Comments about Us
"In the most troubled corners of the world, Crisis Group has been the eyes, the ears, and the conscience of the global community. Its mix of field-based analysis, well-reasoned policy recommendations, and high-level advocacy is a winning combination."
William J. Clinton, former President of the United States, 5 March 2007
“Crisis Group has been invaluable in presenting realworld policy options before conflict situations become front page news. I have gained tremendously from their early-warning, insight and good advice in working for the prevention and resolution of conflicts in Africa since I joined the UN.”
Haile Menkerios, Special Representative of the Secretary-General to Sudan, February 2011
"The analysis of the International Crisis Group on Colombia constitutes an important source of reference that helps us better understand our reality, as well as how to sensitively address key issues such as progress and obstacles on human rights, and the enormous challenges of comprehensive victims' care in our country "
Angelino Garzón, Vice President of Colombia, February 2011
"Crisis Group is a leader in promoting peaceful resolution to conflict by reframing policy debates through strong analysis and innovative recommendations. I fully support the work of Crisis Group and applaud its contributions to global peace and security."
Carl Bildt, Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs , January 2010
"ICG's recommendations help shape policy makers' thinking. Even if we don't agree with them, they force us to come up with alternatives."
Ad Melkert, United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Iraq, May 2011
“Crisis Group’s reporting about Turkey and Cyprus has been agenda-setting for the European Parliament and policy makers in Brussels. Few EU policies [towards Ankara and Nicosia] have not been influenced by it.”
Joost Lagendijk, former Chair of the European Parliament’s EU–Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee, September 2010
“Exceptional times require exceptional individuals, giving their talents and energy, as many of you [at Crisis Group] have done. I myself and my staff will continue to follow your activities with interest and gratitude.”
Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, October 2010
“The International Crisis Group provides analysis by professionals who not only want a say, but actually have something to say. They are not just researching at their desk, but know the region and the people they are talking about.”
Detlef Esslinger, Comment Editor, Süddeutsche Zeitung, February 2011
"The analysis of the ICG - as presented in the two latest reports on Gaza - is extremely valuable for Gaza. For the NGO community, it is truly indispensable, and represents the best independent political analysis available".
Erik Abild, former Head of Office, NORWAC, Gaza
"There is no substitute for personal diplomacy which is a hallmark of Crisis Group. You offer vision, especially in places that need it most. You are unafraid to dream and unafraid of speaking hard truths while still taking a measured approach toward inclusive security."
George H.W. Bush, Former US President, October 2009
“Crisis Group has been an excellent source of advice and inspiration to me, to the MDC and to all democratic forces in Zimbabwe and outside as we have faced enormous troubles and a difficult transition period over the last decade. The recommendations Crisis Group has made are based on the ground realities here in Zimbabwe, and that comes from having sharp, experienced analysts who understand the nature of the crisis, the nuances and have access to all key political actors. Often-times Crisis Group is able to say what many here are too afraid to say. That in itself breaks political logjams and helps move the transition process forward.”
Morgan Tsvangirai, Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, March 2010
“The main value as far as I'm concerned with the Crisis Group is that they have rightly put the emphasis on prevention, put the emphasis on responsibility to protect and that is absolutely vital. … It's very necessary to have people who are experts, who have very good context and who speak truth to power, who actually see the situation as it is not the spinning that goes on of how a government or even an opposition may want to have it characterised.”
Mary Robinson, Former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, April 2008
“I recently went through all the old ICG reports for Iraq since 2003. Amazing how the analysis was mostly spot-on and prescient…”
Emma Sky, Political Advisor to the Commanding General of us Forces in Iraq, December 2010
“For anyone interested in our planet, the publications of ICG are indispensable.”
Bernard Kouchner, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, France, April 2008
"The Brussels-based International Crisis Group finds time to devote to each crisis, large or small - and readers tunnelling through its dense analysis always emerge better informed. It blew the whistle on Darfur, East Timor and northern Uganda before those conflicts erupted. […] Even more impressive, though, is its coverage of forgotten lands […] When the world's gaze moves on, Crisis Group stays, to monitor the unfinished business conflict leaves behind. […] The body has grown to a full-time staff of 130 covering 60 countries or conflicts. That exceeds the foreign staff of all but the largest news-gathering operations. Long may it continue to thrive."
