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| Advisory Board: | Richard K. Betts, Adjunct Senior Fellow for National Security Studies, Council on Foreign Relations |
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| Staff: | Carol Melton, Time Warner Inc. |
| Fellow: | Micah Zenko, Fellow for Conflict Prevention |
| Staff: | Elise Vaughan, Research Associate Rebecca Friedman, Research Associate Richard N. Haass, President, Council on Foreign Relations |
| Director: | Paul B. Stares, General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action |
| Advisory Board: | Peter Ackerman, Managing Director, Rockport Capital, Inc. Patrick M. Byrne, Overstock.com Aaron L. Friedberg, Princeton University Leslie H. Gelb, President Emeritus and Board Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations Sherri W. Goodman, CNA David A. Hamburg, Cornell University Medical College Matthew L. Hodes, Ascent Strategies LLC General George A. Joulwan, USA (Ret.), One Team, Inc. Marc E. Leland, Marc E. Leland & Associates, Inc. Robert S. Litwak, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Carol Melton, Time Warner Inc. Barnett R. Rubin, New York University Nancy E. Soderberg, University of North Florida Steven D. Winch, Ripplewood Holdings, LLC James D. Zirin, Sidley Austin, LLP |
January 1, 1994 - Present
Subprojects
December 1, 1994—January 1, 2000
| Director: | Barnett R. Rubin, New York University |
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| Chairs: | David A. Hamburg, Cornell University Medical College Richard C. Leone |
This annual event surveys the past year’s lessons in conflict prevention, promotes discussion and coordination among those involved, and introduces the idea of preventive action to key U.S. constituencies, represented in part by the Council membership. The keynote speaker for this year’s conference was George Soros. The day-long event addressed four topics: (1) assistance to civil society as a tool of conflict prevention; (2) curbing the proliferation and trafficking of small arms and light weapons; (3) the failure of early warning in Kosovo; and (4) financial crises and the escalation of conflict. The conference was held at the Council’s New York office on December 11, 1998.
January 1, 1996—March 1, 1999
| Directors: | Barnett R. Rubin, New York University Peter M. Lewis |
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| Chair: | Pearl T. Robinson |
Nigeria has recently undergone sudden changes in leadership and is now struggling to consolidate the gains from the return to elected government. Nonetheless, ethnic, religious, and regional tensions as well as economic malaise continue to contribute to the potential for conflict. Due to Nigeria’s dominant position in West Africa and its vast oil reserves, an eruption of conflict would have substantial regional and international repercussions.
CPA’s Project on Nigeria concentrates on the role of Nigerian civil society in preventing conflict and pressing for sustainable democratic reform. CPA sent a study mission to Nigeria in January 1997 to evaluate developments in civil society and identify opportunities for partnerships between organizations in the United States and Nigeria. Drawing on both the mission and subsequent meetings, the Nigeria project recently released the third volume of CPA’s Preventive Action Reports, Stabilizing Nigeria: Sanctions, Incentives, and Support for Civil Society (1998).
| Directors: | Barnett R. Rubin, New York University David A. Hamburg, Cornell University Medical College |
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As the name implies, Lessons Learned examines past conflict situations in an effort to understand why events occurred and how lessons from those experiences can be applied to current or future events.
January 31, 2001—June 30, 2002
August 1, 2001—December 9, 2002
| Chair: | Edward C. Meyer |
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| Staff: | The Honorable Morton I. Abramowitz, Senior Fellow, The Century Foundation William L. Nash, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Military Affairs and Director of the Military Fellows Program |
During the 1990s, nowhere was the virus of militant ethnic nationalism more deadly than in the Balkans. America and its allies ultimately played an indispensable role stopping atrocities and creating conditions for sustainable peace; now, after a decade of extensive involvement, the international community is looking to wind down its commitment in the region. The Center for Preventive Action, a conflict prevention initiative of the Council on Foreign Relations, formed this Independent Task Force to develop tangible and practical recommendations to put the Balkan states irreversibly on the path toward integration with Europe, and to allow the international community to reduce its presence in an orderly fashion by 2010. The key recommendations include: first, the European Union take the lead on the Balkans, but American leadership and partnership is still needed to ensure that U.S. interests—particularly in the areas of military reform and the combatting of organized politico-criminal syndicates that undermine regional and even global security—are safeguarded. Second, shift the priorities of international and local actors toward the standards of the European Union and NATO accession plans, and the use of conditionality—“carrots and sticks”—by the international community to achieve its priorities. Third, increase investment and trade in the Balkans through banking-sector reform, privatization of state- or publicly owned corporations, private-sector development, and legislative and judicial action on property rights. The Task Force included senior experts on the Balkans and U.S. foreign policy from a cross-section of think tanks, government, the military, international organizations, academia, and the business community.
