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Bronwyn Bruton, a democracy and governance specialist with extensive experience in Africa, was a 2008-2009 international affairs fellow in residence at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). She was born in Swaziland and spent most of her childhood in Botswana. Prior to her fellowship appointment, Bronwyn spent three years at the National Endowment for Democracy, where she managed a $7-million portfolio of grants to local and international nongovernmental organizations in east and southern Africa (priority countries included Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Sudan). Ms. Bruton has also served as a program manager on the Africa team of the U.S. Agency for International Development's Office of Transition Initiatives, as a policy analyst on the international affairs and trade team of the Government Accountability Office, and as a program officer at the Center for International Private Enterprise.
Ms. Bruton holds an MPP, with honors, from the University of California at Los Angeles.
Current Research Projects
Past Research Project
March 10, 2010
Interview
Instead of fighting jihad in Somalia by supporting the weak transitional government, the United States would have more success focusing on humanitarian aid and development, says democracy and governance expert Bronwyn Bruton.
See more in Somalia, Civil Reconstruction, Conflict Assessment
March 2010
Council Special Report No. 52
Council Special Report
Failed states provide fertile ground for terrorism, drug trafficking, and a host of other ills that threaten to spill beyond their borders. Somalia is thus a problem not just for Somalis but for the United States and the world. Bronwyn E. Bruton takes on one of today's most vexing foreign policy challenges, offering concise analysis and thoughtful recommendations grounded in a realistic assessment of U.S. and international interests and capabilities in Somalia.
See more in Somalia, U.S. Strategy and Politics
November/December 2009
Foreign Affairs Article — Summary
Washington's repeated attempts to bring peace to Somalia with state-building initiatives have failed, even backfired.
See more in Somalia
November 5, 2009
Audio
Listen to Bronwyn E. Bruton, international affairs fellow in residence at CFR, discuss her recent Foreign Affairs article, "In the Quicksands of Somalia," with students as part of CFR's Academic Conference Call series.
See more in Horn of Africa, Somalia
August 6, 2009
Expert Brief
CFR's Bronwyn Bruton says the U.S.-Ethiopia security partnership is undermining U.S. counterterror goals in Somalia. If the United States hopes to play a constructive role in Somalia, it must address democracy backsliding in Ethiopia, she says.
See more in Ethiopia, Somalia, International Peace and Security
April 14, 2009
Interview
CFR's Bronwyn Bruton says the United States will not be able to end piracy in Somalia by using force and should take a modest approach that avoids grand schemes to reconstruct the government.
See more in Somalia, Border and Ports
April 13, 2009
Podcast
CFR's Bronwyn Bruton says the United States should avoid grand schemes in its attempts to fight piracy in Somalia.
See more in Somalia, Border and Ports
November 12, 2008
Article
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Bronwyn Bruton considers U.S. - Somalian relations with the world's status quo.
See more in Somalia, Global Governance
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Bronwyn E. Bruton takes on one of today's most vexing foreign policy challenges, offering concise analysis and thoughtful recommendations grounded in a realistic assessment of U.S. and international interests and capabilities in Somalia.
James M. Goldgeier takes a sober look at what NATO and its members must do to maintain the alliance's relevance in the face of today's strategic environment.
Complete list of Council Special Reports
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Complete list of CFR Books
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