Stephen Watts

Stephen Watts is a senior political scientist and associate director for Defense and Political Science at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation. His research has focused on insurgency and counterinsurgency, stability and peace operations, security sector assistance, and political development in the wake of civil wars. He formerly held fellowships at Harvard University’s Belfer Center and the Brookings Institution and served in the U.S. State Department. This essay is drawn from a lengthier report, "Identifying and Mitigating Risks in Security Sector Assistance for Africa’s Fragile States."