When can a donor leave a post-conflict state confident that the country will not relapse into violence? The answer, according to this new working paper by non-resident fellow Satish Chand and his co-author: not for a very long time. In the cases of Liberia, Mozambique, the Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste, considered here, the authors argue, the best-case scenario for successful exit ranges from 15 to 27 years. An extended donor presence, says Chand, is necessary for the creation, sustenance, and maturation of institutions that will hold the state together when donors leave.

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Last week President Bush went to Africa to highlight U.S. efforts in the region. One of the pillars of his development program has been support to faith-based organizations, which has been subject to controversy and criticism. Recently CGD publications associate Lindsay Morgan traveled to Zambia to see what role faith-based organizations play in development there. Among her observations: the term faith-based organization (or FBO) is too narrow; the scale and scope of the work of FBOs is enormous and needs to be better understood by policymakers; and the role of FBOs is more controversial in Washington than it is on the ground in Zambia.

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