August 1, 2002—May 1, 2003
| Director: | David L. Phillips, Executive Director, The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity |
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| Chair: | Dennis C. Blair, Former Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Command |
April 1, 2003—June 30, 2004
| Chairs: | Daniel William Christman John G. Heimann, Financial Stability Institute |
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| Staff: | Julia E. Sweig, Nelson and David Rockefeller Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies and Director for Latin America Studies |
December 1, 2003—February 1, 2004
| Director: | David L. Phillips, Executive Director, The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity |
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October 1, 2002—Present
August 1, 2003—September 1, 2004
April 1, 2003—Present
| Director: | Uffe Ellemann-Jensen |
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The Conflict Assessment Forum is an analytic tool for evaluating pre-conflict or conflict conditions and highlighting countries or regions to be targeted by CPA’s preventive action commissions.
July 2004—July 2005
| Staff: | William L. Nash, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Military Affairs and Director of the Military Fellows Program |
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| Director: | Mona K. Sutphen, Foreign Service Officer, National Security Council 1991 to 2000 |
May 2004—April 2005
| Director: | David L. Phillips, Executive Director, The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity |
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June 2004—June 2005
| Staff: | William L. Nash, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Military Affairs and Director of the Military Fellows Program |
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June 2005—Present
| Staff: | William L. Nash, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Military Affairs and Director of the Military Fellows Program |
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| Chairs: | Vincent A. Mai, AEA Investors LLC Frank G. Wisner, External Affairs, AIG Inc. |
July 2005—March 2006
| Staff: | William L. Nash, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Military Affairs and Director of the Military Fellows Program |
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| Author: | Barnett R. Rubin |
November 2005—November 2006
| Staff: | William L. Nash, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Military Affairs and Director of the Military Fellows Program |
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| Director: | Julia E. Sweig, Nelson and David Rockefeller Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies and Director for Latin America Studies |
| Author: | Richard Lapper |
November 2005—March 2006
| Staff: | William L. Nash, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Military Affairs and Director of the Military Fellows Program |
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| Author: | Blair A. King |
April 2006—February 2007
| Staff: | William L. Nash, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Military Affairs and Director of the Military Fellows Program |
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| Director: | Julia E. Sweig, Nelson and David Rockefeller Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies and Director for Latin America Studies |
| Author: | Eduardo A. Gamarra |
April 2006—December 2006
| Staff: | William L. Nash, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Military Affairs and Director of the Military Fellows Program |
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| Author: | Terrence Lyons, Associate Professor of Conflict Resolution at the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University |
November 2006—April 2007
| Staff: | William L. Nash, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Military Affairs and Director of the Military Fellows Program |
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| Author: | Robert I. Rotberg |
May 2007—October 2007
| Staff: | William L. Nash, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Military Affairs and Director of the Military Fellows Program |
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| Director: | Paul B. Stares, General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action |
| Author: | Michelle D. Gavin, Adjunct Fellow for Africa |
This forthcoming report will survey the current situation in Zimbabwe, identifying current structural and legal impediments to economic and political recovery. It will argue that the time to develop post-Mugabe plans is now, and will then develop policy prescriptions for encouraging a transition, containing turmoil in the midst of change, and establishing structures that will contribute to long-term growth and stability in southern Africa.
November 2007—Present
| Director: | Paul B. Stares, General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action |
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The meeting series focuses attention on situations that are increasingly discernible as "flashpoints" for violent conflict. At each on the record meeting, experts from government, private sector, and nongovernmental communities present different perspectives on and address discrete elements of the problem. The goal of the "Flashpoints" series is to raise public awareness of potentially explosive places and to offer practical recommendations for preventive action in the discussed state or region.
November 2007—Present
| Director: | Paul B. Stares, General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action |
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This series consists of quarterly events sponsored by the Center for Preventive Action, convenes experts from government, private sector, nongovernmental, and civil society to analyze weak or fragile regions and states at risk of conflict in the next two to five years and to devise approaches to work with practitioners to build early policy responses to address those situations.
December 10, 2007—Special One-Day Symposium
| Director: | Paul B. Stares, General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action |
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Timed with the tenth anniversary of the release of the final report of the widely regarded Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict, the symposium, titled "The Future of Conflict Prevention," assessed what we -- the United States, UN, and international community -- have and have not accomplished in terms of conflict prevention (theory and practice) over the last decade, and looked forward to new challenges and requirements for successful preventive action.
