Center for Security Policy

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Center for Security Policy
Formation 1988
Type National security Think Tank
Website http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org

The Center for Security Policy (CSP) is a Washington, D.C. think tank that focuses on national security issues. The Center was founded in 1988 by Frank Gaffney, Jr., a Reagan-era Defense Department official and former aide to Senator Henry "Scoop" Jackson. The CSP advocates neoconservative and Wilsonian policies based on a philosophy of "Peace through Strength". CSP states that this belief emerges from their claim that "international peace is most likely achieved, and America most secure, when our nation is strong and engaged with our key allies in ensuring freedom and democracy throughout the world."

CSP is a non-profit organization and describes itself as non-partisan. CSP specializes in identifying policies, actions, and resource needs that it believes are vital to American security and then seeking to ensure that such issues are the subject of both focused examination and effective action.

Critics of the group point to its connection to prominent members of the Israel Lobby, particularly “by far-right American Zionists", according to Jason Vest, writing in the left-leaning The Nation.[1]

Contents

[edit] Projects

The CSP's operations are organized into project areas that correspond to what it sees as the principal national security challenges facing the United States. Each project is designed to inform policymakers and the public about what the CSP sees as near and long range threats, devise appropriate actions, and then promote those ideas within the government, Capitol Hill, newspapers, radio, the internet, and television.

The following is a partial list of the CSP's projects:

  • Divest Terror - The primary objective of Divest Terror is to force governments to choose between their sponsorship of terrorism and critical partnerships with publicly traded firms. To achieve this goal, it aims at encouraging companies to divest from those regimes designated by the State Department as state sponsors of terrorism.
  • The Strategic Defense and Deterrence Project - Through this project, the Center advocates the creation of a national missile defense system, the modernization of America's nuclear capabilities, and the abrogation of U.S. participation in arms control treaties.
  • The War of Ideas Project - The War of Ideas project has the goal of educating policymakers about the political and ideological realms of international relations. It seeks to equip decision makers with the understanding they need to use the tools of influence of and persuasion to confront and defeat foreign ideological adversaries.
  • Menges Hemispheric Security Project - The Hemispheric Security project focuses on threats to the Western Hemisphere.
  • The Islamist Project - The Islamist Project is aimed at publicising what CSP sees as the growing influence of radical Islam within the United States, and highlighting the voices of moderate, non-violent Muslims.
  • The Security and Democracy in Asia Project - This project is a reflection of the Center's belief that Asia has the potential to be an area of substantial geostrategic conflict in the 21st Century.

[edit] Methods

The Center does most of its advocacy work behind the scenes. However, its fellows routinely appear in the media for radio and TV interviews, and all publish widely in newspapers, journals, and other online news outlets.

CSP's official publications fall into a number of different categories:

  • Decision Briefs - These policy papers reflect the Center's official position on a wide range of policy issues. After publication, they are distributed to national leaders and the media for immediate action.
  • Security Forums - These publications are part of the Center's effort to ensure that important, timely articles on national security issues are given the proper attention and consideration. They reflect the views of the author, and not the Center for Security Policy
  • CSP Occasional Papers - This series of papers is intended to function as timely and incisive original research. Preference is given to topics relevant to the national security of the United States and broadly congruent with CSP's research agenda and its motto "peace through strength." Occasional Papers are published with a minimum of editing and do not reflect the views of the Center for Security Policy.

[edit] Funding

CSP is a 501(c)(3) organization. It gets funding from private individuals and an assortment of philanthropic foundations.[2]

[edit] Global warming

The Center does not take an official position on global warming – it focuses its work on domestic and international politics. However, it is a member organization of the Cooler Heads Coalition which seeks to "dispel the myths of global warming by exposing flawed scientific, economic, and risk analysis."[3]

[edit] Family Security Matters and controversial writings

The Center sponsors "Family Security Matters." On August 3, 2007, Family Security Matters published an opinion piece by Philip Atkinson, which advocated for making George W. Bush president for life, because "the inadequacy of Democracy, rule by the majority, is undeniable." Furthermore, after giving Atkinson's interpretation of Julius Caesar's treatment of Gaul, the article called for emptying Iraq of its Arabs:

If President Bush copied Julius Caesar by ordering his army to empty Iraq of Arabs and repopulate the country with Americans, he would achieve immediate results: popularity with his military; enrichment of America by converting an Arabian Iraq into an American Iraq (therefore turning it from a liability to an asset); and boost American prestige while terrifying American enemies.[4]

The website removed all articles by Atkinson and references to the writer the next day after complaints were received, but several bloggers found similar passages in other articles by means of Google Cache.[5][6] The president of Family Security Matters told The New York Sun that she had sent the submission from Atkinson to the webmaster without reading the essay.[7]

[edit] Keeper of the Flame Award

"Since 1990, the Center for Security Policy has recognized individuals for devoting their public careers to the defence of the United States and American values around the world. Those extraordinary individuals are the Keepers of the Flame."[8] The majority of awards have gone to senior military figures and Republican politicians. A notable exception to this pattern is world chess champion, Garry Kasparov.

[edit] Prominent members

[edit] Recent publications

[edit] References

  1. ^ Jason Vest, The Men From JINSA and CSP, The Nation, September 2, 2002, alleges that Center for Security Policy, along with JINSA, are "underwritten by far-right American Zionists" and both believe strongly that "'regime change' by any means necessary in Iraq, Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia and the Palestinian Authority is an urgent imperative. Anyone who dissents -- be it Colin Powell's State Department, the CIA or career military officers -- is committing heresy against articles of faith that effectively hold there is no difference between US and Israeli national security interests, and that the only way to assure continued safety and prosperity for both countries is through hegemony in the Middle East -- a hegemony achieved with the traditional cold war recipe of feints, force, clientism and covert action."
  2. ^ http://www.mediatransparency.org/recipientgrants.php?recipientID=489[dead link] Center for Security Policy grant listing, Media Transparency.com
  3. ^ "About". Competitive Enterprise Institute. http://www.globalwarming.org/about/. Retrieved 16 October 2009. 
  4. ^ a b Cadenhead, Rogers (20 August 2007). "Conservative Group Calls for Bush Dictatorship". Watching the Watchers. http://watchingthewatchers.org/news/1290/conservative-group-calls-bush. Retrieved 16 October 2009. [self-published source?]
  5. ^ Rhodes, E. Stewart (19 August 2007). "Neocon Think Tank Calls for Enslaving or Killing All Mexican Immigrants and Invading Mexico. Philip Atkinson & Family Security Matters at it Again!". Dirt Rhodes Scholar. http://stewart-rhodes.blogspot.com/2007/08/neocon-think-tank-calls-for-enslaving.html. Retrieved 16 October 2009. [self-published source?]
  6. ^ Faryn Balyncd (14 August 2007). "1581802, Here's Mr. Atkinson calling for NUCLEAR GENOCIDE - Family Security Matters calls it 'powerful....'". Democratic Underground. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=printer_friendly&forum=389&topic_id=1574242&mesg_id=1581802. Retrieved 16 October 2009. [unreliable source?][self-published source?]
  7. ^ Lake, Eli (28 August 2007). "Web Site Faulted for Nuke Iraq Plan". The New York Sun. http://www.nysun.com/national/web-site-faulted-for-nuke-iraq-plan/61471/. Retrieved 16 October 2009. 
  8. ^ http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/modules/newsmanager/inside%20the%20ctr%20images%20pdfs/AnnualReport2001.pdf[dead link] Center for Security Policy, Annual Report 2001

[edit] External links

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