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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.
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).
| Directors: | Barnett R. Rubin, New York University David A. Hamburg, Cornell University Medical College |
|---|
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.
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 |
August 1, 2002—May 1, 2003
| Director: | David L. Phillips, Executive Director, The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity |
|---|---|
| Chair: | Dennis C. Blair, Former Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Command |
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.
| Directors: | Barnett R. Rubin, New York University David A. Hamburg, Cornell University Medical College |
|---|
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.
August 1, 2001—December 9, 2002
| Chair: | Edward C. Meyer |
|---|---|
| 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.
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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