1. Executive Summary
The current US policy towards the Democratic Republic of the Congo has continuously failed to meet its proposed outcomes. The purpose of this brief is to highlight crucial areas in which current policy is lacking. Support for conflict resolution, actual demands of the Congolese government keeping inline with US values, and condemnation of regional interference in the DRC.

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2. Statement of the Problem
What role can the United States government play in enhancing and fostering reconciliation and durable peace in the DRC?

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3. Background
Colonialism, Cold War politics, and corrupt leaders have created a humanitarian disaster in the DRC. Since the Second Congo War (1998-2003) over 5 million civilians have died because of conflict related disease, injuries, and starvation. The number of militias and rebel groups continues to grow across the DRC, destabilizing the country and possibly the region. These rebel groups are able to operate because of the weakness of the Congolese state. A recent rebel group, the M23, has prompted a new international response in the form of an intervention brigade operating under the UN peacekeeping mission MONUCSO. Military operations have not been, nor will they be, enough to end these militias. An approach that seeks to understand and combat the root causes of conflict direly needs to be implemented.

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4.Statement of Interest
The DRC is extremely rich in natural resources such as gold, tin, tungsten, coltan, timber, and it has waterways capable of generating vast amounts of hydroelectric power. In addition the instability and weak governance in the DRC has the ability to destabilize the entire region of Central and East Africa. This would create a massive humanitarian disaster and harm the fledgling democracies that neighbor the DRC. Destabilization of the region would harm the US’s goals of limiting global terrorism. Uganda a key supporter of the AU mission in Somalia, combating al-Shabab a group linked to al-Qaeda, could be forced to pull its troops from the mission-furthering terrorist groups control over the horn of Africa or necessitating a UN or NATO interference.  Natural resources, stability for the US’s allies in Africa, and encouraging democracy all rest on stability in the DRC

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5.Pre-existing Policies
The US currently supports MONUSCO, made a few small aid cuts to Rwanda for backing rebels, has contributed to a task force to combat the LRA in the DRC, CAR, and South Sudan, and recently appointed a special envoy to the Great Lakes Region.

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6.Policy Options
I. Continue to support the MONUSCO mission, use rhetoric denouncing corruption and poor    governance in the DRC, and use a small amount of pressure to stop Rwanda from supporting rebels. Essentially continue on the same course.
II. Military intervention in the DRC to neutralize M23 and other rebel groups.

III. Continue with current policy while adding programs to address (begin to address or take a stronger stance on)
       a. Justice and Accountability
       b. Regional interference
       c. Weak governance
       d. Support of the Dodd-Frank Legislation

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7. Advantages and Disadvantages
I. Policy option I. allows the US to continue to support change in the DRC without doing anything new. This is a safe approach that, while having a few successes, has generally not produced vast change in the DRC. In the long run keeping things at the status quo will be extremely costly. The UN peacekeeping mission runs in the billions each year and will have to be maintained until there is stability.
II. Policy option II. calls for military intervention to neutralize and disarm rebel groups. This will have very little domestic support and harm the US’s image in the region and across the world creating more blowback. Recently in the Central African Republic, poorly armed rebels defeated well armed South African troops showing that it is not solely military might which counts in the heavily forested areas of Central Africa.
III. Policy Option III. takes a slightly different approach in the past and really looks towards improving the general situation and creating reconciliation through stopping impunity. While new program and more pressure will cost more in the long run, the current policy towards DRC has not been working.

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8.Recommendations
I recommend Policy Option III. because it works in conjunction with current policy while being tougher on Rwanda and the DRC government and is will work to create a system of justice and accountability. Rwanda’s continued interference in the DRC must be stopped, if there is evidence of continued support the US should implement new and stronger aid cuts. In the past the US has turned a blind eye to corruption and human rights abuses by the current government in the DRC. This too must be called into attention. The US needs to support local peace building initiatives. There has been almost no reconciliation in the DRC; this furthers resentment and lack of trust leading to more violence. Finally the US needs to continue to support the Dodd-Frank Act that seeks to trace and limit conflict minerals.