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Can We Prevent The Next War?

Date: Friday, January 15, 2010 / Time: 4:30am - 6:00am 

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The enormous human and financial costs of current conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, and elsewhere have prompted renewed attention to our ability to prevent conflicts from becoming violent. USIP brought together leading thinkers on the concepts, tools and strategies for preventing wars instead of fighting them. 

The enormous human and financial costs of current violent conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, and elsewhere have prompted renewed attention to our ability to prevent conflicts from becoming violent. In his speech last month at West Point, President Obama stated, "America will have to show our strength in the way that we end wars and prevent conflict -- not just how we wage wars." Yet, our strategic thinking, institutions, and political culture have not been geared to meet these challenges -- particularly the unique challenge of conflict prevention. Recognizing this, the administration's Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review includes a dedicated group to study "targeting prevention."

USIP brought together leading thinkers on the concepts, tools and strategies for preventing wars instead of fighting them to address key questions: What do we know about how to prevent new conflicts from breaking out? How much progress have the United States and the international community made toward preventing new conflicts? How should policymakers divide limited resources and attention between managing current crises and trying to prevent future ones? How can the United States enhance its own capacity to engage in effective conflict prevention strategies? How feasible are recommendations for the U.S. government to invest more in prevention given serious fiscal and political constraints?

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