Pacific Council on International Policy

The Pacific Council on International Policy is an independent, nonpartisan, membership-based organization headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Established in 1995 in partnership with the Council on Foreign Relations and the University of Southern California, it operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on strengthening the ability of Los Angeles and California to participate in international affairs and influence global policy discussions. The Council brings together members from government, business, academia, law, media, philanthropy, and civil society. Rather than functioning as a conventional advocacy organization or university research center, it serves as a convening and policy-engagement platform. Its work is designed to connect regional expertise and interests with questions in foreign policy, national security, international economics, migration, climate, public diplomacy, and global governance. Its principal activities include public and private events, roundtable discussions, conferences, policy task forces, international delegations, and written analysis. Through these activities, members meet with public officials, diplomats, military and intelligence figures, business leaders, scholars, journalists, and representatives of international organizations. The Council has hosted or engaged prominent participants including former U.S. secretaries of state Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, and Condoleezza Rice; former President George W. Bush; former CIA Director Leon Panetta; General James Mattis; Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti; and other domestic and foreign policy specialists. International travel is a major part of the organization’s membership model. Council delegations have visited or worked on issues involving Mexico, North Korea, Cuba, Iraq, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Guatemala, China, and France, among other locations. These trips are intended to provide members with direct access to government officials, business representatives, local experts, and communities affected by international policy. The Council also uses issue-specific task forces to produce recommendations. Examples include work on U.S.-Mexico border security and climate-change adaptation in California. Its border-security task force, led by former Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Robert C. Bonner, issued recommendations concerning firearms policy and evaluated progress against earlier proposals. Its climate task force examined risks to the California coast and recommended the creation of a state Climate Risk Council. A distinctive initiative has been the Guantánamo Bay Observer Program. Since 2013, the Council has held official nongovernmental-organization observer status at Guantánamo Bay and has enabled member experts to observe proceedings and report their assessments. Recommendations from an associated task force were incorporated into the fiscal year 2018 Defense Bill through legislation introduced by Representative Adam Schiff. The organization also publishes foreign-affairs and public-diplomacy analysis through its online Magazine and reports. Examples of its publications include work on U.S.-China public diplomacy, Los Angeles’s global role, and proposals for expediting Guantánamo trials through federal judicial oversight. Overall, the Pacific Council positions itself as a bridge between Southern California’s civic and professional communities and the wider international-policy system.

The Pacific Council on International Policy was created in 1995 through a partnership involving the Council on Foreign Relations and the University of Southern California. Its founding reflected an effort to give Los Angeles and the broader California region a stronger institutional voice in international affairs. Abraham F. Lowenthal served as the organization’s founding president, while Robert F. Erburu, then associated with the Times Mirror Company, became its founding board chair. From its beginning, the Council was designed as a membership-based, nonpartisan organization rather than a conventional political campaign group. It sought to assemble leaders from multiple sectors and use their combined experience to examine foreign-policy questions, expose members to international decision-makers, and develop practical recommendations. This regional approach linked Southern California’s economic, civic, academic, and governmental interests to global issues. Over time, the Council expanded its activities through conferences, private briefings, public events, roundtables, research projects, and overseas delegations. Its programs have addressed relations with Mexico and China, border security, public diplomacy, international security, climate adaptation, and other issues where local and global concerns intersect. Delegations have taken members to countries and regions including Mexico, North Korea, Cuba, Iraq, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Guatemala, China, and France. These visits generally emphasize first-hand discussions with officials, business leaders, policy specialists, and local stakeholders. The organization developed a task-force model for selected policy questions. A U.S.-Mexico Border Security Task Force led by Robert C. Bonner produced recommendations for Congress and the Obama administration, including support for renewing a ban on assault weapons, and later issued an assessment of progress on previous recommendations. A Climate Change Adaptation Task Force studied the implications of climate change for California’s coast and called for the establishment of a state Climate Risk Council. The Guantánamo Bay Observer Program became one of the Council’s most distinctive initiatives. Beginning in 2013, the organization held official nongovernmental-organization observer status at Guantánamo Bay. Its participating experts observed proceedings and communicated their assessments through the Council. A related task force developed recommendations concerning the conduct and administration of Guantánamo trials. According to the organization’s documented history, some of those recommendations were reflected in the fiscal year 2018 Defense Bill through the work of Representative Adam Schiff. The Council has also maintained a publication and commentary function. Its reports have covered U.S.-China relations and public diplomacy, Los Angeles’s role as a global city, and proposals for placing Guantánamo trial proceedings under federal judges to improve speed and transparency. Its online Magazine extends this role by presenting foreign-policy analysis and commentary. Leadership over the organization’s history has included prominent figures from government, business, law, diplomacy, and public life. Warren Christopher succeeded Robert F. Erburu as a board co-chair, and John Bryson later served in board leadership before becoming U.S. secretary of commerce. Other associated board figures have included former Utah governor and U.S. ambassador to China Jon M. Huntsman and former congressman David Dreier. The Council’s current president and CEO is Duncan Wood, while Richard Goetz and Robert Lovelace serve as board co-chairs. The organization continues to operate as a Los Angeles-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on membership engagement, international dialogue, policy analysis, and delegations.

