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.