On Tuesday the Obama administration convened an international conference to seek renewed commitment to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between north and south Sudan. The next day I attended a meeting where representatives of northern and southern Sudan gave their perspectives on the outcomes of the conference. It was supposed to be a time for showing the world how much agreement there was between the parties. Yet, in this short meeting, the parties were unable to conceal their disagreements and significant distrust of each other.

In the world of refugees and internally displaced people, host communities tend to be nearly invisible. They are the backdrop to the core drama of refugee protection, part of the scenery. Or perhaps a source of cheap labor for the manual and clerical tasks that undergird camp operations.

On the occasion of World Refugee Day, however, let's attempt to put host communities on center stage where they belong.

Ken Bacon, president of Refugees International, delivered testimony yesterday on the humanitarian crisis in Pakistan to a House of Representatives subcommittee. He was joined via webcast by Dr. Samina Ahmed of the International Crisis Group and Sherry Rehman of the Pakistan Peoples Party, who both delivered their testimony from the American Embassy in Islamabad, where it was the middle of the night.

A few weeks ago, I visited the headquarters of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) in Stuttgart, Germany as part of a research project on the imbalance between America's military and civilian expeditionary capabilities. While I was there I met with military and civilian leaders of the United States' newest and most controversial regional combatant command. What I learned was encouraging, but not satisfying.

President Obama’s speech to the Muslim World in Cairo was a complete home run.

He highlighted the shared religious values of peace and justice that unify the People of the Book--Jews, Christians and Muslims who live by their Holy texts, the Talmud, the Bible and the Koran. He addressed the differences that currently divide the faiths, and he proposed paths for dialogue, partnership and peace in the future.

Two years ago I tried to visit Darfur to conduct an assessment mission with Refugees International, but was blocked from traveling there by the government of Sudan.  Now, on the other side of the border in eastern Chad, I’m finally getting a chance to speak with people from Darfur, forced to flee their homes because of the conflict in the western part of Sudan.