June 18, 2008—Washington, DC
| Director: | Paul B. Stares, General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action |
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On June 18, 2008, the Center for Preventive Action convened an expert workshop in Washington, DC, to take stock of the existing research and practical experience relating to the challenges of preventing conflict in weak and failing states. The event was made possible by the generosity of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
December 9, 2008—New York, NY
| Director: | Paul B. Stares, General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action |
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This symposium was made possible by the generosity of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Symposium Summary Report (PDF, 84K)
March 2009—Present
| Director: | Paul B. Stares, General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action |
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This monthly meeting series seeks to organize focused discussions on plausible short to medium term contingencies that could seriously threaten U.S. interests. Contingency meeting topics will range from specific states or regions of concern to more thematic issues and will draw on the expertise of government and nongovernment experts. The goal of the meeting series is not only to raise awareness of U.S. government officials and the expert community to potential crises but also to generate practical policy options to lessen the likelihood of the contingency and to reduce the negative consequences should it occur. A summary memo of the resulting recommendations will be distributed to participants and important policymakers.
October 2008—January 2009
| Director: | Paul B. Stares, General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action |
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| Author: | Steven Pifer, Visiting Fellow, Brookings Institution |
April 2009—Present
| Fellow: | Micah Zenko, Fellow for Conflict Prevention |
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The UN Roundtable meeting series seeks to organize high-level discussions with senior UN officials, including officials from member states and regional organizations, on timely issues related to conflict prevention, peacekeeping, and international security. A core group of selected invitees from member state governments, the private sector, and nongovernmental communities will participate in these discussions. The goal of these not-for-attribution meetings is to raise awareness of the role of the UN in addressing critical issues of peace and security. The UN Roundtable meeting series is cosponsored by the Center for Preventive Action and the Program on International Institutions and Global Governance.
April 2009—April 1, 2009
| Director: | Paul B. Stares, General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action |
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| Author: | Bronwyn E. Bruton, 2008-2009 International Affairs Fellow in Residence |
June 2009—Present
| Author: | Paul B. Stares, General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action Micah Zenko, Fellow for Conflict Prevention |
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Publications
October 30, 2009
Micah Zenko writes that although many are growing impatient waiting for President Obama to launch an Afghanistan strategy, it is prudent to let the deliberations play out so that he can get the strategy right.
October 16, 2009
Kim Jong Il is still in comlpete control of North Korea, writes Paul Stares, making U.S. goals in that state harder to achieve than ever.
October 2009
Council Special Report No. 48
The United States can ill afford the burden of additional foreign policy challenges, making it imperative that the U.S. government find ways to identify, delay, and avert international crises that could harm U.S. interests or even lead to military engagement. In this report, the authors provide an actionable road map for how the U.S. government should revamp its existing U.S. prevention architecture to make it more effective in dealing with potential crises abroad.
August 30, 2009
Micah Zenko makes the case, "Unless Tehran responds by late September to international proposals on its nuclear program, history strongly suggests the Israelis will act alone."
August 2009
Micah Zenko discusses President Bush's deferred attack on Khurmal, Iraq, before the 2003 war.
August 2009
Egypt is now entering a period of political transition with the expectation that President Hosni Mubarak's almost twenty-eight-year tenure will shortly come to an end. This Center for Preventive Action Contingency Planning Memorandum assesses the possibility of a troubled leadership succession or an Islamist push for political power, the implications for the United States, and policy steps the U.S. government might take depending on what it determines as its broader policy objectives in Egypt.
June 30, 2009
Micah Zenko argues, "The U.S. military wants to minimize civilian deaths from airstrikes in Afghanistan, but conditions on the ground won't let it.'
July 2009
This Center for Preventive Action Contingency Planning Memorandum examines how crisis scenarios between Ukraine and Russia could unfold, the implications for the United States, and the steps the U.S. government might take both to reduce the prospects of a crisis and manage it should it occur.
May 15, 2009
Micah Zenko argues that the adjustment of Predator operations in Pakistan is a "creative and unprecedented arrangement" that will benefit the battle against al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
May 2009
Iraq is currently in the early stages of a negotiated end to an intense ethnosectarian war. As such, there are several contingencies in which recent, mostly positive trends in Iraq could be reversed, threatening U.S. national interests. This Center for Preventive Action Contingency Planning Memorandum by Stephen Biddle assesses four interrelated scenarios in Iraq that could derail the prospects for peace and stability in the short to medium term and posits concrete policy options to limit U.S. vulnerability to the possibility of such reversals.
May 4, 2009
Micah Zenko discusses several considerations the United States should make before using unmanned aerial drones in Pakistan.
April 23, 2009
Micah Zenko argues that given the ineffectiveness of recent U.S. operations in Somalia, airstrikes against Somali pirates would be militarily and politically unsuccessful.
