The Peace Corps in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Republics: A Return to the Original Charter
Published Date: July 1, 1992
The Peace Corps has emerges as a major factor in U.S. efforts to encourage the transition away from authoritarian governments and command economies. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Peace Corps' initiatives in the former Soviet Bloc countries, according to the Corps' Regional Director (Dr. Jerry Leach) for Pacific Asia, Central Europe, and the Mediterranean. Addressing a recent Center for Naval Analyses seminar, Dr. Leach discussed the unusual national security concept behind these initiatives, how the Peace Corps has changed over the years, and current programs in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet republics. These efforts, he stressed, are not a departure from the practice of aiding Third World countries as much as they are a return to the Peace Corps' original charter of peace building around the world.
