Center for Preventive Action

Center for Preventive Action. The Center for Preventive Action (CPA) is a dedicated program within the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) focused on developing concrete strategies to prevent, defuse, or resolve violent conflicts around the world. Established in the post-Cold War era, it aims to move U.S. and international policy from reactive crisis management to proactive conflict prevention. The center conducts in-depth research, convenes expert task forces, and publishes influential reports to provide actionable policy prescriptions for decision-makers in Washington, D.C. and global capitals.

History and establishment

The Center for Preventive Action was founded in 1994 under the leadership of its inaugural director, Paul B. Stares, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Its creation was a direct response to the international community's perceived failures in preventing mass atrocities during the early 1990s, particularly in conflicts such as the Rwandan genocide and the Bosnian War. The initiative was championed by influential figures within the United States foreign policy establishment who argued for a more systematic and anticipatory approach to global instability. Seed funding and institutional support from the Council on Foreign Relations provided the foundation for its early work, which sought to apply lessons from diplomacy, military strategy, and economic sanctions to nascent crises.

Mission and objectives

The core mission is to help the United States government, multilateral organizations like the United Nations and NATO, and other key actors more effectively anticipate and respond to emerging threats to international peace. Its primary objective is to produce "preventive action plans" that offer pragmatic, nonpartisan policy options for specific conflict zones or thematic issues. A key focus is on "preventive diplomacy," advocating for early engagement before disputes escalate into full-scale violence. The center also aims to shape the broader strategic culture in Washington, D.C. by demonstrating, through rigorous analysis, that prevention is more cost-effective and morally imperative than military intervention after a crisis erupts.

Key initiatives and programs

A flagship program is the annual **Preventive Priorities Survey**, which identifies and ranks conflict situations based on their likelihood of occurring and potential impact on U.S. interests, soliciting input from hundreds of foreign policy experts. The center regularly convenes **independent task forces** co-chaired by prominent former officials, such as Madeleine Albright or Stephen Hadley, which produce detailed reports on regions like the Korean Peninsula, the South China Sea, or Venezuela. It also runs the **CPA Contingency Planning Roundtable Series**, which brings together government officials, military officers, academics, and journalists for confidential, scenario-based discussions on potential flashpoints, from instability in Haiti to tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

Leadership and governance

The center operates under the broader institutional governance of the Council on Foreign Relations, with its agenda and output overseen by CFR's leadership and board. Paul B. Stares served as the General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director for over two decades, establishing its intellectual direction. Subsequent directors have included senior fellows like Michele A. Flournoy and experts such as David L. Phillips. The center's work is guided by an advisory board composed of distinguished individuals from the fields of diplomacy, military affairs, journalism, and academia, ensuring its recommendations are grounded in practical experience and diverse perspectives.

Impact and recognition

The center's analyses and policy blueprints are regularly consulted by staff at the U.S. Department of State, the National Security Council, and the U.S. Department of Defense. Its annual **Preventive Priorities Survey** is widely cited in media outlets like *The New York Times* and *Foreign Policy* as an authoritative barometer of global risk. Task force reports have directly informed congressional testimony and policy debates on issues ranging from nuclear proliferation in Iran to managing great-power competition with China and Russia. While measuring the direct prevention of conflict is inherently difficult, the center is recognized as a thought leader that has successfully institutionalized preventive thinking within segments of the United States foreign policy community.

Category:1994 establishments in the United States Category:Foreign policy and strategy think tanks in the United States Category:Council on Foreign Relations