Changing Trends in Global Power and Conflict Resolution | A speech by World Bank President Robert Zoellick

Flikr photo by World Bank Photo Collection used under Creative Commons. Changing trends is not something that happens overnight, even when you have a new president-elect.  Back in September, World Bank President Robert Zoellick gave a speech on “the nexus among economics, governance, and security.”  The “R” in International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IRBD), Zoellick points out, must now focus on stabilizing fragile states.   While state fragility and poverty may not cause conflict, states with this combination of factors are inevitably more likely to experience conflict.  Zoellick emphasizes that a better understanding of the linkages between weak governance, poverty, and conflict may help build more sustainable approaches to post-conflict reconstruction.  Zoellick identifies 10 priorities for changing trends in dealing with fragile states: Focus on building legitimacy of the state Provide security Build rule of law and legal order Bolster local and national ownership Ensure economic stability – as a foundation for growth and opportunity Pay attention to the political economy Crowd in the private sector Coordinate across institutions and actors Consider the regional context Recognize the long-term commitment In closing, Zoellick recognizes a strategic challenge for the World Bank Group and its member states will be “modernizing multilateralism” to deal with the urgency of fragile states.