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Trump Recognizes Jerusalem as Isreal’s Capitol

Does Trumps Decision Help or Hinder the Peace Process?

abc7chicago.com

In a move that places domestic politics over decades of international and US precidenet, Predisdent Trump today announced that the US would recognize Jerulaem as Israel’s Capitol.

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRupyseDx04jGrVSGs1cROwEowiPh3SFedw5ezQYP32zNKWBynrT3RECBpr6mDucs8k3rUuSYrcPQ“Over the past seven decades, the Israeli people have built a country where Jews, Muslims, Christians, and people of all faiths are free to live and worship according to their conscience and beliefs.”Until the new embassy in Jerusalem opens, current law requires the president to sign a waiver that keeps the embassy in Tel Aviv operable. The new embassy “will be a magnificent tribute to peace,” he added.Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in a statement following the president’s speech that “the State Department will immediately begin the process to implement” the decision to move the embassy.  read more at abc7chicago.com

While the step has been anticipated for days, it was not well received outside of Israel itself.

Despite urgent appeals from Arab and European leaders and the risk of anti-American protests and violence, Trump declared it was time for a new approach to Mideast peace after decades of failure. Calling Jerusalem Israel’s capital, he argued, was merely recognizing the obvious.

nytimes.com

Ahead of Trump’s speech, a wide array of world leaders warned that his declaration could severely damage Arab-Israeli peace prospects in a region wracked by instability. They said recognizing Israel’s claims to the city, however caveated, would infuriate Muslims and potentially spark protests and violence that might further fray American alliances.

In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his nation was “profoundly grateful” and Trump’s announcement was an “important step toward peace.” However, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Wednesday that the U.S. shift “is a declaration of withdrawal from the role it has played in the peace process.”   read more at chicagotribune.com

 

The Pope did not see the move as a wise one, and had urged President Trump to maintaint the status quo.

 

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis, speaking hours before U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement on Jerusalem, called on Wednesday for the city’s “status quo” to be respected, saying new tension in the Middle East would further inflame world conflicts.

In an appeal at the end of his weekly general audience, Francis called for all to honor United Nations resolutions on the city, which is sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims.

“I make a heartfelt appeal so that all commit themselves to respecting the status quo of the city, in conformity with the pertinent resolutions of the United Nations,” he said.

The Vatican backs a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, with both sides agreeing on the status of Jerusalem as part of the peace process.

 

 

 

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Trump Boosts Wall Idea – Mexico Frustrated – World Watches

The World takes notice, New Zealand is following Trumps campaign follow through regarding not only the cancellation of TPP of which New Zealand was an active partner, but also the efforts on Trumps part to dominate and dictate to the US’s #2 trading partner, Mexico.

If he treats his neighbors like that, what can we hope for thousands of miles away?

US President Donald Trump is about to speak after Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto informed the White House he has cancelled his trip to Washington.

The cancellation follows US President Donald Trump’s threat to force Mexico to pay for a border wall.

Trump said on Wednesday he would start building a US-Mexico border wall and vowed to make Mexico pay for it. Mexico opposes the wall and has repeatedly said it won’t pay for it.

Former Foreign Relations Secretary Jorge Castaneda told local media: “Pena Nieto has no other choice but to say ‘I’m not going’.”

Former Foreign Relations Secretary Jorge Castaneda told local media: “Pena Nieto has no other choice but to say ‘I’m not going’.”

Former Foreign Relations Secretary Jorge Castaneda told local media: “Pena Nieto has no other choice but to say ‘I’m not going’.”

Continued below.Related Content ‘There will be a payment’: President Donald Trump gives first interview since inauguration UK Prime Minister Theresa May to meet with US President Donald Trump Video Watch: Trump hails victory in Pennsylvania

Trump’s unusual, voluble and unpredictable style appeared to catch Mexico’s normally quiet and cautious diplomacy off guard.

Finance Secretary Jose Antonio Meade told Grupo Formula radio: “I think that, in general, diplomacy is not conducted via Twitter.”

“The Foreign Relations Secretary is involved up there, having meetings up there, and we’ll have to see what comes out of that, what report they send to the President and what conclusions they arrive at from all that,” said Meade.    read more: Via nzherald.co.nz

The future of diplomacy is likely to be challenged as non diplomats take charge in Trumps State Department. Do business men make good statesmen? The jury is out.  Ambassadors for Peace are nervously watching.

