Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization

ABOUT S/CRS:

Mission: To lead, coordinate and institutionalize U.S. Government civilian capacity to prevent or prepare for post-conflict situations, and to help stabilize and reconstruct societies in transition from conflict or civil strife, so they can reach a sustainable path toward peace, democracy and a market economy.

To create a more robust capability within the U.S. Government to prevent conflict when possible, and if necessary manage stabilization and reconstruction operations in countries emerging from conflict or civil strife, the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS) was created in 2004. The current Coordinator is John E. Herbst, and in his capacity reports directly to the Secretary of State.

Failing and post-conflict states pose one of the greatest national and international security challenges of our day, threatening vulnerable populations, their neighbors, our allies, and ourselves. Struggling states can provide breeding grounds for terrorism, crime, trafficking, and humanitarian catastrophes, and can destabilize an entire region. Experience shows that managing conflict, particularly internal conflict, is not a passing phenomenon. It has become a mainstream part of our foreign policy.

Until now, the international community has undertaken stabilization and reconstruction operations in an ad hoc fashion, recreating the tools and relationships each time a crisis arises. If we are going to ensure that countries are set on a sustainable path towards peace, democracy and a market economy, we need new, institutionalized foreign policy tools – tools that can influence the choices countries and people make about the nature of their economies, their political systems, their security, indeed, in some cases about the very social fabric of a nation.

DIVISIONS WITHIN S/CRS:

Core Objectives:

S/CRS works across the U.S. Government and with the world community to anticipate state failure, avert it when possible, and help post-conflict states lay a foundation for lasting peace, good governance and sustainable development.

Monitor and Plan: Develop clear policy options concerning states and regions of greatest risk and importance, and lead U.S. planning focused on these priorities to avert crises, when possible, to prepare for them as necessary.

Mobilize and Deploy: Coordinate the deployment of U.S. resources and implementation of programs in cooperation with international and local partners to accelerate transitions from conflict to peace.

Prepare Skills and Resources: Establish and manage an interagency capability to deploy personnel and resources in an immediate surge response and the capacity to sustain assistance until traditional support mechanisms can operate effectively.

Learn From Experience: Incorporate best practices and lessons learned into functional changes in training, planning, exercises, and operational capabilities that support improved performance.

Coordinate With International Partners: Work with international and multilateral organizations, individual states, and NGOs to plan, accelerate deployment, and increase interoperability of personnel and equipment in multilateral operations. [http://www.crs.state.gov (9)]

External links

* [http://www.crs.state.gov Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization]
* [http://www.state.gov/ United States Department of State website]
* [http://www.state.gov/www/about_state/history/dephis.html History of the U.S. Department of State]
* [http://www.rewardsforjustice.net Rewards for Justice site]
* [http://thefederalregister.com/b.p/department/DEPARTMENT_OF_STATE/ Department Of State Meeting Notices and Rule Changes] from The Federal Register [http://thefederalregister.com/rss/department/DEPARTMENT_OF_STATE/ RSS Feed]