Editorial, The Guardian, March 2009 (read the full text here)
"The International Crisis Group reports are a must-read for every foreign affairs editor."
Steffen Richter, Comment Editor, Die Zeit, October 2009
“Thanks to its distinguished trustees and experts, the International Crisis Group has in the span of one decade become a widely respected and influential organisation for promoting conflict prevention and resolution. We greatly appreciate the work the International Crisis Group does in the Balkans, Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America to make the world a better place.”
Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Secretary of State (2005–2008), April 2008
“Crisis Group gives me a resource, which can probably match most foreign ministries in all but the very largest countries. And I think that's an invaluable resource. And it's an independent one. So yes, I pay a very great deal of attention to it. And it has altered my opinions on things as well. There are many think tanks. There are many commenting organizations. I think it would be fair to say that Crisis Group probably has the best reputation of any of those advisory independent bodies. And I would suspect that it's probably one of two or three of the most important of those that will have an influence on government. But Crisis Group, I think, was always very international. Crisis Group was always regarded as being the heavyweight contribution, the one you really had to read.”
Lord (Paddy) Ashdown, Former High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, April 2008
“I think the Crisis Group is really providing the international community with a public good, something that will not be delivered spontaneously by the political or by the economic market. I think what we have seen over time is a vacuum in the provision of this public good. And I think the Crisis Group has come to fill that empty space, that necessity that was not being addressed as it should have been.”
Ernesto Zedillo, Former President of Mexico, April 2008
"From Afghanistan to Iraq, from Chad to Indonesia and during European or NATO summits, Crisis Group reports and recommendations have always been in my bag as an essential piece of documentation."
Richard Werly, European Affairs Correspondent, Le Temps, January 2010
“We should all be thankful that we have an organisation like Crisis Group that contributes to peace and security in helping to resolve conflicts, to ring the alarm bells of the international community, and to be a mirror for the conscience of the world.”
Colin L. Powell, U.S. Secretary of State (2001–2005), April 2008
“International Crisis Group is a full-service conflict prevention organisation. It combines essential and objective analysis, promotion of constructive dialogue, and presentation of innovative ideas. Its hands-on approach, reflected in a wide network of relationships in the Balkans, the Middle East, and beyond, is essential to keep policymakers focused on securing and consolidating peace.”
Madeleine K. Albright, U.S. Secretary of State (1997–2001), April 2008
“During my time as Deputy Secretary I don't think I ever failed to have Crisis Group in whenever they were in Washington because I needed another set of eyes on the target, and they gave it to me. I don't think there's any other group globally that has the global presence — the global reach — that it has. Crisis Group forced me to get out of my usual thought patterns, to get out of my usual comfort zone … listening to a new set of voices and seeing through a new set of eyes.”
Richard Armitage, Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, April 2008
“Crisis Group was a brilliant idea, and it was beautifully implemented … It's been a tremendous contributor to the common good. Crisis Group produces some extraordinary reports like CrisisWatch. These reports are better than anything I saw in the government.”
Richard Holbrooke, U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, April 2008
"[Crisis Group’s] assessment of the current humanitarian crisis in Pakistan was both timely and informative."
John F. Tiernay, Chairman, US National Security and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee, House of Representatives, 17 June 2009
“The only way to proceed right now is to follow the International Crisis Group's advice – utilise this time to assess if ‘genuine and substantial’ progress is being made in stopping the Darfur violence.”
Editorial, Indian Express, July 2008
"Crisis Group fills a unique space in the world of diplomacy. In all my years of reporting, I’ve encountered so many times when the world has turned away. And Crisis Group never does. You have made it your mission to ensure that the world does not turn away, to ensure that nobody can say “we did not know” in the face of unspeakable atrocity and unspeakable crime."