April 2009
The scale of financing needed to support the U.S. fiscal deficit—together with the Federal Reserve’s policy of keeping U.S. interest rates low to ward off deflation—has revived concerns about a sudden and sharp depreciation of the U.S. dollar. This Center for Preventive Action Contingency Planning Memorandum by Brad W. Setser examines potential triggers and indicators of such a crisis and posits concrete policy options to limit U.S. vulnerability to the possibility of a plummeting dollar.
April 1, 2009
Micah Zenko argues that the agreement between the United States and Russia to negotiate an arms control treaty within three months will be a historic first step toward nuclear disarmament.
March 19, 2009
Micah Zenko argues that increased Predator drone strikes in Pakistan would be counterproductive to antiterrorism efforts in the region.
March 12, 2009
Micah Zenko argues that instituting a no-fly zone over Darfur is not the appropriate response to the ongoing genocide in Sudan.
March 6, 2009
Paul B. Stares and Alexander Noyes argue that "A conditional suspension of the ICC's warrant for Bashir is the best way to prevent a collapse of the CPA, protect those still in need, and force Khartoum to act toward ending the conflict in Darfur."
February 3, 2009
Paul Stares argues in the Los Angeles Times that "Kim Jong Il's uncertain health and longevity make it vital for the U.S. to plan ahead with its Asian allies and China."
January 2009
Council Special Report No. 42
North Korea has long been a serious concern to Washington. Now, with President Kim Jong-Il reportedly in bad health and possibly naming a successor, the United States must consider possible outcomes should the situation deteriorate and the current North Korean government collapse. This report examines the challenges that these scenarios would pose—ranging from securing Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal to providing humanitarian assistance—in the context of the interests of the United States and others in its valuable recommendations.
January 2009
Council Special Report No. 41
This report comprehensively analyzes Ukraine's difficulties, related to both domestic conditions and foreign policy, and recommends ways for the United States to encourage Ukraine on a path of stability and integration with the West.
October 2008
This Center for Preventive Action Working Paper surveys existing approaches to assessing state fragility and failure within the context of development, conflict, and governance. It examines the risk factors that have been identified through systematic inquiry and research with the goal of improving the prospects for successful conflict prevention and management, and argues that the goal of "early warning" relating to state fragility and failure should be more to inform and temper our expectations for policy response than to trigger costly and risky interventions.
October 2008
Council Special Report No. 40
This report lays out a thoughtful agenda for U.S. policy toward the Democratic Republic of Congo, arguing that what happens there should matter to the United States—for humanitarian reasons as well as economic and strategic ones.
July/August 2008
Council Special Report No. 36
This report outlines the nature of the challenges in Pakistan's tribal areas, formulates strategies for addressing those challenges, and distills the strategies into realistic policy proposals worthy of consideration by the incoming administration.
June 2008
Council Special Report No. 33
In this Council Special Report, Mona Yacoubian and Scott Lasensky make a strong case that the Bush administration’s policy of diplomatic isolation of Syria is not serving U.S. interests, and offer informed history and thoughtful analysis of the country and its external behavior. This report is also available in Italian.
May 13, 2008
In response to the devastating typhoon that has ravaged Burma, Ivo Daalder and Paul Stares argue that the UN must invoke its “responsibility to protect” clause and intervene.
December 5, 2007
Richard C. Holbrooke, the architect of the Dayton Accords that ended the Bosnia war, says Russia’s uncooperative attitude in Kosovo combined with western inaction could spark renewed conflict.
October 2007
Council Special Report No. 31
Since 2000, President Robert Mugabe’s refusal to tolerate challenges to his power has led him to systematically dismantle the workings of Zimbabwe’s economic and political systems, replacing them with structures of corruption, intimidation, and repression. Michelle D. Gavin surveys the current situation in Zimbabwe, identifying current structural and legal impediments to economic and political recovery.
May 2007
This report argues that Angola deserves priority attention in the formulation of U.S. foreign, national security, and economic policies, particularly in the design of policy toward Africa. This report is also available in Portuguese.
April 2007
Council Special Report No. 27
This report describes what steps might be taken by Nigerians and the international community to avoid a breakdown of democracy, and possibly stability, in the wake of Nigeria’s April 2007 electoral contest and to tackle Nigeria’s fundamental challenges of governance, security, and development in the longer term.
February 2007
Council Special Report No. 24
This report encourages the U.S. government to redirect its policy toward Bolivia from “wait and see” to one with an emphasis on conflict prevention and preserving the democratic process in order to address the nation’s many challenges. This report is also available in Spanish.
December 2006
Council Special Report No. 21
This report presents a full picture of what is going on in the Horn of Africa and suggests what the United States needs to do to address the multiple challenges to stability.
March 2006
Council Special Report No. 14
This report urges the Indonesia Government to follow through with its commitments to achieve a comprehensive solution to the conflict in Papua by engaging with legitimate representatives of Papuan society, fully implementing special autonomy, improving local governance, and reforming security arrangements.
