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Below you will find a chronological list of current Center research projects. You can search by issue or region by selecting the appropriate category. In addition to this sorting control, you can search for specific subjects within the alphabetical, regional, and issue categories by choosing from the selections in the drop-down menu below.
Each project page contains the name of the project director, a description of the project, a list of meetings it has held, and any related publications, transcripts, or videos.
October 1, 2002—Present
April 1, 2003—June 30, 2004
| Chairs: | Daniel William Christman John G. Heimann, Financial Stability Institute |
|---|---|
| Staff: | Julia E. Sweig, Nelson and David Rockefeller Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies and Director for Latin America Studies |
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.
December 1, 1994—January 1, 2000
| Director: | Barnett R. Rubin, New York University |
|---|---|
| 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.
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.
January 1, 1996—March 1, 1999
| Directors: | Barnett R. Rubin, New York University Peter M. Lewis |
|---|---|
| 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).
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)
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.
January 31, 2001—June 30, 2002
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.
August 1, 2003—September 1, 2004
April 1, 2003—Present
| Director: | Uffe Ellemann-Jensen |
|---|
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.
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 |
|---|---|
| Author: | Steven Pifer, Visiting Fellow, Brookings Institution |
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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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 |
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.
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 |
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 |
April 2006—February 2007
| Staff: | William L. Nash, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Military Affairs and Director of the Military Fellows Program |
|---|---|
| Director: | Julia E. Sweig, Nelson and David Rockefeller Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies and Director for Latin America Studies |
| Author: | Eduardo A. Gamarra |
November 2005—November 2006
| Staff: | William L. Nash, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Military Affairs and Director of the Military Fellows Program |
|---|---|
| Director: | Julia E. Sweig, Nelson and David Rockefeller Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies and Director for Latin America Studies |
| Author: | Richard Lapper |
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
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