A New CFR Contingency Planning Memorandum on Congo

Presidential and legislative elections are scheduled in The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in late November 2011. However, myriad ongoing conflicts, endemic corruption, human rights atrocities (especially involving rape), and anti-government uprisings and rebellions sometimes abetted by outside states make Congo one of the most challenging political and security environments in all of Africa. For insight into the DRC’s present and future challenges, I highly recommend  the CFR’s Center for Preventive Action new Contingency Planning Memorandum (CPM), Crisis in the Congo. Authored by Congo expert Joshua Marks, it identifies and analyzes the potential warning signs of  new crises; develops the most plausible post-election scenarios; and crafts specific, actionable bilateral policy recommendations for the United States government. Crisis in the Congo is available in its entirety here.