March 2006
Council Special Report No. 12
This Council Special Report argues that Afghanistan is still far from stability and that the United States should take the lead in ensuring full funding and implementation of the Afghanistan Compact, and develop a coherent strategy toward the Afghanistan-Pakistan relationship. This report is also available in Spanish.
September 2005
Task Force Report No. 55
This Council-sponsored, independent Task Force points out that nation-building is not just a humanitarian concern, but a critical national security priority that should be on par with war-fighting and urges the United States to equalize the importance of the two. The report argues that the United States must acknowledge that “war-fighting has two important dimensions: winning the war and winning the peace.”
June 2005
Council Special Report No. 8
This report identifies the principal steps that the United States can take to secure the investment it has made in the western Balkans and facilitate the region’s progress toward its rightful destiny within the EU. In doing so, Forgotten Intervention? lays out a straightforward and doable strategy for the United States that will pay dividends.
April 2005
Council Special Report No. 6
This report identifies the principle issues to be addressed in Iraq’s constitution. It recommends power-sharing arrangements between Iraq’s national government and federal Iraqi state governments. It proposes a role for the United States and the United Nations to play in this process, and suggests ways the Iraqi government can encourage cooperation with Iraq’s neighbors.
May 2004
Council Special Report No. 2
As a victim of terrorism and the strongest supporter of U.S. counterterrorism policy among the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Philippines already plays a vital role in preserving American security. With anti-Americanism on the rise in South Korea and Japan, the United States may need to depend more on the Philippines to fulfill its objectives in Asia. This report assesses the political, economic, and strategic situation in the Philippines following the 2004 elections and recommends steps that the United States and the Philippines should take to strengthen their economic and military ties.
January 2004
Council Special Report No. 1
Georgia is strategically important to the United States in the war on terror and an indispensable transit point for energy supplies between Asia and Europe. Though the country’s November 2003 “revolution of roses” is the most positive event to have occurred in the countries of the former Soviet Union in more than a decade, Georgia is entering an unstable period of transition as its new government tries to promote national coherence among the country’s ethnic groups and takes steps to dismantle the corrupt power structure that thrived under former president Eduard Shevardnadze. This timely report, written by an expert on conflict prevention in the Caucasus, recommends steps the United States and the international community can to take to bolster President Mikhail Saakashvili as well as moves his government should make in the short and long term.
January 2004
The United States spends approximately $700 million per year in the Andean region, but this Commission report concludes that current U.S. policy—focused narrowly on “drugs and thugs” in the Andes—cannot achieve U.S. regional goals of democracy, prosperity, and security. Andes 2020 offers bold new recommendations to recalibrate U.S. policy to better meet its objectives.
May 7, 2003
Papua, a remote and impoverished yet resource-rich Indonesian province, is at risk of a descent into conflict that would likely destabilize the entire country. According to this report from commission Indonesia and Southeast Asia experts, Indonesia’s central government can avoid conflict in Papua by giving it greater self-governance and a stake in the development of its vast natural wealth.
December 2002
Despite years of involvement by the United States and its allies, the Balkans region is suffering from economic stagnation and high unemployment; hundreds of thousands of refugees still await resettlement; prominent war criminals remain at large; and political and legal reform is impeded by endemic corruption, organized crime, and in some cases, a lack of political will. Yet after a decade of extensive involvement and peacemaking in the Balkans, the United States and its allies are winding down their commitment to the region. At this critical juncture, warns this independent Task Force report, if the problems besieging the Balkan states are left unresolved, they will lead to serious social and economic instability for southeastern Europe.
January 2001
This Center for Preventive Action report emerged from a workshop that gathered scholars and practitioners to examine the issue of early warning and conflict prevention.
December 1999
This report assesses the potential for conflict in Central Asia through the prism of one of its most volatile areas, the Ferghana Valley.
January 1998
To investigate Nigeria and consider various strategies to meet iproblems the country is currently facing, the Council on Foreign Relations’ Center for Preventive Action (CPA) established a working group on Nigeria.
June 1998
This conference volume is the second book in CPA's series of Preventive Action Reports. It uses CPA's case studies to examine the effectiveness of the tools of preventive action, and draws on comparative studies to guide the analysis of the case studies.
June 1995
This report, the first in a series on conflict prevention by the Center for Preventive Action (CPA) at the Council on Foreign Relations, presents recommendations to avert the spread of the ex-Yugoslav conflict into the South Balkans and to create a more enduring framework for peace and security in the region.
