U.S. Leadership Necessary to help Stabilize 'Fragile States' Fueling Global Disorder

Foreign Policy Veterans Make Recommendations for Next Administration and Congress

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Sep 12, 2016, 12:21 ET

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Leaders of three prominent foreign affairs institutions and former senior policymakers are recommending a new U.S. approach to the challenge of "fragile states".

From Left to Right: David Ignatius moderated expert panel on fragility: William J. Burns (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace), Michèle Flournoy (Center for a New American Security) and Nancy Lindborg (U.S. Institute of Peace)

The report, U.S. Leadership and the Challenge of State Fragility, is the product of a nine-month study led by William J. Burns of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Michèle Flournoy of the Center for a New American Security, and Nancy Lindborg of the U.S. Institute of Peace. The three institutions formed the independent, non-partisan Fragility Study Group advised by more than 20 former U.S. government officials, members of Congress, academics, and private sector leaders.

"We have no illusions about the difficulty of the problem or the limits of U.S. influence. The United States cannot – and should not – try to fix every fragile state," said Burns. "But with discipline about where and how to invest scarce resources and attention, proactive American leadership can make a meaningful difference."

The report outlines a strategic, systemic, selective, and sustained approach to fragile states. It also provides a series of recommendations that will enable greater coherence and alignment among executive branch agencies and between the executive and legislative branches; more effective international partnerships; and more effective tools to help fragile states strengthen state-society relationships.

"While no state or international body has cracked the fragility code, our policies can be effective if we carefully choose our priorities and emphasize early action," said Flournoy. "As our study lays out, Plan Colombia and more recent efforts in Burma are reminders of what's possible with sustained support."

"By focusing on fragility, we can get in front of these cycles of crisis," said Lindborg. "Building resilience in these fragile states lets us address problems earlier and at their roots, rather than finding ourselves constantly lurching from one full-blown crisis to another."

The Fragility Study Group is a joint project of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Center for a New American Security and U.S. Institute of Peace.

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SOURCE U.S. Institute of Peace