New ‘night and day’ US approach to conflict brings optimism, challenges

The Global Fragility Act, a law meant to overhaul U.S. policy in conflict zones and prevent violence before it begins, has already changed how the government operates in some of the most difficult parts of the world, according to officials responsible for putting it into practice. The new guidelines have already improved interdepartmental relations to help the pace of communication and coordination both on the ground in complex nations and at headquarters in Washington, D.C., officials say. But large challenges remain to overhaul a slow-moving bureaucracy and ensure clear discourse and aligned expectations in parts of the world where conditions can evolve extremely quickly. Robert Jenkins, assistant administrator for the Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Stabilization at USAID, said his agency is “working together better than I’ve ever seen” with the U.S. State Department and Defense Department. The U.S. Congress passed the GFA in 2019 to change how the three departments collaborate to prevent conflict, drawing on lessons of failed interventions in places such as Afghanistan and Iraq, where billions of dollars were spent with little advancement in the way of stable democracies. The law required a 10-year Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stabilization, outlining specifically how USAID, the State Department, and the Department of Defense, or DoD, will coordinate in fragile contexts. “Haiti is one of the most challenging places in the world right now to work. But USAID is working right now in Haiti. We’ve never stopped.” --— Robert Jenkins, assistant administrator, USAID Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Stabilization “I've never seen the 3Ds work together like this, as well as this, ever before and it's awesome,” Jenkins said, referring to development, diplomacy, and defense. “We’re working together more often, consistently, and engaged together on one plan. You can imagine the challenges are there, and we’re up to the challenge.” But past efforts have been disjointed and lacking a clear, unified strategy and goals. So even with all the will in the world, the three sprawling departments may still struggle to provide seamless coordination on the ground, say observers. Jenkins and his colleagues, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations Anne Witkowsky and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counternarcotics and Stabilization Policy James Saenz spoke to Devex during a joint interview. They joked that they feel like “brother and sister” after spending so much time together working on GFA implementation. The three speak regularly, and in October, the three traveled to coastal West Africa, a region where the GFA is being piloted. Perhaps the highest on the list of challenges is Haiti, also chosen by the Biden administration to pilot the GFA approach. The government last month released summary plans detailing how they would implement the law in the selected locations, while full, classified versions were provided to Congress as required by the GFA. The plans are more than two years late after both the Trump and Biden administrations missed a series of deadlines set out in the law. Haiti’s summary country plan outlines the uphill battle the U.S. faces to stabilize a nation where lawlessness has soared since its president was assassinated in 2021, with rising food insecurity, a cholera outbreak, and frequent natural disasters contributing to the chaos. USAID remains operational in Haiti, Jenkins said, even as the country’s summary plan notes security continues to “significantly deteriorate.” U.S. efforts “can be scaled and sequenced based upon political and security openings in the country,” it says, which is a key part of the GFA: Designing a flexible strategy with a long time horizon that can be nimble and adapt as conditions change on the ground. “Haiti is one of the most challenging places in the world right now to work. But USAID is working right now in Haiti. We’ve never stopped,” said Jenkins, a 20-year veteran of the agency. “It’s going to be hard but we’re going to get at it and we’re going to do our best. Progress is not linear. These things take a while.” The Defense Department has “admittedly limited opportunities” to work in Haiti at the moment, Saenz said. While some collaboration with the country’s coast guard is possible, his department currently acts more as support for USAID’s work. “What’s significant about the Global Fragility Act and the strategy is again we’re talking 10-year plans,” Saenz said. “We should now be looking as the situation changes on the ground, where are those opportunities going to pop up where we can be more engaged and more helpful directly in supporting the development and the stability of Haiti.” It is the DoD’s job to take on security and instability challenges where USAID and the State Department work so their development and diplomacy efforts could be more effective, he said. It’s like ”night and day,” Jenkins said of the assets and resources the Defense Department now brings to coastal West Africa compared to before the GFA was enacted. Members of Congress have accused DoD of not being compliant with the law, but Saenz denied allegations that his department had not been properly engaged in GFA implementation. DoD has been criticized because Saenz does not hold the rank stipulated in the bill. Lawmakers want to ensure the law was appropriately prioritized at each department involved. The summary country plans were released while Witkowsky was traveling last month in Papua New Guinea, another of the pilot countries. Summary plans, not the complete classified version, have been shared with country governments right now, she said. Whether more of the plans are shared is at the discretion of each U.S. post in the countries. The U.S. plan was intentionally aligned with Papua New Guinea’s so-called Vision 2050, which outlines the country’s own road map for its development over the coming decades. “It was an opportunity to say ‘here’s our plan’ and to get some initial reactions, but also to listen to them and to hear the challenges that they face and their priorities,” Witkowsky said. “My visit there also gave me a confidence that that is a good place to begin.” The Biden administration will continue to consult with partner governments, civil society, the private sector, and international and regional bodies to ensure the U.S. approach in the GFA countries is the right one, she said. The State Department houses the GFA secretariat, which is responsible for working daily on implementation. The administration is approaching stabilization work with “humility,” Witkowsky said. “It’s on us now to take this effort and to continue to make it successful. To look beyond the urgent crisis and near-term needs and to focus on the success that we can have over the horizon if we continue on this path,” Witkowsky said.