Meetings
Center for Preventive Action "Flashpoints" Roundtable Series: Dealing with Pakistan and its Unstable Western Border
Related Projects: Center for Preventive Action "Flashpoints" Roundtable Series, Center for Preventive Action
| Speakers: | Donald A. Camp, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South-Central Asia, U.S. Department of State |
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| Daniel Markey, Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia, Council on Foreign Relations | |
| J. Alexander Thier, Senior Rule of Law Adviser & Director, U.S. Institute of Peace | |
| Presider: | Paul B. Stares, General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action, Council on Foreign Relations |
Learning from the Kenya Mediation Process
Related Project: Center for Preventive Action
| Speakers: | Meredith Preston McGhie, Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue |
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| James C. Swan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, U.S. Department of State | |
| Paul B. Stares, General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action, Council on Foreign Relations |
Managing Global Insecurity - International Cooperation on Civil Violence and Regional Conflict
Related Projects: Center for Preventive Action, Center for Preventive Action
| Presider: | Paul B. Stares, General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action, Council on Foreign Relations |
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| Speakers: | Bruce Jones, Senior Fellow and Co-Director, Center for International Cooperation, New York University |
| Carlos B. Pascual, Vice President and Director, Foreign Policy Studies, The Brookings Insitution | |
| Stephen J. Stedman, Professor and Senior Fellow, Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University |
Conflict Prevention at the United Nations - A Conversation with B. Lynn Pascoe
Related Project: Center for Preventive Action
| Presider: | Paul B. Stares, General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action, Council on Foreign Relations |
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| Speaker: | The Honorable B. Lynn Pascoe, Under Secretary General for Political Affairs, United Nations |
Africa Policy Studies Roundtable: Angola's Democratic Challenge-Preparations for Parliamentary Elections
Related Projects: Africa Policy Studies Roundtable, Center for Preventive Action
| Presider: | Jamie Ekern, Assistant Director, Center for Preventive Action, Council on Foreign Relations |
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| Speakers: | Her Excellency Josefina Pitra Diakite, Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary, Embassy of the Republic of Angola |
| Alcides Sakala Simões, Member of Parliament and President of UNITA Parliamentary Group, National Assembly of the Republic of Angola |
The Race for Resources: Conflict in the 21st Century
Related Project: Center for Preventive Action
| Speakers: | Leon S. Fuerth, Shapiro Professor of International Affairs, The Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University |
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| Paul J. Kern, Senior Counselor, The Cohen Group | |
| David G. Victor, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Science and Technology, Council on Foreign Relations, Director, Program on Energy and Sustainable Development, Stanford University | |
| Presider: | Paul B. Stares, Gen. John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention; Director, Center for Preventive Action, Council on Foreign Relations |
Concerns are increasing about the consequences of global climate change, rising consumption rates, and population growth on the availability of natural resources, including water, land, forests, oil, gas, and a variety of minerals. In the face of scarcity, are we likely to see a rise in violent conflict over valuable resources? Or is the probability of 'resource wars' much less than feared? Join our speakers to discuss these issues at a meeting cosponsored with the Council’s Center for Preventive Action.
Transcript: The Race for Resources: Conflict in the 21st Century [Rush Transcript; Federal News Service]
Potential Conflict Roundtable Series: The Future of Bangladesh
Related Projects: Potential Conflict Roundtable Series, Center for Preventive Action
| Presider: | Paul B. Stares, General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action, Council on Foreign Relations |
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| Speaker: | Sumit Ganguly, Professor of Political Science, Indiana University |
Center for Preventive Action "Flashpoints" Roundtable Series: Independence for Kosovo? Managing the Consequences
Related Projects: Center for Preventive Action "Flashpoints" Roundtable Series, Pieter A. Fisher European Studies Roundtable, Center for Preventive Action
| Presider: | Paul B. Stares, General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action, Council on Foreign Relations |
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| Speakers: | Janusz Bugajski, Director, CSIS Eastern Europe Project, Center for Strategic and International Studies |
| Charles A. Kupchan, Senior Fellow forf Europe Studies, Council on Foreign Relations | |
| Daniel P. Serwer, Director, Peace Operations, U.S. Institute of Peace | |
| Dimitri K. Simes, President, The Nixon Center |
A joint meeting of the Center for Preventive Action and European Studies Program
Potential Conflict Roundtable Series: Consolidating the Peace in DRC - The Challenge of Eastern Congo
Related Projects: Potential Conflict Roundtable Series, Center for Preventive Action
| Presider: | Paul B. Stares, General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action, Council on Foreign Relations |
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| Speakers: | Severine Autesserre, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Barnard College |
| Thomas Turner, Country Specialist, Democratic Republic of Congo, Amnesty International USA (DC) |
In the Wake of War: Improving U.S. Post-Conflict Capabilities
Related Project: Center for Preventive Action
| Speakers: | William L. Nash, General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action; Project Director, Council-sponsored Independent Task Force on “In the Wake of War: Improving U.S. Post-Conflict Capabilities”, Council on Foreign Relations |
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| Dan Caldwell, Distinguished Professor of Political Science, Pepperdine University |
12:00-1:45 p.m. Lunch
6:00-8:15 p.m. Dinner
This session is part of the “Iraq: The Way Forward” series.
