The United States can ill afford additional overseas military commitments to manage the consequences of regional instability. Yet it must make a concerted effort to harness and enhance the efforts of international actors to reduce the risk of violent conflict and prevent new crises from arising.

"Enhancing International Preventive Action" acknowledges the UN efforts, international financial institutions, regional organizations, and informal multilateral groupings that are making important contributions to the prevention of violent conflict in areas crucial to U.S. interests. Much more should be done, however, to shape and support the work of these actors. Through their assessment of the advantages and shortcomings of the principal international actors, Paul B. Stares and Micah Zenko recommend ways that the United States can help develop a more effective "global architecture for preventive action."

This report builds on an earlier study, "Enhancing U.S. Preventive Action," that proposed concrete ways to improve the existing U.S. preventive framework. It precedes a third report that will examine the role of private sector actors.