Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
For too long, the U.S. foreign policy community has approached the challenge of fragile or conflict-affected states as a parallel effort distinct from other aspects of the U.S. foreign policy agenda. It is time to bridge this divide.
A person is more likely to die violently if they live in a middle-income democracy with high levels of inequality and political polarization than if they live in a country at war. But while few people can do much to end war, regular voters can be the greatest force for change in rotten democracies.
Within two years of its formation in 2011, bad blood between South Sudan’s two most powerful leaders had flared into violence. On the six-year anniversary of hostilities breaking out, a revamped peace deal looks like the country’s best chance of restoring order.
Political violence can’t be predicted perfectly, but there’s a clear risk pattern. Violence is more likely where it has happened before, and the United States has the tinder for political violence.
Karen DeYoung will moderate a conversation with Carolyn Forché on her recent memoir and discuss how this history colors the present crisis in Central America.
Improving security sector governance requires looking beyond short term tactical success and investing in longer term improvements. Such reforms are necessary for fragile states to improve the effectiveness of their security forces and temper extremism.
Unless the United States redirects its approach in Syria, civilian stabilization programs will not achieve their stated objective: the “enduring defeat” of the Islamic State.
A discussion of the four key elements of U.S. negotiations with the Taliban, Afghanistan’s domestic politics, and the challenges to achieving a sustainable peace.
Addressing the forms of violence that plague the world today requires international actors to acknowledge that tackling state repression and organized crime necessitates looking beyond technical quick fixes. The private and social sectors also have an important role to play.
It is crucial that the United States and other arms exporting nations conduct additional due diligence and controls on any exports to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.