Post-Conflict Capabilities
Related Project: Center for Preventive Action
| Speakers: | William L. Nash |
|---|---|
| Irina A. Faskianos |
U.S. Post-Conflict Capabilities
Related Projects: Center for Preventive Action, Center for Preventive Action
| Panelist: | Peter D. Bell, President and CEO, CARE USA; Member, Task Force on U.S. Post-Conflict Capabilities |
|---|---|
| Speaker: | William L. Nash, General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director, Center for Preventive Action, Council on Foreign Relations |
Post-conflict Reconstruction
Related Project: Center for Preventive Action
| Panelist: | James D. Bindenagel, Vice President for Programs, Chicago Council on Foreign Relations |
|---|---|
| Speaker: | William L. Nash, John W. Vessey Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Preventive Action, Council on Foreign Relations |
Security and Reconstruction in Iraq: First-Hand Reflections
Related Project: Center for Preventive Action
| Panelist: | Monica D. Toft, Assistant Professor, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University |
|---|---|
| Speaker: | William L. Nash, John W. Vessey Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Preventive Action, Council on Foreign Relations |
Rebuilding Iraq
Related Project: Center for Preventive Action
| Panelist: | Michael P. Peters, Executive Vice President, Council on Foreign Relations |
|---|---|
| Speaker: | William L. Nash, John W. Vessey Fellow and Director of the Center for Preventive Action, Council on Foreign Relations |
Balkans 2010 (San Francisco)
Related Project: Center for Preventive Action
| Panelist: | Jock P. Covey, Principal Vice President of External Affairs, Bechtel Corporation |
|---|---|
| Speaker: | William L. Nash |
Balkans 2010 (Los Angeles)
Related Project: Center for Preventive Action
| Panelist: | Jane Olson, Co-Founder and Chair, Human Rights Watch-California; Board Chair, Landmine Survivors Network |
|---|---|
| Speaker: | William L. Nash |
Prospects for Democratization in Serbia
Related Project: Center for Preventive Action
| Presider: | Wendy W. Luers |
|---|---|
| Speaker: | Vesna Panic, Civic Alliance of Serbia |
Working Group on the South Balkans
Related Project: Center for Preventive Action
| Presider: | Seymour Topping |
|---|
South Balkans Working Group
Related Project: Center for Preventive Action
| Presider: | Barnett R. Rubin |
|---|---|
| Speaker: | Ljubomir Frckoski, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Macedonia |
Update from Macedonia
Related Project: Center for Preventive Action
| Presider: | Barnett R. Rubin |
|---|---|
| Speaker: | Ljubomir Frckoski, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Macedonia |
International Commission on the Balkans
Related Project: Center for Preventive Action
| Presider: | Seymour Topping |
|---|---|
| Speakers: | Dana Allin, Aspen Institute Berlin |
| Bronislaw Geremek, Parliament of the Republic of Poland | |
| John Roper, Chatham House | |
| Simone Veil, Former Minister of State, France | |
| Jacques Rupnik, National Foundation for Political Science | |
| Leo Tindemans, European Parliament |
Preventing Conflict in the South Balkans (Press Conference)
Related Project: Center for Preventive Action
| Presider: | Seymour Topping |
|---|---|
| Speakers: | Steven L. Burg, Brandeis University |
| Janie Leatherman, Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies | |
| David L. Phillips, European Centre for Common Ground/Peace Research Center, Oslo |
News Releases
June 25, 2008
November 8, 2007
May 7, 2007
“Few African countries are more important to U.S. interests than Angola. The second-largest oil producer in Africa, Angola’s success or failure in transitioning from nearly thirty years of war toward peace and democracy has implications for the stability of the U.S. oil supply as well as the stability of central and southern Africa,” finds a Council-sponsored Independent Commission in a report produced by the Center for Preventive Action, Toward an Angola Strategy: Prioritizing U.S.-Angola Relations.
April 4, 2007
“For policymakers everywhere, Nigeria should be the central African question. No country’s fate is so decisive for the continent. No other country across a range of issues has the power so thoroughly to shape outcomes elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa. If Nigeria works well, so might Africa. If the democratic experiment in Nigeria stalls, and development and governance stagnate, the rest of Africa suffers and loses hope,” concludes a new Council Special Report.
