Micah Zenko
Fellow for Conflict Prevention
Expertise
Conflict prevention; U.S. national security policy; military planning and operations; nuclear weapons policy
Programs
Center for Preventive Action
Featured Publications
In this globalized world, countries will need to cooperate on policies that extend across borders to address issues that affect them all, including conflct prevention and peacemaking. The authors of this report assess the strengths and weaknesses of international institutions and provide a set of practical recommendations for how the United States can strengthen the global architecture for preventive action by partnering with those organizations.
As countries around the world increasingly rely on space, orbital space debris poses a rapidly growing threat to civil, military, and commercial satellites. Micah Zenko argues for an international code to define interstate behavior and promote sustainable conduct in outer space.
The Preventive Priorities Survey (PPS) is intended to help inform the U.S. policy community about the relative urgency and importance of competing conflict prevention demands. The Center for Preventive Action asked a targeted group of government ocials, academics, and experts to comment confidentially on a list of contingencies that could plausibly occur in 2012.
All Publications
The Seoul summit advances global efforts on securing nuclear materials in dozens of countries, but the challenge will be to sustain the focus on the universal elimination of weapons-usable material, writes CFR's Micah Zenko.
See more in North Korea, South Korea, Proliferation
Micah Zenko says it's time for the United States to think of new ways to combat terrorism in Southwest Asia.
See more in Afghanistan, Defense/Homeland Security, Wars and Warfare
Micah Zenko discusses whether Israel should accept a nuclear ban.
See more in Israel, Proliferation, Arms Control and Disarmament, Weapons of Mass Destruction
Micah Zenko explains the creation, use, and future of drones.
See more in United States, Defense/Homeland Security, Defense Technology
Last August, the Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney performed what has become a quadrennial rite of passage in American presidential politics: he delivered a speech to the annual convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
See more in National Security and Defense, Wars and Warfare
As the debate over intervention or arming the opposition grows amid continuing violence in Syria, four CFR experts offer their recommendations on how Washington should respond to the crisis.
See more in Syria, U.S. Strategy and Politics
Micah Zenko and Emma Welch argue that while the Republican presidential candidates overwhelmingly describe the prospect of an Iranian nuclear weapons capability as "unacceptable" and endorse the use of military force if that were necessary to prevent an Iranian bomb, there is a complete absence of any details on how the use of force could accomplish this ambitious objective.
See more in Iran, Proliferation, Weapons of Mass Destruction, U.S. Strategy and Politics, U.S. Election 2012
Micah Zenko says requests for humanitarian intervention by foreign governments and peoples happen all the time, and he examines why some requests are granted while others are ignored.
See more in Libya, Syria, UN, International Peace and Security, Humanitarian Intervention
Micah Zenko argues that Iran's recent downing of a Sentinel drone is neither surprising nor particularly revealing.
See more in United States, Iran, Intelligence
The eurozone and Saudi Arabia are elevated threats in 2012 under CFR's new Preventive Priorities Survey, while Afghanistan and Sudan are reduced. CFR's Micah Zenko discusses.
See more in United States, Defense Strategy, Conflict Prevention
Michah Zenko discusses preventive priorities the United States will face in 2012.
See more in United States, International Peace and Security, Conflict Assessment, Conflict Prevention
As countries around the world increasingly rely on space, orbital space debris poses a rapidly growing threat to civil, military, and commercial satellites. Micah Zenko argues for an international code to define interstate behavior and promote sustainable conduct in outer space.
See more in Space
Micah Zenko analyzes the unexpected invasion by Kenyan forces into Somalia to defeat the militant group, al-Shabaab.
See more in Kenya, Somalia, Terrorism, Terrorist Organizations
Micah Zenko argues that the ouster of Muammar al-Qaddafi will motivate other dictators to seek out nuclear weapons.
See more in Libya, UN, International Peace and Security, Weapons of Mass Destruction
Micah Zenko argues that overreaching Western eagerness to help Libya's rebels will now make it more difficult to line up meaningful outside support for Syria's opposition.
See more in Libya, Syria, NATO, International Peace and Security
Micah Zenko says orbital space debris is a growing threat to civil, military, and commercial satellites in space, and mitigating the threat it poses to these satellites and spacecraft will require enhanced international cooperation.
See more in Defense/Homeland Security, Space
In this globalized world, countries will need to cooperate on policies that extend across borders to address issues that affect them all, including conflct prevention and peacemaking. The authors of this report assess the strengths and weaknesses of international institutions and provide a set of practical recommendations for how the United States can strengthen the global architecture for preventive action by partnering with those organizations.
See more in United States, International Organizations, Conflict Prevention
Which policies have worked and which ones need work ten years after the worst terrorist attacks in U.S. history? CFR experts examine ten issues that have preoccupied U.S. planners.
See more in United States, 9/11
Drones have become a cost-effective default tactic for dealing with potential terrorist threats since 9/11, but this policy could lead to drone strikes by other countries as well as pushback from targeted states, says CFR's Micah Zenko.
See more in United States, 9/11, Counterterrorism
Micah Zenko says Western leaders can take lessons from the ouster of Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi and apply them to Syria.
See more in Libya, Syria, Political Movements, U.S. Strategy and Politics