Where Will the Transition Take Us in Terms Of Peace in the World?

usatoday.comDonald Trump, Mitt Romney to meet in highly anticipated get-together

Donald Trump and Mitt Romney fiercely criticized each other during the campaign. Now the two are meeting to make peace amid speculation Romney is being considered for secretary of State in a Trump administration.

There have been reports that Romney, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee, is interested in the post of secretary of State but analysts say it’s doubtful Trump would offer a job in his administration or that Romney would take it given the verbal jabs they exchanged on the trail. usatoday.com

Would a Romney Role as Secretary of State soften Trump’s Bluster?

Mr. Romney fits a decidedly different mold. Earlier this year, he said that if Mr. Trump became the Republican nominee, “the prospects for a safe and prosperous future are greatly diminished,” and he suggested that Mr. Trump was dangerous and unstable. He deplored Mr. Trump’s personal qualities: “the bullying, the greed, the showing off, the misogyny, the absurd third-grade theatrics.”

But if he took a cabinet post, Mr. Romney could serve as a moderating influence on the hard-liners Mr. Trump has already selected, including Representative Mike Pompeo of Kansas as C.I.A. director and Stephen K. Bannon as chief strategist. It could also force Mr. Romney to defend administration policies he did not believe in.

This second option appears to have more substance. Indicating that the effort to reach out to Romney may be more show than moderation.

John Feehery, a Republican strategist, said Mr. Trump was showing “great magnanimity” by talking to Mr. Romney, the party’s 2012 nominee and a former governor of Massachusetts. “I think it is meant to reassure some of the establishment that he is going to reach out to them, and that’s an important part of healing the party.” read more at nytimes.com

In the aftermath of Trumps surprising victory, there are many unanswered questions about the path forward.  Many of Trumps pronouncements during the campaign raised eyebrows, and frankly have scared many.

Will he sober up under the responsibility of the office. One would assume so. And from that perspective we can hope.

On the other hand, the apparent ignorance as opposed to the stupidity of some of his comments seem to leave him vulnerable to Loyal advisors with uncertain knowledge, skills and most worrisome motives.

As always, it is time to be vigilant.

 

 

 

What Would a Clinton Presidency Mean for the Peace Corps?

Clinton Proposes new National Service Reserve…

… as part of her larger national service platform, Hillary Clinton announced her plan to create a new National Service Reserve that will expand ways for young Americans to serve their communities and their country. The Reserve will provide a vehicle for the sense of civic ownership and responsibility that Clinton has felt throughout her life, bringing Americans from all backgrounds together in common cause to make a difference where they live. Anyone can sign up to join the Reserve, and national and local leaders can call upon Reserve members to take part in projects of all types — from natural disasters in places like Baton Rouge or emergency relief in places like Flint, MI to addressing the epidemic of addiction in places like New Hampshire. Clinton set a goal of enlisting 5 million Americans, with a special focus on people between the ages of 18 and 30, in the new Reserve.

Studies have shown that millennials are particularly interested in volunteerism and are contributing to their communities in a variety of ways, setting new expectations for social impact as individuals, employees, founders and consumers. Their impact is evident on existing programs, too: AmeriCorps is receiving five times more applications than it has spots to fill, and the Peace Corps has seen a 32% increase in applications compared to the previous year. Additionally, national service provides important job training opportunities especially for non-college youth, and helps Americans pay for college, repay student debt and build skills and that are attractive to employers. Read More

Walk For Peace

 

 

US News and World Report covers Peace Corps Anniversary

Peace Corps volunteer Michael Abkin

Peace Corps volunteer Michael Abkin, then and more recently

What is your favorite memory from your time in the Peace Corps?

From 1966 to 1968, I taught French at Ondo Boys’ High School, in the town of Ondo, in what was then Nigeria’s Western Region. There were many expatriates in Ondo at the time, mainly Brits and Israelis building the new roads from Ile‐Ife to Ondo and from Ondo to Ilorin, as well as Peace Corps and Voluntary Service Overseas (British) volunteers and a smattering of business people.

When the Eastern Region of Nigeria seceded in 1967 and the civil war broke out, many of the Ibos in Ondo fled in fear of reprisals. One of them had tended the town’s cold store, a general store with refrigerated and frozen items. He just locked it up and disappeared. This left the town, mainly its expatriates, without a ready source of the canned and other imported food items they liked that were not otherwise available in the local markets. Read More about Michael

Peace Corp Connect Conference Washington DC

Peace Corps Beyond

The Peace Corp is America’s most visible single effort to connect people in the US with the goal of attaining peace in the world today.

