Start of Main Content

Why the Central African Republic Crisis Is a Security Problem for the US

Nearly one million civilians have been forced to flee their homes in the Central African Republic and countless others are being killed in war crimes and crimes against humanity. Michael Christopher Brown

In the last year, the tenuous situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) has degenerated into state collapse, with violence against civilians forcing nearly one million to flee their homes and countless others being killed in war crimes and crimes against humanity. In a deeply troubling development, the killings have become increasingly sectarian as Christians and Muslims endure cycles of violence in the capital and the countryside.

In an article for Defense One, Madeleine K. Albright, former Secretary of State and co-chair of the Museum–co-sponsored Working Group on the Responsibility to Protect, discusses the steps taken by the administration to address the situation in the Central African Republic. Additionally, Secretary Albright outlines why atrocities perpetrated in the heart of Africa are important to the strategic interests and moral values of the United States and why the responsibility to protect is applicable in CAR.

Read the article (external link).