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Darren Beattie's Racist Rhetoric Should Disqualify Him from Heading up the USIP [1]
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Date: 2025-07-27
After attempting to shutter the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) earlier this year, President Donald Trump has appointed Darren Beattie to lead the organization but his past racist statements and praise for the Chinese government and skepticism of the genocide against the Uyghurs should disqualify him from consideration. In 2024, Beattie posted on X that, ““competent white men must be in charge if you want things to work.”
This appointment to lead the USIP raises fundamental questions about the values and credibility of an organization whose mission is to prevent and resolve violent conflict worldwide. When leadership embraces divisive rhetoric that contradicts core principles of equality and inclusion, it undermines the very foundation upon which effective peacebuilding rests.
The Contradiction of Inflammatory Language in Peace Work
Peace organizations must model the values they seek to promote globally. The documented statements attributed to the new leadership—including assertions about racial hierarchies in governance—stand in direct opposition to the inclusive, collaborative approach that effective conflict resolution requires. Such language not only alienates potential partners but also signals to international audiences that American peace efforts may be grounded in exclusionary principles rather than universal human dignity.
Impact on International Credibility
The USIP operates in diverse global contexts where trust and moral authority are essential currencies. When leadership has expressed views that diminish entire groups of people based on race or ethnicity, it compromises the organization's ability to serve as an honest broker in conflicts worldwide. Communities already skeptical of American intentions will find little reason to engage with an institution whose leadership has publicly embraced discriminatory viewpoints.
The Stakes for Peacebuilding
Effective conflict resolution requires understanding multiple perspectives, building bridges across differences, and creating inclusive processes that address root causes of division. Leadership that has demonstrated comfort with inflammatory, exclusionary rhetoric is fundamentally ill-equipped to guide such work. The statements in question reveal a worldview incompatible with the collaborative, respectful approach that sustainable peace requires.
A Call for Accountability
The USIP deserves leadership that embodies the principles it was created to advance. Congress, which funds this vital institution, has a responsibility to ensure that its leadership reflects American values of equality and inclusion. The international community, meanwhile, will judge American peace efforts not just by stated policies but by the character and public statements of those chosen to lead them.
President Trump isn’t just bucking the Democrats with this decision. When he was a senator, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was an outspoken advocate for ending the genocide against the Uyghurs and former Secretary of State and former director of the CIA Mike Pompeo classified their treatment as a genocide.
The work of peace is too important to be undermined by divisive rhetoric from those entrusted with its advancement. The American people—and the global communities the USIP serves—deserve better.
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