Peace Corps Connect is the Peace Corps community’s annual conference hosted by the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) and its affiliate groups to connect, advocate and impact. At this year’s conference – Peace Corps Beyond – we look forward to celebrating 55 years of Peace Corps and the limitless potential of our community to continue to create change. The conference will highlight work being done by our community members and partner organizations and explore how, through increased collaboration, we can continue to champion Peace Corps ideals.

Learn more about different aspects of the event by clicking on the quick links below:

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The Featured Speaker will be Liberian President & Nobel Laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a lifelong advocate for girls and women and the first woman to lead an African nation.

The event will conclude with a Walk For Peace from 9AM to 2PM beginning at the University Yard at George Washington University, past the White House and ending on Capitol Hill for speeches highlighting the impact of the Peace Corp.

 

Is a Peace Treaty Between US and North Korea Possible?

It would seem as though Relations between the US and North Korea are worse than ever. But could that change?

Chinese envoy calls for peace treaty with NK

By Kim Hyo-jin

Denuclearizing North Korea and signing a peace treaty with the reclusive country are not separate matters, said Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Qiu Guohong Tuesday.

“I believe that we should wisely put the topics of helping Pyongyang and Washington sign a peace treaty and denuclearizing the North together on the negotiating table,” Qiu said during a meeting with Kim Chong-in, the interim leader of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK), according to MPK lawmaker Rep. Park Gwang-on.

Stressing the importance of resuming the six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear program, Qiu said negotiating with Pyongyang is the best way to resolve the nuclear issue.

“Beijing thinks that talks and negotiations with the country will fundamentally resolve the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula,” Qiu was quoted as saying. “The six-party talks are the best multilateral stage and China will keep working for their resumption.”  h/t koreatimes.co.kr

The Chinese are not the only ones suggesting a radical rethinking of the US approach to North Korea.  Joel Wit a former negotiator for the US takes a similar tack.

The United States should increase pressure on North Korea but at the same time make clear its willingness to hold comprehensive negotiations encompassing not only denuclearization, but also a peace treaty and normalization of diplomatic relations, a U.S. expert has said.

Joel Wit, a former State Department negotiator with Pyongyang, made the suggestion in a recent policy suggestion report, stressing that President Barack Obama’s policy on the North failed to achieve any progress towards U.S. objectives in the region, and a new approach should be put together to curb the North’s nuclear and missile capabilities.

Wit, currently editor of the website 38 North, argued that the U.S. has “set the autopilot button

on a course to further isolate and pressure the North in the wake of its fourth nuclear test in January and a long-range missile test the following month.”

But such an approach will only make the situation worse, leading to “more DPRK provocations, a greater risk of conflict and instability on the Korean peninsula, the continued growth of the North’s nuclear and missile arsenal, and even new overseas sales and cooperation, particularly with Iran,” Wit said.

“To address these threats, the U.S. government needs to ratchet up pressure on the DPRK. At the same time it should make clear to the North and China that Washington is prepared to engage in comprehensive negotiations with the DPRK on a peace treaty to replace the armistice, linked to limiting, reducing and eventually eliminating the threat from North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction and normalizing U.S.-DPRK relations,” Wit said.  read more at koreatimes.co.kr

Peace Efforts Big and Small

daily-journal.comDrums echoed down East Court Street, piercing through Kankakee, IL stronger than a gunshot. It wasn’t a war cry. It was a demand for peace.

About 80 Kankakee High School students marched through the city’s downtown Wednesday morning to speak out against violence. It was part of Kankakee school district’s first Peace Day, in which students from all of its schools walked through neighborhoods in protest.  Read more…

huffingtonpost.comWASHINGTON — The Colombian Embassy is concerned that lowering the price of a major cancer drug may jeopardize American funding for peace talks in the South American nation, according to a leaked embassy memo.

