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This proposal attempts to establish the framework for a dissertation project that will examine the relationship between political institutions, the elites that comprise their leadership and the actions carried out through the institution's auspices. My aim is to investigate the extent to which institutions, specifically those committed to peacebuilding and conflict resolution, become sanctioned to act on the interests of specific socio-political groups. This project builds from the groundbreaking work of C. Wright Mills on the concept of a power elite to explore the influence such groups have on the formation of foreign policy and American society. Mills is brought into conversation with contemporary scholars Janine Wedel, G. William Domhoff, and David Rothkopf to investigate the intersection of government institutions with the elite and the related military, academic and business spheres. The object of my focus for this inquiry, the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP), has emerged over the past decade to play a significant role in advising and assisting foreign policy makers and the U.S. armed forces in dealing with issues of violent conflict and post-conflict peacebuilding efforts throughout the globe.
USIP is a federally funded institute whose mission is to provide Congress and the public with "analysis, training and tools that prevent and end conflicts, promotes stability and professionalizes the field of peacebuilding." To meet its mission, the Institute brings academics, practitioners, government officials, military personnel and representatives from the private sector together to be part of what USIP describes as a “think and do tank.” The relatively young age of the Institute (est. 1984), its rapid development, intersection with policy makers, and prominent location in Washington, DC make it a particularly strong and manageable case for such an inquiry. My hope is that this research will contribute to the development of a better understanding of what role elite interests play in shaping public policy and how these policies influence U.S. approaches to peacebuilding and conflict resolution