Countering Threats to Security and Stability in a Failing State: Lessons from Colombia

A discussion was held for the publication Countering Threats to Security and Stability in a Failing State.

Introduction by:
John J. Hamre
President and CEO of CSIS

Panel discussion with:
Peter DeShazo and Johanna Mendelson Forman

Moderator/commentator:
Anthony H. Cordesman,
CSIS Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy

For more than a decade the people of Colombia have been engaged in an effort to establish legitimate state authority in the face of illegal armed groups fueled by income from narcotics.  This report by the CSIS Americas Program examines Colombia’s progress in restoring security to much of the country and evaluates the effectiveness of U.S. assistance to Colombia.   The lessons learned from that experience have broader implications for Colombia’s future, for U.S. policy in Afghanistan, and for confronting challenges to security and stability in weak states in other areas of the world.