On Monday, the Obama administration waived sections
of a law meant to prevent the recruitment of child soldiers in Africa, paving
the way for new military cooperation with four countries with poor human rights records
-- despite their use of underage troops.
"I hereby determine that it is in the national
interest of the United States to waive the application to Chad, the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, Sudan, and Yemen of the prohibition in section 404(a) of
the [Child Service Prevention Act]," President
Obama wrote in a memorandum to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
In 2008, President George W. Bush signed the law, which
prohibits U.S. military education and training, foreign military financing,
and other defense-related assistance to countries that actively recruit troops
under the age of 18. Countries are designated as violators if the State
Department's annual Trafficking in Persons report identifies them as recruiting child
soldiers.
The original bill was
actually sponsored by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) before being added to a larger bill led by then Senator, now Vice President Joseph Biden. The only countries where
the restrictions under this law are still in place are now Burma and Somalia.
The only reason provided in the memorandum was that
Obama determined it was in the "national interest" to waive the law for those
four countries.
State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told The Cable
that the Obama administration has decided that working with militaries that
recruit child soldiers actually helps solve the problem more than ignoring
those militaries would.
"In each of these countries, we are working with the
governments to stop the recruitment of child soldiers or demobilize those who
may already be in the ranks," Crowley explained. "These countries have put the
right policies in place, but are struggling to effectively implement them.
These waivers allow the United States to continue to conduct valuable training
programs and by working with these militaries help them meet international
norms."
So the Obama administration has determined that
deepening military relationships with brutal dictatorships and unsavory regimes
is the best way to reform them? That seems like a pretty big shift in policy. It
still remains unclear what military assistance the United States actually plans
to give to countries like Sudan, Chad, and Yemen, as well as how it will use
its engagement to protect child soldiers.
"We will continue to work with these governments to reduce the recruitment
or use of child soldiers within the ranks of their armed forces," White House
spokesman Tommy Vietor said in an
e-mailed statement. "We will also generally endeavor to prevent foreign
security forces that recruit and use child soldiers from benefitting from any
U.S. foreign assistance."
If you have any insight on the reasons behind this
decision or its implications, let us know at josh.rogin@foreignpolicy.com.
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