This policy paper by Barnett Rubin, Senior Fellow at CIC examines how the Afghan peace process provides the United States with an opportunity to pivot to a strategy that frees it from dependence on military bases in the landlocked backyard of Russia and China, and how that can provide it with an entry point to an expanded and more effective Asia policy focused on some of the most vital threats confronting humanity.

This policy paper sets out how the former U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Access to Justice leveraged international activity and mechanisms, including the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, to advance its domestic priorities. The strategy resulted in noteable accomplishments and even protected a number of them after the office was closed in 2018. The brief recommends that the incoming Biden-Harris Administration reestablish the Office for Access to Justice, revitalize the White House Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable charged with implementing Goal 16 for the United States, link U.S. domestic priorities to all 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and prioritize the United States’ role as a leader in the global movement for equal justice for all.