Heather Price
Will a change at home make a difference on the ground?
Journal of International Peace Operations
Volume 6, Number 5 – March-April, 2011
Released in late 2010, the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR) put several issues within the Department of State (DoS) under the microscope. One important feature of the QDDR was the light shed on the State Department’s capacity to handle its presidentially-mandated responsibility for post-conflict situations. As such, the QDDR brought attention to the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS), attention the office had been sorely lacking since its inception. The QDDR promised significant reforms to S/CRS so as to bolster DoS’ capability to manage post-conflict stabilization. It needs to be considered, however, whether the QDDR’s scrutiny of S/CRS will succeed in transforming the neglected office, or if this attention is merely a passing trend. It is possible that renaming the office is enough to ensure that this new focus will successfully strengthen DoS’ aptitude for post-conflict stabilization and reconstruction. If not, a much greater effort will be needed to realize the QDDR’s vision.