In his letter to Colombian Minister of External Affairs María Ángela Holguín, Flórez suggested he felt pressure from both the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative — a division of the Obama White House — and members of the U.S. Congress with ties to the pharmaceutical industry.  Via huffingtonpost.com

nationalinterest.orgThe unprecedented escalation of hostilities on the frontline between the armed forces of Azerbaijan and Armenia on April 2–5, 2016, brought the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict back onto the international community’s agenda. Four days’ fighting once more reminded the world about the urgency of resolving this very complex, yet at the same time very dangerous conflict in the center of Eurasia.

The OSCE Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)’s Minsk Group was created in 1992, and the co-chairmanship institution (with Russia, France, and the United States co-chairing) was introduced in 1994 in order to carry out mediation between Armenia and Azerbaijan to find peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. However, despite more than two decades of negotiations, OSCE mediation has failed to deliver peace to the region.  Via nationalinterest.orgwashingtonpost.comSaudi Arabia will send troops into Sanaa, the Yemeni capital, if peace talks between the Saudi-backed government and Shiite rebels fail, a military spokesman said Wednesday, raising the specter of extended conflict.

The expanded operations against AQAP take place as the United Nations struggles to bring about progress in the Kuwait peace talks. This week, Houthi leaders accused Saudi Arabia of violating a recently announced truce. Asiri, meanwhile, said that rebels had fired two Scud missiles at a Saudi city this week.

“We cannot leave Yemen in a gray area without having a final result,” he said. “Otherwise, we will see the Libyan model in Yemen.”

Via washingtonpost.com

 

Syria the Fulcrum of Peace or War – Current status

The Syrian Conflict The EpiCenter of War & Peace

The agony of Syria has many fathers and fighters from many lands with conflicting goals and aspirations. Allies find themselves on opposite sides in multiple instances.  At long last some glimmers of hope are emerging, but pinning down an ultimate solution is clearly going to be a massive challenge.

Syria accused of trying to disrupt peace talks

Insistence by government officials that removing President Assad is “red line” draws condemnation by US and its allies.

The US and France have accused the Syrian government of trying to disrupt the upcoming peace talks in Geneva and critcised its new conditions.

Syrian opposition negotiators have started arriving in the Swiss city in advance of the talks, which are expected to tackle the issue of President Bashar al-Assad’s presidency.

Talk to Al Jazeera: ‘No plan B for Syria’, says UN envoy Staffan de Mistura

However, the Syrian government delegation, which has already arrived in Geneva, insists that removing Assad is a “red line”.

Speaking after talks with European allies in Paris on Sunday, John Kerry, US secretary of state, said the comments were a provocation and that Russia and Iran would need to show the Syrian government was “living up to” what had been agreed.

 

After Paris – Recognizing the Face of War Today

Being an Ambassador for Peace is not being blind to the realities of war today. In the aftermath of the Paris tragedy, we must understand the realities of today’s world, so we can manuever for a better tomorrow. We found this article about the relaites of war today worth reprinting from its source; http://www.huffingtonpost.com/moises-naim/paris-attack-war_b_8569208.html

After Paris: War Is Not What It Used to Be

They used to be between tribes. Or city-states. Or one empire against another. Or between countries. Today, who wages war?

The Islamic State has declared war on countries, on religions and on sects. As well as on groups like Al QaedaHamasHezbollah and the Taliban. But what is the Islamic State? Despite its efforts to appear as a state and fulfill some of the functions that are usually carried out by governments, ISIS — or Daesh — is not a state but rather a hard-to-categorize non-governmental, militarized, Islamist terrorist organization that is essentially stateless.

And therein lies a problem. In reaction to the Paris massacre, French President François Hollande said, “[This] is an act of war … committed by a terrorist army.”

Acts of war used to be the monopoly of nation-states. Obviously, that is no longer the case. The terrorists used to be called “bands” or “groups.” Not anymore. And President Barack Obama has said that the terrorism in Paris was “an attack not just on the people of France, but … an attack on all of humanity and the universal values that we share.” From this perspective, in Paris what was attacked was not a nation-state and its citizens but a set of beliefs and principles. Obviously, we need a new language to understand what is happening.

 

Acts of war used to be the monopoly of nation-states. Obviously, that is no longer the case.

And more than a decade after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States, the prevailing ideas about the nature of the threat, its causes and the best ways to combat this threat are confusing and the source of heated and inconclusive debates.

But there is more. This new century not only brought us new forms of armed conflict and combatants, but also transformed the most frequently used weapons responsible for the largest number of casualties and the most damage. Homemade explosives, drones or unmanned flying vehicles, cyber wars and suicide bombers are the most disruptive, common and deadly weapons in today’s conflicts.