• 2018

  Guantánamo recommendations reflected in defense legislation

  [1]Pacific Council on International Policyen.wikipedia.org

  Recommendations from the Council’s Guantánamo task force were included in the fiscal year 2018 Defense Bill through Representative Adam Schiff.

• 2013

  Guantánamo Bay observer status begins

  [1]Pacific Council on International Policyen.wikipedia.org

  The Council began operating as an official nongovernmental-organization observer at Guantánamo Bay proceedings.

• 1995

  Pacific Council founded

  [1]Pacific Council on International Policyen.wikipedia.org

  The organization was established in Los Angeles through a partnership with the Council on Foreign Relations and the University of Southern California.

A Los Angeles-based, nonpartisan platform for connecting regional leaders and experts with international policy debates, practical research, and direct global engagement.

• Events and convening

  International events and conferences

  The Council organizes public and private events, conferences, and roundtables that bring members into contact with senior officials, diplomats, scholars, business leaders, journalists, and other experts. These programs provide structured discussion of foreign-policy and international-affairs questions rather than commercial products.

• International engagement

  International delegations

  Delegations give members direct exposure to countries and regions experiencing major policy, security, economic, or diplomatic developments. Previous destinations have included Mexico, North Korea, Cuba, Iraq, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Guatemala, China, and France, with meetings involving officials, business leaders, and local specialists.

• Policy research

  Policy task forces

  Issue-specific task forces convene members and outside experts to study international-policy problems and formulate recommendations. Documented examples include task forces on U.S.-Mexico border security, climate-change adaptation, and Guantánamo Bay proceedings.

• Monitoring and policy analysis · 2013

  Guantánamo Bay Observer Program

  The program allows qualified Council members and experts to observe proceedings at Guantánamo Bay under the organization’s official nongovernmental-organization observer status. Participants report their observations and contribute to discussion and recommendations concerning the trials.

• Publications

  Pacific Council Magazine and reports

  The Council publishes foreign-policy commentary, analysis, and reports through its online Magazine and related research output. Topics documented in its work include U.S.-China public diplomacy, Los Angeles’s global role, and proposals for improving the administration of Guantánamo trials.

• 2013Guantánamo Bay Observer Program

  United States · Cuba

  The Council established an observer and reporting program centered on proceedings at Guantánamo Bay, supported by member experts and a related task force.

  Outcome. The related recommendations were reported as having been incorporated into the fiscal year 2018 Defense Bill.

  Source
• Mexico Initiative

  United States · Mexico

  A Council program focused on U.S.-Mexico relations and related cross-border policy questions, using member engagement, events, and policy discussion.

  Source
• Global Los Angeles

  United States · Los Angeles

  A research and engagement theme examining Los Angeles as a globally connected city and the region’s capacity to contribute to international affairs.

  Source

• 2013

  Launch Guantánamo Bay observation and reportingStrategy

  Background

  The Council sought to contribute informed civil-society observation to proceedings at Guantánamo Bay.

  Action taken

  It obtained official nongovernmental-organization observer status and organized member-expert observation and reporting.

  Aftermath

  Recommendations from the associated task force were reported as included in the fiscal year 2018 Defense Bill.

  Source

• Create a U.S.-Mexico Border Security Task ForceStrategy

  Background

  The Council used a task-force structure to examine border-security policy and evaluate prior recommendations.

  Action taken

  Under Robert C. Bonner, the task force issued recommendations to Congress and the Obama administration and later published a progress assessment.

  Source

• Recommend a California Climate Risk CouncilStrategy

  Background

  The Council’s Climate Change Adaptation Task Force examined potential effects of climate change on California’s coast.

  Action taken

  The task force recommended that California establish a Climate Risk Council to address climate-related risks.

  Source

1. 1Pacific Council on International Policyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Pacific Council on International Policy official websitepacificcouncil.org