China joins elite club by rolling out hospital ship

BEIJING: The Daily Times from Pakistan reported that China’s military has a new weapon in the country’s soft-power arsenal that copies a technique long used by the United States - a 10,000-ton hospital ship to be deployed for humanitarian purposes in Asia and beyond.

The vessel, dubbed Ship 866, is meant to soften China’s image overseas and allay concerns among its neighbors over its navy’s growing strength, while at the same time adding to its military capabilities, analysts say. The ship’s arrival coincides with clear signs that the Chinese military is tentatively moving away from its policy of maintaining a low international profile to avoid provoking those who doubt its commitment to a “peaceful rise” doctrine.

Ship 866 makes “the country one of the few in the world that has medical care and emergency rescue capabilities on the high seas while also raising the capability of the Chinese navy to accomplish diversified military missions,” the Communist Party newspaper People’s Daily said recently. Specialized hospital ships have military purposes - to treat battlefield casualties and provide support to amphibious assault ships - but are used most often for humanitarian and disaster relief missions, said Robert Work, a naval analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington.

“A hospital ship becomes an extremely important symbol of a country´s soft power,” he said. “Even if it does have a military mission, 99 percent of its service life is probably going to be spent on soft-power missions.” The United States has two dedicated hospital ships, each equipped with 1,000 hospital beds: the USNS Comfort and USNS Mercy. “The Americans have gained a lot of good will from utilizing their assets. I think the Chinese have picked up on that,” said Jason Alderwick, a maritime defense analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.

“Polling data showed that in all countries surveyed, the majority of people viewed the missions favorably,” said Vice Adm. Adam M. Robinson Jr., the surgeon general of the US Navy. “Moreover, this favorability translated into a significant increase in favorability toward the United States.” The Asian tsunami in 2004 was a major wake-up call for the Chinese leadership about how the use of military assets in disaster-relief operations can benefit a nation’s image.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had little direct involvement in emergency response efforts, hindering China´s efforts to establish itself as the leading player in Asia. “When compared to the level of maritime assistance and response provided by the US, all other contributions, including the Chinese efforts, paled into insignificance,” Alderwick said. “Ship 866 is a perfect asset to use in that kind of situation should it ever arise again.”

Mr. Work said he thinks the ship was built in case of a conflict with Taiwan, where it could be used in conjunction with the Chinese navy’s new Type 071 amphibious warfare ship to provide rapid medical assistance to injured troops. Analysts agree that it could be years before the ship is deployed as far as Africa, a move that could go a long way to negating criticism from some quarters over China´s mercantile approach to the continent. In the near term, the ship is more likely to stay in East Asia, provide support to some of China’s more isolated outposts and be available to respond to natural disasters that may hit the region.

AFGHANISTAN: UNAMA raps new report by rights watchdog

As coalition forces transition from Iraq to Afghanistan, C4SP recognizes the importance of assessing both facts and opinions of the various entities that are engaged in the region:
ABUL, 22 January 2009 (IRIN) - A spokesman of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has dismissed recommendations to the UN and other international actors by the Afghanistan Rights Monitor (ARM), a new Kabul-based rights watchdog, as "superficial and deeply uninformed".

The ARM report criticises the UN and international aid agencies for their alleged inability to reach and assist needy communities, particularly in insecure areas.
"Whilst millions of people desperately needed humanitarian assistance… the UN and other aid agencies were entrenched in diminishing security zones in Kabul and a few other cities," ARM said.

ARM called on the UN to maintain its neutrality, reach and assist people in volatile areas, and improve accountability and transparency in the disbursement of international funds. However, Dan McNorton, a UNAMA spokesman, strongly rejected the criticisms of UN agencies. "The report has overlooked our regional and provincial presence; the thousands of road missions conducted every year; the immunisation programmes for millions of people; the assistance to millions of returnees; the winter pre-positioning of 34,000 tonnes of food; the disaster relief operations; and major work with communities across the country," he said, adding that the UN had a country-wide footprint.

Civilian deaths underestimated?

The ARM report also said that in 2008 the number of civilians killed or displaced was higher than reported by the media or international organisations. "About 3,917 civilians were killed, over 6,800 were wounded and around 120,000 were forced out of their homes in 2008," said the report, The Plight of Afghan Civilians in 2008.

ARM figures on civilian deaths are higher than those from the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), which also track the impact of conflict on civilians.

Insurgents loyal to the Taliban killed over 2,300 civilians, mostly in indiscriminate and disproportionate armed attacks, and over 1,500 civilians were also killed in counter-insurgency operations by Afghan and international forces, the report said.

The AIHRC puts the number of civilian deaths as a result of armed hostilities in 2008 at around 1,800. "About 1,000 civilians were killed by the Taliban and the rest were killed by Afghan and international forces," AIHRC spokesman Nader Nadery told IRIN on 21 January.

In September UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reported about 1,300 conflict-related civilian deaths between January and the end of July 2008. ARM accused all sides of "repeated and systematic" violations of international humanitarian law, the Geneva Conventions and Afghanistan's laws applicable to war situations.