February 20, 2007
“Washington’s reaction to [Evo] Morales’ election, policies, and rhetoric has been to ‘wait and see,’” says a new Council Special Report. “Yet after nearly nine months in office, the Morales administration’s policy agenda has taken shape and, unfortunately, has exacerbated political, ethnic, and racial schisms in Bolivian society.”
December 14, 2006
Conflict in the Horn of Africa is escalating rapidly as power struggles within Somalia are exacerbated by military support that both Ethiopia and Eritrea give to the opposing parties there. Ethiopia backs the weak interim government; Eritrea sponsors the Islamic militants fighting to overthrow it. Because the United States has accused Somalia of harboring al-Qaeda suspects, “the Ethiopian-Eritrean proxy conflict increases the opportunities for terrorist infiltration of the Horn and East Africa and for ignition of a larger regional conflict,” warns a new Council Special Report.
November 27, 2006
“Chávez’s bark...is far worse than his bite,” says a new Council Special Report, which urges U.S. officials to “look beyond his blustery rhetoric…as long as Chávez does not take steps that fundamentally threaten essential U.S. interests in Latin America.” With polls showing Chávez strongly in the lead in the upcoming December 3 Venezuelan presidential election, the United States needs to prepare for another six-year term with the controversial leader.
April 19, 2006
Recent deadly clashes between Papuans and Indonesian police, protests against an American copper and gold mining company, and Australia’s controversial granting of asylum to a group of Papuan refugees have brought the issue of autonomy for the remote province of Papua to international attention.
April 10, 2006
Stabilization and reconstruction operations in Afghanistan have been overshadowed by developments in Iraq since the 2003 invasion, says the report, Afghanistan’s Uncertain Transition From Turmoil to Normalcy , by Afghanistan expert and New York University Professor Barnett R. Rubin.
July 27, 2005
June 30, 2005
May 11, 2004
May 6, 2003
This CSR, authored by Steven Pifer and sponsored by the Center for Preventive Action, comprehensively analyzes Ukraine's difficulties, related to both domestic conditions and foreign policy, and recommends ways for the United States to encourage Ukraine on a path of stability and integration with the West.
This report, coauthored by Paul Stares and Joel Wit and sponsored by the Center for Preventive Action, examines the possible outcomes the United States must consider should the situation in North Korea deteriorate and the current North Korean government collapse.
For more information on the CPA, contact:
Paul Stares
General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention
and Director, Center for Preventive Action
+1.202.509.8461
pstares@cfr.org
Micah Zenko
Fellow for Conflict Prevention
+1.212.434.9845
mzenko@cfr.org
Elise Vaughan
Research Associate
+1.202.509.8463
evaughan@cfr.org
Stephen Wittels
Research Associate
+1.202.509.8524
swittels@cfr.org
Rebecca Friedman
Research Associate
+1.212.434.9744
rfriedman@cfr.org
Explore the international finance regime with a new interactive from CFR's program on International Institutions and Global Governance.
Identifying international threats and acting on them may be the most difficult job for U.S. policymakers. This report
provides an actionable road map for managing international threats before they erupt into crises and makes a strong case that preventive action is not a luxury but a necessity.
For more than a decade, the United States has mostly watched from the sidelines as Asian countries organize themselves into an alphabet soup of new multilateral groups. In this report, the authors review the relationship between pan-Asian and trans-Pacific institutions and suggest policy guidelines for a new U.S. approach to this new Asian landscape.
Complete list of Council Special Reports
Start-Up Nation addresses the trillion-dollar question: How is it that Israel—a country of 7.1 million, only sixty years old, surrounded by enemies— produces more start-up companies than large, peaceful, and stable nations like Japan, China, India, Korea, Canada, and the UK? With the insights of geopolitical experts and investors, the authors examine this nation’s adversity-driven culture to answer this question and offer prescriptions for a global economy on the rebound.
In Forces of Fortune, Vali Nasr presents a paradigm-changing revelation that will transform the understanding of the Muslim world at large. He reveals that there is a vital but unseen rising force in the Islamic world—a new business-minded middle class—that is building a vibrant new Muslim world economy and that holds the key to winning the cold war against Iran and extremists.
In Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know, Julia E. Sweig presents a remarkably accessible portrait of Cuba's unique place on the world stage over the past fifty years, including its internal politics, its often fraught relationship with the United States, and its shifting relationship with the global community.
Complete list of CFR Books
For more information on the David Rockefeller Studies Program, contact:
James M. Lindsay
Senior Vice President, Director of Studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg Chair
+1.212.434.9626 (NY); +1.202.509.8405 (DC)
jlindsay@cfr.org
Janine Hill
Deputy Director of Studies Administration
+1.212.434.9753
jhill@cfr.org
Copyright 2009 by the Council on Foreign Relations. All Rights Reserved.