Originally published on the CGS blog on September 26, 2014.
The Atrocities Prevention Board (APB) in theory is a cosmopolitan dream. It is the embodiment of the idea that we are connected as neighbors with the world around us. That as a country, we have a unique set of skills and resources that we use in to help our neighbors who might find themselves in harm’s way. The APB allows us to glimpse a world where we focus not on backroom politics, but on honest attempts to halt atrocities before they occur. A world where our intervention in a region is altruistic, and not simply political theater.
This cosmopolitan ideal is what had human rights organizations so excited at the board’s introduction in 2012. The President was finally making atrocity prevention a US priority. No longer were we simply focused on our own national security, but we were acknowledging our moral imperative to help prevent atrocities in the far reaches of the world. We had now created an inter-agency board specifically focused on strengthening early warning systems, building broader prevention strategies, and bringing together national and international bodies to work in cooperation toward better atrocity prevention.
Yet today we are left wondering how that moral imperative is being addressed. The board’s near invisibility has left many questioning what, if anything, it is actually accomplishing, and whether it was ever meant to accomplish anything at all.
Amelia M. Wolf, a researcher for the Council on Foreign Relations’ Center for Preventative Action, recently published a piece in The National Interest questioning whether Obama has been flat-out suppressing the APB. She argues that the board’s lack of transparency has served to delegitimize it, and has diminished congressional support as well. Furthermore, she raised concern over the future of the board. “If the White House and the APB continue to conceal the board’s work, its existence beyond 2016 will remain in question.”
Allyson Neville-Morgan of the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) offered some insight into the work and struggles of the APB. The FCNL has had the opportunity to sit down with members of the APB through their own work, and as a part of the Prevention and Protection Working Group (PPWG).
While many continue to question the progress made by the APB, Neville-Morgan refers to the board’s progress as “substantial, if incomplete”—noting what many have been overlooking, which is that the APB has a daunting mission and has indeed been working hard toward actualizing it.
Referring to the Presidential Study Directive 10 (PSD-10), she explained, “The final PSD-10 report contained over one hundred recommendations that the APB is now responsible for putting into operation.” While it has not been visible to Congress, NGOs, or the American public, according to Neville-Morgan the APB has been slowly working on addressing these recommendations.
Yet the question remains, if this is the case, why are we still having to beg for some semblance of transparency? Why would the current Administration hide the work of this board dedicated to atrocity prevention?
Arguably, President Obama has more to gain from an invisible board than a transparent and fully functioning one. Right now, he has to deal with a few upset NGOs and members of Congress who are disappointed in the board’s lack of visibility and their lack of access to it. As it stands, he can continue to gain insight on situations such as Iraq and ISIS from the APB without media interference, which might pressure him to act. A visible board can create inconvenient political obligations.
Fair or not, for most Americans an invisible APB is an idle APB. For the Atrocities Prevention Board to reach its potential, it must begin to interact on a serious level with Congress, NGOs, and the public at large. Speaking on the APB’s future, Neville-Morgan suggested, “the development of top of the line talking points on [the APB’s] work more generally, and increased engagement with NGOs to help monitor warning signs and utilize expertise to help brainstorm case-specific actions.”
The fact of the matter is that if President Obama and the APB are serious about the longevity and the work of the APB, there are a few things that will need to happen in the last 40 months of this Administration.
From the APB:
1. Appoint a spokesperson
Prior to her appointment as Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power served as a great spokesperson for the APB. Now, however, the board is lacking a public persona. For transparency, seeing a visible leader for the board is crucial.
2. Release Regular Progress Reports
Obviously the board works with sensitive material, but there is no reason regular progress reports cannot be released. This would help build trust between the board and NGOs, Congress and the general public.
3. Create a website
I can think of absolutely no reason this doesn’t already exist.
From President Obama:
1. Bold Reaffirmation of Commitment to APB
This could be as simple as finally implementing the promised executive order which would govern the board and outline its purpose.
2. Encourage a better relationship with Congress
While the board can also take on this task, it is crucial that President Obama use his influence to encourage its growth.
3. Acknowledge its Involvement
There has been much speculation as to whether the APB was involved in our decision to go into Iraq, or was in discussion on action in Syria. What is the purpose of not acknowledging the board’s involvement?