Smart Power Conference

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2009
NIUSR-HALO-C4SP-AFCEA PARTNERSHIP EVENT
SAN DIEGO CONVENTION CENTER, HARBOR DR. RM 7A

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

"We must use what has been called 'Smart Power,' the full range of tools at our disposal."With 'Smart Power,' diplomacy will be the vanguard of foreign policy. The president-elect and I believe that foreign policy must be based on a marriage of principle and pragmatism, not rigid ideology; on facts and evidence, not emotion or prejudice."
- Sen. Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State, Senate Confirmation hearing, January 13, 2009

The Center for Strategic and International Studies has launched a high-level, bipartisan Commission on Smart Power to make "...recommendations for developing an integrated policy to strengthen U.S. influence, image and effectiveness in the world."

In the face of a continually evolving global threat environment comprised of both natural and manmade threats, we must use 'Smart Power' to protect our nation and its interests. With 'Smart Power,' diplomacy is the vanguard of foreign policy. ‘Smart Power’ is also the full range of tools at our nation’s disposal from ‘Soft Power’, or humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, to ‘Hard Power,’ or traditional warfare. The future of ‘Smart Power’ will be discussed by our nation’s the leading experts in the field with an emphasis on soft power expertise.

FEATURED SPEAKERS
Our experts featured speakers will provide real-world examples and guidance designed for present and future leaders in ‘Smart Power.’

Agenda
0800 – 0830 Registration and coffee
0830 – 0900 Welcome and introductions
0900 – 0945 Dan Engle, CEO of Access Agility and Nextnet Consulting, To discuss the bridge between soft and hard powers.
1000 – 1045 Brad Barker, President, HALO Corporation, Government Integration Specialist
1100 – 1145 Dr. Linton Wells, III, PhD, Distinguished Research Professor, National Defense University, Chair of Force Transformation Program; and Dr. Dave Warner, PhD, MD CEO of MindTel, Adjunct Professor SDSU, Research in Iraq and Afghanistan
1200 – 1300 Lunch: Dr. Eric Rasmussen, MD, MDM, FACP, the CEO at InSTEDD, an independent humanitarian NGO founded by Google and focused on collaboration in crisis response
1330 – 1415 Dr. Eric Frost, PhD, The power behind the Homeland Security and Visualization Laboratory at San Diego State University
1430 – 1530 Special Guest: Iowa State Office of Emergency Services, Iowa State Integrated Response

The NIUSR-HALO-C4SP-AFCEA partnership is bringing together leaders recognized for their superior experience and ability within the arena of Smart Power. This will be a teaming and networking opportunity stimulated by amazing speakers and guests.

Hillary Clinton Advocates ‘Smart Power’ at Senate confirmation hearing

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Hillary Clinton, President-Elect Obama’s pick for Secretary of State, advocated ‘Smart Power’ at her confirmation hearing. Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., called Clinton eminently qualified to be the secretary of state but expressed concern about the Clinton Foundation's activities. He said transparency was a must for the foundation and that it should "forswear" foreign donations if Hillary Clinton were confirmed.

"We must use what has been called 'Smart Power,' the full range of tools at our disposal," she said. "With 'Smart Power,' diplomacy will be the vanguard of foreign policy. The president-elect and I believe that foreign policy must be based on a marriage of principle and pragmatism, not rigid ideology; on facts and evidence, not emotion or prejudice," she said.

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., the chairman of the committee, said that he hoped to have a vote on Clinton's nomination by Thursday. Click here for the link to the video of Senator Clinton's comments before the Senate hearing.

The American Red Cross sends aid as humanitarian situation worsens in Gaza

Ten days into the conflict, medical supplies remain most urgent need

WASHINGTON, Tuesday, January 06, 2009 The American Red Cross is contributing $250,000 to support the ongoing work of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to address the growing humanitarian needs from the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

“The American Red Cross contributions will help the ICRC address increasing humanitarian needs for medical support, hospital supplies, and relief distributions,” says Gail McGovern, President and CEO of the American Red Cross.
ICRC staff on the ground in Gaza are reporting a shortage of medical personnel, spare parts to keep hospital generators functioning, and medical supplies. The ICRC has mobilized additional staff including a surgical team, provided medical supplies to treat more than 4,000 people as well as 80 palettes of additional medical materials, distributed spare parts to hospitals to keep their generators operational, and is assisting in the repair of water, sewer, and electrical systems.
The ICRC is coordinating closely with the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and Magen David Adom (MDA), the Israeli equivalent of the Red Cross, staff and volunteers which are both working in their respective areas transporting injured people to health facilities.

“The American Red Cross has a strong relationship with both the PRCS and the MDA,” says David Meltzer, Senior Vice President of International Services at the American Red Cross. “We will continue to assess the humanitarian needs of our sister societies as the crisis continues and stand ready to provide additional assistance as needed.”

The American Red Cross relationship with the societies is rooted in work to grant them membership in the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (International Federation). Both societies were unanimously approved by members of the International Federation in June 2006.

In November 2008, the American Red Cross awarded the American Red Cross Humanitarian Prize to the leaders of the PRCS and the MDA in recognition of their work in fostering humanitarian cooperation between the two organizations despite significant political and military challenges.

You can help the victims of countless crises around the world each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which will provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster please do so at the time of your donation by either contacting 1-800-HELP NOW or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish), or mailing your donation with the designation to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013 or to your local American Red Cross chapter. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.