Many people wonder, ‘what exactly is the “Peace Corps?”’ The picture that most commonly comes to their minds is that of an idealistic American youth living in a desolate village of Africa, and whose task in country is to help build houses. But Peace Corps volunteers have a different mission than to build houses, they provide technical know-how in several fields (teaching English and methodologies of teaching, environmental education, health, agriculture and business), and are truly a front line of defense for America, promoting, as the name implies, Peace.
“Diplomacy is America’s first line of defense… The conduct of U.S. relations with the nations of the world, through an effective international presence and discerning diplomatic leadership, is what makes the United States a force for peace.” The Department of State continues to say (describing the Foreign Service, not the Peace Corps) that: “The diplomatic investments we make now to prevent conflict, promote democracy, and protect the environment, decrease the possibilities of much more costly conflicts later and help ensure the prosperity and well-being of the American people.”
The United States has a diplomatic presence in over 160 countries around the globe, with embassy missions varying in size from a handful of staff to thousands. The men and women who serve in these embassies around the world have been chosen carefully, screened relentlessly, and are a formidable force for the United States. They are well trained, bringing previous experiences and lifetimes of work abroad to serve the United States. But, like any good sports coach or company manager will tell you, no single unit can operate effectively alone, without support.
Jack Kerouac wrote (in 1960, one year before the PC was established): “One look at the officials in the American Consulate where we went for dreary paper routines was enough to make you realize what was wrong with American ‘diplomacy’ throughout the Fellaheen world: – stiff officious squares with contempt even for their own Americans who happened not to wear neckties, as tho a necktie or whatever it stands for meant anything to the hungry Berbers who came into Tangiers every Saturday morning on meek asses… Why didnt the American consul ever walk into the urchin hall where Mohammed Mayé sat smoking? or squat in behind empty buildings with old Arabs who talked with their hands? or any thing? Instead it’s all private limousines, hotel restaurants, parties in the suburbs, an endless phoney rejection in the name of ‘democracy’ of all that’s pith and moment of every land.”
A lot has changed with America’s international policy since the time of Kerouac (the Cold War is now the Iraq war with Iran looming overhead), but his underlying point is still relevant. The American Embassies are always an impressive building, and the staff is (some would say they must be) dressed in a (Western) professional manner. It is a difficult job, and as Kerouac commented, even Americans can feel an animosity within the building. But, us Americans can disregard any unfriendly or pompous staff as simply a begrudged bureaucrat from Washington, and dismiss them; a foreigner cannot.
So this is what the Peace Corps does. They break down barriers between Americans and people of countries all over the world. They go and “squat in behind empty buildings with old Arabs who talked with their hands” if it is necessary at the time. They live with the locals, like the locals. There are certainly no private limousines, and the parties are in the homes of hospitable local families, not in a fancy hotel.
The Peace Corps tries to be a win-win-win organization. Funded by the American government, the Peace Corps provides a front line of defense. The receiving country in turn obtains new knowledge and technical trainings, with villages gaining unprecedented access to the world. And the volunteer grows personally, gains professional skills, learns a new language and culture, and simply (most of the time) has fun experiencing everything there is to experience.
Has the Peace Corps actually stopped any armed conflicts? shaped the mind of a would-to-be terrorist into that of an outstanding citizen? I cannot answers these questions with certainty. But what I am sure of is that hundreds of people knew me personally, and in turn the word is spread through their families and to even more friends. And this makes a lasting impression on them. I sometimes met a person who remembers an American that they had met one time ten years ago… maybe I know them they ask. If my job was done correctly, then in ten years people will say “I use to know an American” with a smile on their face. So does this promote peace, and good relations to the US? I think it does.
