the 9/11 attacks, my news beat expanded beyond Capitol Hill telecom/TV/IT policy and began to include technology-policy coverage at the Pentagon and Dept. of Homeland Security. I've written over a thousand articles about government and industry affairs, and I'm pleased to say that I was the reporter who broke the story about the Total Information Awareness surveillance/data-collection initiative of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. I've written articles for publications including NACLA Report on the Americas, Drug Enforcement Report, Corrections Journal, and The Tampa Tribune. I've also written a memoir about my former career as a plainclothes security officer of the Helmsley Palace hotel in New York City, Hotel Dick: Harlots, Starlets, Thieves & Sleaze.
http://jerseysandstorm.blogspot.com/
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conflict continuation job requirements

Submitted on April 19th, 2005 by Benjamin Melançon
They don't mention a dead soul, a disregard for international law, and an inbred hatred of anyone without a master's degree in upholding the establishment?  They must save that for the contract.

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About Stephen Peacock

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http://jerseysandstorm.blogspot.com/

Biography
I'm currently a high school English teacher and writer. I'm also a former Washington, DC, journalist, having worked for Communications Daily and Washington Internet Daily (WID), investigative newsletters that cover the telecommunications, broadcast and Internet industries. Following the 9/11 attacks, my news beat expanded beyond Capitol Hill telecom/TV/IT policy and began to include technology-policy coverage at the Pentagon and Dept. of Homeland Security. I've written over a thousand articles about government and industry affairs, and I'm pleased to say that I was the reporter who broke the story about the Total Information Awareness surveillance/data-collection initiative of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. I've written articles for publications including NACLA Report on the Americas, Drug Enforcement Report, Corrections Journal, and The Tampa Tribune. I've also written a memoir about my former career as a plainclothes security officer of the Helmsley Palace hotel in New York City, Hotel Dick: Harlots, Starlets, Thieves & Sleaze.