Never would I have thought that the institution I used to work for, an organization dedicated to peace, would be the subject of illegal entry, be accused of criminality, have staff escorted by police out of a building, be threatened with investigation by the FBI, and have a locked weapons armory breached by intruders. But that has been the reality over the last few days at the United States Institute of Peace as it resisted a takeover by staff from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, who with the support of law enforcement forced the removal of the institute’s president, George Moose.

To recap, the institute, known as USIP, is a nonprofit entity based in Washington, D.C., and funded by Congress. Established in 1984 and signed into law by Ronald Reagan, its mission as a “nonpartisan, independent organization” is to “prevent violent conflicts and broker peace deals abroad” and as a result “keep America safe” by “reducing the risk” of “foreign wars that drive terrorism, criminal gangs and migration.” USIP’s funding, at around $55 million, is small by Washington standards compared with other congressional appropriations. USAID, for example, had a budget in Fiscal Year 2023 of $71.9 billion.

At a D.C. District Court hearing on Wednesday, a request by the institute for a temporary restraining order against the Trump administration and DOGE was denied. However, the judge was critical of how DOGE had treated USIP, noting that they were “probably terrorizing employees.” Terrorizing employees of an organization that is working to prevent terrorism, at that.

DOGE’s assault on USIP exhibited how authoritarian regimes overthrow a democratic order, something that is studied at the institute. Moose, USIP’s duly appointed president, was “escorted” by D.C. police — seemingly working with DOGE — out of the building, while a DOGE agent, Kenneth Jackson, was smuggled in as his replacement. Jackson was appointed acting USIP president — unlawfully, the institute maintains — after President Donald Trump gutted the USIP board. All the while, USIP’s hired security firm appeared to be consorting with DOGE. This is from the playbook of totalitarian takeovers. USIP has done much to raise the profile of nonviolent resistance movements in places such as Serbia against Slobodan Milosevic, and more recently in Venezuela against Nicolas Maduro. Its Gandhi-King Global Academy, established as a legacy to the late Rep. John Lewis, an ardent proponent of nonviolent resistance who was beaten at the 1965 Selma march, focuses on empowering civil servants, policymakers, the military and the general population with tools to ensure freedom and democratic governance.

I spent eight years at USIP. While there, my focus was on public education and outreach. I spent much of my time traveling throughout the United States, making the case for the use of conflict resolution approaches to resolving international disputes. While visiting colleges and universities (especially community colleges) questions of local conflict were sometimes raised. Although USIP only focuses on international issues, the lessons of global strategies had their relevance in local contexts. My audiences were pleasantly surprised that Congress — and therefore the American taxpayer — believed there was value to advancing negotiation, dialogue and mediation to resolve differences. I spent much time in conservative rural parts of the United States, and the support for USIP’s focus on nonviolent approaches to save money and lives and protect democracy was as enthusiastically supported there as in more liberal urban areas. USIP’s work is a cost-effective strategy to make the world and America safer.

Because USIP has tended to work behind the scenes with organizations opposing oppression, its efforts rarely make the front pages. And this is in some ways by design. Training and fostering dialogue works best in quiet spaces. Besides, the work of USIP is decidedly “preventative” at times. It is hard to measure the prevention of conflict, and even harder to get policymakers interested in it. America’s first diplomat, Benjamin Franklin, who said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” would be proud of USIP’s work. As would George Washington, often considered the inspiration for the institute, who in a letter in 1783 suggested the creation of “a proper peace establishment” as a condition for the survival of the nation. As an acknowledgment of his efforts, USIP’s dove logo is taken from Washington’s weathervane at Mount Vernon.

At the court hearing Wednesday, USIP alleged that now that DOGE is in control of the organization, it has started to shred documents, another move from the autocrat’s playbook. To now see the U.S. Institute of Peace, an organization that for so long has worked to advance peaceful efforts to oppose autocratic rule and violence, now be the victim of the same is a sad day for America.

David J. Smith was a senior program officer and manager of national outreach at the U.S. Institute of Peace from 2005 to 2012. He is currently an adjunct professor at the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University and formerly taught at Goucher College. He lives in Rockville.