On this Date

Two Years Ago

  The Supreme Court ruled on Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project, 130 S. Ct. 2705 (2010). See http://www.charityandsecurity.org/litigation/HLP
That may not ring a bell- it essentially made it a crime for charities to give aid to anyone believed to be associated with terrorists on our terror watch list and imposed onerous vetting procedures for people dealing with those who may be so classified. This has turned into a bit of a fiasco as people in legitimate charities hands' are tied behind their backs if they try to engage in Tier II diplomatic efforts which have in past proved quite fruitful. A panel discussion took place today sponsored by the Charity and Security Network in which they discussed why this is such an unhelpful opinion.

   One speaker noted that if she went election monitoring in Lebanon and spoke to Hezbolah she could be arrested. Its faint consolation that no one has yet been but she noted that she is promoting the rule of law and so is an advocate for compliance with all laws- this particular one has created real problems for Track II diplomacy and peace building internationally. She noted that the work she did in meeting with Gerry Adams for example prior to the Irish Easter peace accords would now be illegal.

    A Senior Hill Staffer noted that there is no greater pressure on the Congress than to bomb Iran. He strongly urged that the previous strategies of bombing the living daylights out of anyone who crosses our interests (real or perceived) is outdated and Admiral Mullin is leading a task force to reorient the strategy to one of mutual cooperation and trust building rather than international bullying. The staffer strongly urged that if the rules on Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project were reversed with regard to charitable efforts many civil society and charitable orgs would be in Iran diffusing the tension and creating an atmosphere of peace that is not taking place now by sole virtue of the chilling effect of that opinion.

   A representative of CRS, Catholic Relief Services noted that the AID vetting process means that many partnerships that would be fruitful for peace wouldn't get established and it is an onerous process that delays efforts harmfully. It also subjects anyone who has to detail disclosures about themselves or their boards to possible retaliatory efforts in conflict regions just for working with American charities (in cases for example where CRS is a USAID subcontractor with a local partner in a conflict region) and possible violence- another chilling factor for anyone wishing to engage with legitimate charities.

  The discussion was live streamed on their website at www.charityandsecurity.org
HERE
For more info contact info@charityandsecurity.org

  The battle cries to blitzkrieg Iran now are loud and insistent. This of course would be supreme madness as it would invite in Russia and China and start WWIII. We owe it to ourselves to revisit these rules, and legislate better ones that allow peace to prosper.
The Charity and Security Network are trying to make enough noises so people get the urgency of the matter. They need your help.