Of course, the use of suicide bombers is not new. In World War II, for example, 3,860 Japanese military pilots, the famous Kamikaze, each committed suicide trying to crash his plane into an enemy ship (only 19 percent succeeded). In contrast, between 1982 and June of this year there were 4,620 suicide attacks that claimed 45,000 lives. To this sad number we must now add the victims of the recent slaughter in Paris — and others elsewhere.

Another weapon that is used with increasing frequency and has, therefore, had an enormously disruptive impact are improvised explosive devices which are homemade bombs usually placed near a heavily trafficked location and exploded remotely with a cell phone or even a garage door opener. These are basically artisanal land mines. And land mines are weapons of war that have long been part of military arsenals everywhere. But while in the Second World War land mines caused 5 percent of U.S. military fatalities, in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan they were responsible for the overwhelming majority of casualties. Lately, these IEDs are not only used while buried under a road and waiting for a passing car or a platoon of soldiers to explode by remote control signals. Strapped to the body of a suicide bomber, these artisanal bombs become a devastating and effective weapon, as we saw in the Paris attacks.

A new weapon that is also changing the nature of war in the 21st century war are the drones, unmanned aircraft guided by remote control. Most of the leaders of Al Qaeda, the Taliban and the Islamic State have been killed by missiles launched by unmanned drones. While currently the most common users of armed drones tend to be the technologically advanced militaries of the world — and especially the U.S. — it is only a matter of time before terrorist groups start using armed drones. Sadly, the combination of improvised explosive devices and drones offers a powerful new weapon for terrorists.

 

Homemade explosives, drones or unmanned flying vehicles, cyber wars and suicide bombers are the most disruptive, common and deadly weapons in today’s conflicts.

Finally, cyberwar. Today, almost all of the world’s armed forces have individuals and assets dedicated exclusively to defending their nation against cyberattacks and to spying on and cyber-attacking other nations. Terrorist groups have also learned to use the Internet to coordinate, finance their operations, recruit members globally and launch effective propaganda campaigns.

What do these four types of weapons that are disrupting war have in common? That they are no longer the monopoly of the military and their governments. In the past, the most important and lethal weapons were under the control of professional armed forces and the governments of their countries. Not anymore. You can buy a drone online and also get instructions on the Internet to make a homemade explosive. And if you can do this, so can the terrorists. In addition, some terrorist groups have access to people willing to commit suicide, an option that is not available to the armies of contemporary democracies.

Wars are no longer the business of governments alone. Like what is happening in so many other realms of human activity from hailing a taxi or booking a room to spend the night — war is being disrupted by groups and individuals that combine technologies, new strategies and new forms of organization to drastically alter its nature.

Does this mean that terrorists have advantages that guarantee their victory in the long run? Of course not. But stopping them and ensuring that events like those we saw in Paris are not repeated, does require radical changes in the way democracies think about war, fighters, weapons, intelligence and espionage. We need to disrupt the disrupters.

 

Can Burnsville Divorce Attorneys Be Ambassadors for Peace?

Burnsville Divorce Attorney Works for Peace in Domestic Relationships

Sometimes the best way to establish Peace in a relationship is to part ways. Sometimes with effective counseling and a commitment on both parties parts, a reconciliation is possible.

Burnsville Divorce Attorney Amanda Porter

Burnsville Divorce Attorney Amanda Porter

Burnsville Divorce Attorney Amanda Porter is aware of this and strives to work with couples contemplating divorce.

In fact she spends a good deal of time as a mediator, which is a non adversarial role is which she helps others come to agreements over tough issues.

But sometimes the best solution is divorce. When that is the case, she becomes committed to her clients needs and objectives. Divorces are often complicated, by children, assets and emotions.

Amanda works the details of the child custody issues and property and asset issues in a professional manner designed to alleviate some of the inherent emotional stress that is involved in even the friendliest divorces.

We at Ambassadors for Peace focus on the macro scale world peace and justice issues, but respect the microcosm of workers who deal daily in the individual harmony of people and helping sort out the mismatches that occur.

Peace is valuable on all levels.

Amanda has provided indirect support to Ambassadors for Peace, for which we are grateful. In exchange we are honoring her with this post and are showing a recently produced video promoting her offer of a Free 1 Hour Consultation for anyone contemplating divorce.