Christiane Amanpour, Chief International Correspondent, CNN, November 2009
"In the age of new media and the 24-hour news cycle, authors from International Crisis Group have proven to be some of our strongest contributors because they combine timely coverage with sharp analysis and on-the-ground knowledge."
Elizabeth Dickinson, Assistant Editor, Foreign Policy, October 2009
“I read research reports all the time for my job. Crisis Group is as good as research gets: the reports are rich in relevant facts, they lay out different perspectives in a thoughfully balanced way and they articulate conclusions that are supported tightly by the analysis.”
Jean Manas, Investment banker, New York, 2008
“I found Crisis Group’s latest report an invaluable aid in better understanding the situation in Burma/Myanmar.”
James Moran, Asia Director, External Relations, European Commission, February 2008
"As ever [your new Iraq report is] a masterful piece of research, analysis and writing. I don't know what I'd do without Crisis Group's legwork, expertise and insights."
Rob Watson, BBC Defence and Security Correspondent, February 2008
"J'apprécie particulièrement les rapports de Crisis Group pour la pertinence de leurs analyses construites à partir de données solides. On est loin des spéculations politico-intellectuelles."
Yves Marc Ajchenbaum, Opinion editor, Le Monde (2005-2007), February 2008
"Crisis Group is quick, flexible and pragmatic – in a class of its own among NGOs."
Lord Malloch-Brown, UK Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, January 2008
“The International Crisis Group has a remarkable team of experts and analysts around the world, seeking to understand and explain some of the most intractable conflicts, and where possible to propose serious and sensible ways in which they can be alleviated. The group provides an invaluable service: in a media world of instant and superficial judgements, its reports provide an essential dose of detailed analysis and hard-nosed realism.”
Quentin Peel, International Affairs Editor, Financial Times, January 2008
"Norwegian state television NRK, which has often correctly guessed the winner, said late Thursday that former Australian foreign minister Gareth Evans could be a laureate for mediating a 1991 Cambodian peace accord, and acting as head of a special U.N. panel on genocide."
AP, 13 October 2006
"The International Crisis Group has produced some superb work over the past year or so, simply the best around."
David Gardner, International Affairs Writer, Financial Times, 4 August 2006
"I am pleased to congratulate the International Crisis Group on the tenth anniversary of its establishment. Thanks to its distinguished trustees and experts the International Crisis Group has in the span of one decade become a widely respected and influential organisation for promoting conflict prevention and resolution. We greatly appreciate the work the International Crisis Group does in the Balkans, Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America to make the world a better place. I salute the goals and accomplishments of the International Crisis Group and wish it further success as it enters its second decade."
Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Secretary of State, 28 November 2005
"The very impressive work that you and your team have carried out over the last decade has allowed the Crisis Group to become a highly influential and inspiring voice in the field of conflict prevention... At a working level, the Commission's desk officers, staff in EC Delegations and those working on areas related to conflict prevention also benefit greatly from your work. Your country and regional reports and the monthly Crisis Watch have become documents of reference."
Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, 9 June 2005
“In just eight years since Crisis Group's founding, you have become one of the world's premier Non-Governmental Organizations, working from the Balkans to Burma, from Central Africa to Colombia, and many places in between... ICG has an expert presence and staying power in places that make headlines, as well as in places which tend to get crowded out of them. ICG tells power what it thinks and advocates with both passion and effectiveness. It is a continuous source of ideas and insights for Governments, Parliaments, International Institutions, the media and fellow NGOs. In short, ICG is an organization that matters...”
U.S. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, 10 October 2003 - the full text of U.S. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell's remarks can be found here.
"Together in a remarkably short time, you have made the International Crisis Group a global voice of conscience, and a genuine force for peace. Your mediation work – and your leadership in early warning and conflict prevention – have been enormously important. So has your intellectual contribution to finding new approaches to long-standing conflicts. Your well researched and carefully argued reports have greatly helped us in understanding the origins and complexities of the conflict in which we become involved – often at short notice."
Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary-General, 5 October 2002