Empowering citizens Engaging governments Rebuilding communities

“That dramatic difference that life was getting better, it all had
to do with CSP. Neighborhoods were being cleaned up, soccer
leagues were starting, and businesses were opening. It wasn’t
all done by the military. The partnership with CSP made all
these things possible.”
— Andrew Wilson
In his influential work, political scientist John Kingdon
explored the “sources of initiative” that create unique
opportunities for change, either incremental or radical,
in the sociopolitical sphere. These “policy windows”
present themselves when internal and external government
forces come into temporary alignment. “Despite
their rarity,” Kingdon said, “major changes in public
policy result from the appearance of these opportunities.”
To stakeholder participants, action is often
imminent when an issue “is really getting hot.”
By November 2005, as violence worsened in Iraq, the
direction of US policy in the country had gotten very
hot. The US Senate voted overwhelmingly to require
that the White House submit quarterly, unclassified
reports to Congress on the war’s progress and, in a
rare show of bipartisanship, agreed that Iraqi forces
should begin to assume the lead in the war effort in
2006, calling for a “campaign plan” that would outline
the phased withdrawal of troops. In the House, Pennsylvania
Rep. Jack Murtha, a well-known ex-Marine
who had supported the war, issued a public call for
the immediate withdrawal of US troops.
“The war in Iraq is not going as advertised,” he said.
“It is a flawed policy wrapped in illusion. The American
public is way ahead of us.” Murtha was referring to
public opinion, which had moved solidly against the
war. A Newsweek survey released the same month
showed support for the administration’s handling
of Iraq had reversed since May 2003. “We cannot
continue on the present course,” Murtha said.
In late November, The Economist declared this time
America’s “most bitter period of debate over the Iraq
war so far.” The policy window was wide open.
CSP origins: A new approach for
international development
On November 30, 2005, President George W. Bush
unveiled the National Strategy for Victory in Iraq, a
38-page plan outlining an endgame for the American
military and an exit strategy intended to minimize
further destabilization. The integrated strategy of the
plan focused on a “security track” for neutralizing the
insurgency, a “political track” for building democratic
governance, and an “economic track” for creating a
“sound and self-sustaining economy.” The strategic
objectives underlying each track consisted of missions
and tasks assigned to both military and civilian units.
Although many had contributed to the document, The
New York Times noted the strategy “strongly reflected
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