The Africa Security Initiative is an effort organized by the Foreign Policy program at Brookings. It involves Vanda Felbab-Brown, Michael O’Hanlon, other experts from the Institution such as Amadou Sy and other colleagues at the Africa Growth Initiative in the Global Economy and Development Program, as well as a number of other interested parties—from the United States government, from universities in the Washington, D.C. area and other locations such as St. Lawrence University in New York, and the broader Washington policy community. It is intended to highlight key issues concerning military, social, and human security in Africa, ranging from crises and conflicts in places such as the Horn of Africa, Central and East Africa, and Nigeria to cross-cutting issues involving illicit economies, terrorism, and other dangers. It is designed to help improve public policy towards Africa by the United States as well as regional governments themselves through the development of new ideas and by providing a forum for discussion and debate.