Council Launches Blue-Ribbon Commission to Craft Urgently Needed New Strategy for Colombia and the Andes
May 6, 2003 4:33 pm (EST)
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MAY 6, 2003 - The Center for Preventive Action, a Council on Foreign Relations conflict prevention initiative, has launched a new Commission to make concrete recommendations for mitigating deadly conflict and addressing the long-term challenges of the Andean region. "Andes 2020: A New Strategy for the Challenges of Colombia and the Region," will focus principally on economic development, democracy and the rule of law, and security.
“In a time of crisis around the world, we cannot forget that serious problems exist on our own doorstep. By focusing now on Colombia and the Andes, the Council’s Center for Preventive Action is doing the sort of thinking that should be done to prevent major regional problems from becoming international crises,” said Council President Leslie H. Gelb.
The crisis in Colombia is the most serious U.S. national security threat in the hemisphere. While the war there is becoming bloodier and more widespread every day, the spillover effects from the conflict exacerbate the existing instability in Venezuela and pose significant security threats to neighbors Ecuador and Peru and regional partner Bolivia. The Andean region’s populations now face a severe economic crisis and are increasingly disenchanted with democratic and market reforms.
The Commission is co-chaired by Lieutenant General Dan W. Christman, USA, (Ret.), president of the Kimsey Foundation, and the Honorable John G. Heimann, of the Financial Stability Institute. Julia E. Sweig, Council Senior Fellow and Deputy Director of Latin America Studies, directs the project.
The Center for Preventive Action develops and promotes strategies to pre-empt or mitigate deadly conflicts. CPA Commissions identify outside “stakeholders”—governments, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and the business community—in conflict situations and analyze their interests in order to fashion strategies with specific, tangible recommendations and associated incentives (“carrots and sticks”) which strengthen those who pursue the peaceful resolution of disputes while weakening those who espouse violence.
The Commission plans to issue its report by fall 2003.
Established in 1921, the Council on Foreign Relations is a nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank, dedicated to increasing America’s understanding of the world and contributing ideas to U.S. foreign policy. The Council accomplishes this mainly by promoting constructive debates and discussions, clarifying world issues, and publishing Foreign Affairs, the leading journal on global issues.
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