Sponsored by the Center for Global Development
Stuart E. Eizenstat, Co-Chair; Congressman John Edward Porter, Co-Chair; Jeremy Weinstein, Project Director
On June 8, 2004, the Commission on Weak States and US National Security released its report, On the Brink: Weak States and US National Security. On the Brink is the culmination of nine months of work by a bi-partisan panel of thirty former government officials, senior business leaders, academics, and NGO representatives, with wide-ranging expertise on the issues at the intersection of development and security. On the Brink recognizes that weak and failed states matter to US national security, American values and the prospects for global economic growth; and that a successful response to addressing the challenges of weak states combines security and development policies. Weak states are the "sleeping giant" threat to national security, receiving extremely limited attention within the highest levels of government. On the Brink outlines a framework for action – one that seeks to mobilize key actors and instruments in US foreign policy to the task of meeting the threat.
Read Commentary by Commissioners Eizenstat and Porter in the Christian Science Monitor
Full Transcript of "On the Brink: Weak States and US National Security" Launch event
Senate Dirksen Office Building, Washington, DC (PDF)
Sen. Joseph Biden's Opening Remarks at "On the Brink: Weak States and US National Security" Launch (PDF)
What others are saying about On the Brink
"On the Brink is an important contribution to understanding the serious threats we face from weak and failed states, its concrete and insightful recommendations could serve as a blueprint for future administrations."
-Samuel R. Berger , former US national security advisor and Chairman, Stonebridge International LLC
"In the wake of America's recent experiences in reconstructing Afghanistan and Iraq, it should be abundantly clear that state weakness and failure is the single most critical threat to US national security, and that the US government is poorly organized to meet this challenge.The Commission's new report cogently lays out the scope of the problem, and then makes very specific recommendations for policy reform, including the creation of a single, cabinet-level department to coordinate the various facets of reconstruction and development.This is an ambitious and important agenda that needs to be put at the center of US foreign policy by the next administration if we are to cope with the challenges of the post-September 11 world."
-Francis Fukuyama , Bernard L. Schwartz Professor of International Political Economy, The PaulH.NitzeSchoolof Advanced International Studies, JohnsHopkinsUniversity
"Weak and failing states are as much a strategic problem as they are a moral and humanitarian concern. This report makes an important contribution to our understanding of this critical foreign policy challenge - and puts forward some thoughtful and provocative ideas for what the United States should do."
-Richard N. Haass , President, Council on Foreign Relations