Conducting a conflict assessment: A framework for strategy and program development

A peaceful, stable world order is a key foreign policy priority for the United States and foreign assistance has a critical role to play in achieving this goal. Many of the most important causes of conflict and state failure, such as a stagnant or deteriorating economy, weak or corrupt political institutions, and competition over natural resources, already lie squarely at the heart of traditional development assistance. However, although development and humanitarian assistance programs are increasingly implemented in situations of open or latent conflict, most still do not explicitly incorporate a sensitivity to conflict in their design or execution.