In our trawl through the mixed-up files, we came across this charming item from a former university president and U.S. cabinet official:
I guess $14,158.88 is a small price to pay for international peace . . . Hey! It seems that this International Peace Institute still exists! Here’s their webpage:
They have a big red DONATE button.
Can you imagine? Some poor schlubs are donating $100/month or whatever to this organization, and they’re using it to fly some assholes around the world on first class tickets. $14,158.88 indeed.
Ummmm, I think I have some questions about “Charity Navigator,” “CharityWatch,” and “GuideStar.”
This is just disgusting. Can’t they make an honest living doing three-card monte or something?
(This is a sincere question.) Can you be a non-profit that frivolously spends its donations and still be competent at — quoting from its website — “…working to strengthen inclusive multilateralism for a more peaceful and sustainable planet”? Similarly, can you prudently use donor’s money and be incompetent at this mission?
So, I’m asking if spending a large amount of money on plane tickets necessarily means that the institute itself is unworthy of its stated mission.
Sam:
Sure, it’s possible. This organization has a big budget and I can imagine a world in which they have some internal corruption that leads to deadweight-loss expenses such as paying $14,158.88 on first-class airfare for some Davos clowns, while still doing good work elsewhere.
My impression from the website, though, is that this organization does nothing at all of value. Look, for example, at their latest news. It looks like straight-up, uncut, 200 proof bureaucratic B.S. I guess it could be called “soft corruption”: it’s not like the Mafia where they’re robbing people; they’re just taking money from some rich people and giving it to other rich people. I guess it bothers me because I feel like they are exploiting whatever bits of idealism remain in this world regarding the international community.
But, yeah, it’s possible they’re not just a bunch of first-class-flying, five-star-hotel-staying losers. They could be doing some great stuff that they’re just not announcing on their website.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/09/two-senior-norwegian-diplomats-being-investigated-over-epstein-links
I cant tell what that mission really entails, but if it requires rich/famous/etc people to talk to each other, this charity will have to compete with other charities for their time. So first class tickets and other perks could even be considered mission critical.
I watched some of the “latest news” video Andrew posted, and it seemed like a hundred people taking turns explaining in their own words why violating treaties leads to war. Maybe there is more to it than that, I stopped watching after a few minutes of skipping around.
I much rather donate to The Human Fund
I recommend Venmoing directly to Lawrence Summers. Cut out the middleman and do good. The more you pay this guy, the more comfortable he can be on his first-class flights tweeting out how he wants to intimidate student journalists.
They’re qualified for a USDA certified organic badge.
Epstein (“Enhanced Education” is his foundation) is being asked to pay for Summers’ ticket. It’s not clear (from the emails) what the financial arrangements are. If Epstein approved the expense, then the Peace Institute did not pay for Summers’ airfare.Would the Institute have paid for it absent some prospect of reimbursement– who knows?
The Peace Institute may be a spendthrift waste of time, but the emails alone provide little evidence of this.