USAID’s Community Stabilization Program and Counterinsurgency in Iraq

USAID’s Community Stabilization Program (CSP) in Iraq was designed as a non-lethal counterinsurgency program that aimed to reduce incentives for participating in violent conflict by utilizing job-creation programs and engaging the youth.  It focused on the provision of community infrastructure and services, business development for small and medium enterprises, vocational training and various youth activities.  The CSP aimed to help Iraqi communities take charge of their own affairs and foster economic progress; thereby eliminating many causes of the insurgency and reducing support for insurgents.  Overall, USAID’s CSP in Iraq has been credited with creating over 50,000 long-term jobs, supporting over 10,000 businesses, training over 40,000 Iraqis and reaching close to 400,000 Iraqi youths through sports and arts programs. 

This event considered the following questions:  Was the CSP effective as a counter-insurgency tool in Iraq?  Does the CSP foster local ownership and sustainability?  Is there a conflict between security and development objectives in conflict-affected environments?  How does the CSP compare with other development techniques in fragile zones?  Do initiatives like the CSP lead to mission creep for the military?

Speakers

• Jeanne Pryor, Presenter
  Deputy Director, Office of Iraq Reconstruction, United States Agency for International Development
• Rend al-Rahim, Discussant
  Executive Director of the Iraq Foundation
  Former representative of Iraq to the United States
  Former Jennings Randolph Senior Fellow, United States Institute of Peace
• Lt Col Sean Bernabe, Discussant
  Director, Academic Operations, Command & General Staff School, United States Army
• Heather Hanson, Discussant
  Director of Public Affairs, Mercy Corps
• Nabil Al-Tikriti, Discussant
  Assistant Professor of Middle Eastern History, University of Mary Washington
  Former Jennings Randolph Fellow, United States Institute of Peace
• Raymond Gilpin, Moderator
  United States Institute of Peace

Archived Audio

• Listen to an audio recording of this event