F e b rua ry 1 national secur it y

Build Capacity to Prevent Conflict 
We will strengthen U.S. and international capacity to prevent conflict among and within states. In the 
realm of inter-state conflict, Russia’s violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity—as well 
as its belligerent stance toward other neighboring countries—endangers international norms that have 
largely been taken for granted since the end of the Cold War. Meanwhile, North Korean provocation and 
tensions in the East and South China Seas are reminders of the risks of escalation. American diplomacy 
and leadership, backed by a strong military, remain essential to deterring future acts of inter-state 
aggression and provocation by reaffirming our security commitments to allies and partners, investing 
in their capabilities to withstand coercion, imposing costs on those who threaten their neighbors or 
violate fundamental international norms, and embedding our actions within wider regional strategies.
Within states, the nexus of weak governance and widespread grievance allows extremism to take root, 
violent non-state actors to rise up, and conflict to overtake state structures. To meet these challenges, 
we will continue to work with partners and through multilateral organizations to address the root causes 
of conflict before they erupt and to contain and resolve them when they do. We prefer to partner with 
those fragile states that have a genuine political commitment to establishing legitimate governance 
and providing for their people. The focus of our efforts will be on proven areas of need and impact, such 
as inclusive politics, enabling effective and equitable service delivery, reforming security and rule of law 
sectors, combating corruption and organized crime, and promoting economic opportunity, particularly 

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II. SECURITY
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among youth and women. We will continue to lead the effort to ensure women serve as mediators of 
conflict and in peacebuilding efforts, and they are protected from gender-based violence.
We will continue to bolster the capacity of the U.N. and regional organizations to help resolve disputes, 
build resilience to crises and shocks, strengthen governance, end extreme poverty, and increase prosper-
ity, so that fragile states can provide for the basic needs of their citizens and can avoid being vulnerable 
hosts for extremism and terrorism. We will meet our financial commitments to the U.N., press for reforms 
to strengthen peacekeeping, and encourage more contributions from advanced militaries. We will 
strengthen the operational capacity of regional organizations like the African Union (AU) and broaden 
the ranks of capable troop-contributing countries, including through the African Peacekeeping Rapid 
Response Partnership, which will help African countries rapidly deploy to emerging crises.