Rahul Chandran
Encyclopedia
Rahul Chandran is policy analyst working in the fields of conflict and security, widely known for his work on resilience and on United Nations
reform.
He is currently the team leader and lead author of the International Review of Civilian Capacity, a reform process for the United Nations. The product of this work, Civilian capacity in the aftermath of conflict, was widely praised in a United Nations Security Council
debate. The President of the Council (France), stated that the United Nations had a"collective interest in ensuring that its goals are achieved"; the Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission (Rwanda), observed that the report was "a window of opportunity for the international community" and various Member States, including the United States, welcomed the report as important, timely and ambitious.
Prior to this, Chandran spent four years at the Center on International Cooperation
(CIC), where he was the Deputy Director. At CIC, Chandran, along with the Director, Bruce D. Jones
, and Richard Gowan, helped to make CIC one of the most influential think-tanks working on conflict and security issues. While at CIC, Chandran ran the Afghanistan Reconstruction Program, working for Barnett Rubin
before his appointment as Senior Advisor to ichard Holbrooke].
Chandran was the lead author of From Fragility to Resilience, a policy paper for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that provided new definitions for State-building
and resilience
. The paper was highly influential in the world of conflict policy. First, it restored the idea that political settlement was essential to social contract stability. Second, it defined building resilience as the goal of international assistance to conflict countries. Third, it renewed the focus on legitimacy. This work has been taken forward in a number of other fora – on political settlements most notably by Alan Whaites and DfiD, as well as the World Bank’s 2011 World Development Report, and on legitimacy by theOECD's International Network on Conflict and Fragility.
Chandran was also the lead author of Recovering From War a report commissioned by the UK Government ahead of its 20 May 2008thematic debate in the United Nations Security Council. Recovering from War defined three primary weaknesses in the international response to conflict:
These findings formed the basis of then Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s address to the Security Council, and the subsequent debate. They have also launched a series of processes to address these, with considerable success on the capacity gap through the Review of Civilian Capacities; some progress on the financing gap through the OECD/DAC process on financing and aid architecture; and negligible process on the strategy gap.
Chandran has previously worked for the World Bank on participatory monitoring and evaluation issues, and for the UN in Afghanistan, where he wrote a popular DiariesDiaries column for Slate Magazine. Before this, he had a successful private sector career, involved with ESPNCricinfo
and Rely Software Rely Software among others. He was also a paralegal on Pigford v. Glickman
one of the largest civil rights actions in US history.
Chandran currently serves on the Expert Advisory Group of the Partnership for Democratic Governance for whom he wrote Statebuilding and Government Consolidation in Situations of Fragility, and the Consortium Advisory Group for DfID’s Secure livelihoods research consortium.
and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
reform.
He is currently the team leader and lead author of the International Review of Civilian Capacity, a reform process for the United Nations. The product of this work, Civilian capacity in the aftermath of conflict, was widely praised in a United Nations Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
debate. The President of the Council (France), stated that the United Nations had a"collective interest in ensuring that its goals are achieved"; the Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission (Rwanda), observed that the report was "a window of opportunity for the international community" and various Member States, including the United States, welcomed the report as important, timely and ambitious.
Prior to this, Chandran spent four years at the Center on International Cooperation
Center on International Cooperation
The Center on International Cooperation is a foreign policy think tank based at New York University that works to enhance multilateral responses to global problems, including: conflict, humanitarian crises, and recovery; international security challenges, including weapons proliferation and the...
(CIC), where he was the Deputy Director. At CIC, Chandran, along with the Director, Bruce D. Jones
Bruce D. Jones
Bruce D. Jones, Ph.D. is an academic, an author and policy analyst. He is Director and Senior Fellow of both the Center on International Cooperation at New York University and of the Managing Global Order project, a joint initiative between CIC and the Brookings Institution. Jones’ research...
, and Richard Gowan, helped to make CIC one of the most influential think-tanks working on conflict and security issues. While at CIC, Chandran ran the Afghanistan Reconstruction Program, working for Barnett Rubin
Barnett Rubin
Barnett Richard Rubin , a political scientist, is a leading expert on Afghanistan. He is the author of eight books and is currently Senior Fellow at the Center on International Cooperation at New York University, a leading foreign policy center, as well as Senior Advisor to the US Special...
before his appointment as Senior Advisor to ichard Holbrooke].
Chandran was the lead author of From Fragility to Resilience, a policy paper for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that provided new definitions for State-building
State-Building
State-building is a term used in state theory. It describes the construction of a functioning state. This concept was first used in connection to the creation of states in Western Europe and focused on the power enforcement of state in society ....
and resilience
Resilience (organizational)
Resilience is defined as “the positive ability of a system or company to adapt itself to the consequences of a catastrophic failure caused by power outage, a fire, a bomb or similar” event....
. The paper was highly influential in the world of conflict policy. First, it restored the idea that political settlement was essential to social contract stability. Second, it defined building resilience as the goal of international assistance to conflict countries. Third, it renewed the focus on legitimacy. This work has been taken forward in a number of other fora – on political settlements most notably by Alan Whaites and DfiD, as well as the World Bank’s 2011 World Development Report, and on legitimacy by theOECD's International Network on Conflict and Fragility.
Chandran was also the lead author of Recovering From War a report commissioned by the UK Government ahead of its 20 May 2008thematic debate in the United Nations Security Council. Recovering from War defined three primary weaknesses in the international response to conflict:
- A strategy gap – observing “no evidence of strategy that encompassed political, security, development and humanitarian tools across bilateral and multi-lateral actors; and no framework for prioritization. “
- A financing gap – noting that financing “instruments are neither flexible nor dynamic.”
- A series of capacity gaps – in leadership capacity; in implementation capacity; in sheer availability of civilian resources, and in a lack of training for purpose.
These findings formed the basis of then Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s address to the Security Council, and the subsequent debate. They have also launched a series of processes to address these, with considerable success on the capacity gap through the Review of Civilian Capacities; some progress on the financing gap through the OECD/DAC process on financing and aid architecture; and negligible process on the strategy gap.
Chandran has previously worked for the World Bank on participatory monitoring and evaluation issues, and for the UN in Afghanistan, where he wrote a popular DiariesDiaries column for Slate Magazine. Before this, he had a successful private sector career, involved with ESPNCricinfo
Cricinfo
ESPNcricinfo is believed to be the largest cricket-related website on the World Wide Web. Content includes news,articles, live scorecards,live text commentary and a comprehensive and searchable database called 'StatsGuru', of historical matches and players from the 18th century to the present...
and Rely Software Rely Software among others. He was also a paralegal on Pigford v. Glickman
Pigford v. Glickman
Pigford v. Glickman was a class action lawsuit against the United States Department of Agriculture , alleging racial discrimination in its allocation of farm loans and assistance between 1983 and 1997. The lawsuit ended with a settlement on April 14, 1999, by Judge Paul L. Friedman of the U.S....
one of the largest civil rights actions in US history.
Chandran currently serves on the Expert Advisory Group of the Partnership for Democratic Governance for whom he wrote Statebuilding and Government Consolidation in Situations of Fragility, and the Consortium Advisory Group for DfID’s Secure livelihoods research consortium.
Education
Chandran is a graduate of Yale UniversityYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.