Richard Atwood Chief of Policy Director, New York office New York Please submit all media inquiries to atwood@crisisgroup.org or call +1 212 813 0820 Crisis Group Role Richard Atwood is Crisis Group's Chief of Policy and Director of its New York office. He works with the president, regional programs and other colleagues to develop and promote Crisis Group's policy lines. He also represents the organisation at the United Nations, where he and a small team work to feed Crisis Group’s analysis and ideas into the policy making of member states and the UN’s departments and agencies. Before moving to New York, he spent five years as Crisis Group's Research Director. Professional Background Prior to Crisis Group, he worked for about fifteen years across the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and Latin America for the UN and other organisations, with extended periods in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Nigeria, Kenya, Guatemala, Colombia and Peru. He has a master in public policy from Princeton University and speaks English, French and Spanish. In The News 20 Jun 2017 The U.S. is worried that a [French] Security Council resolution [on an African counter-terror force in the Sahel] might open the door to funding at a time when cutting back their UN funding is a priority. Bloomberg Richard Atwood Chief of Policy 8 Mar 2017 The us-and-them mentality [of the new UN counter-terrorism proposal means] the U.N. has been positioned even more forcefully on the government's side when it [is sometimes] already perceived as too close to the government. Foreign Policy Richard Atwood Chief of Policy 2 Feb 2017 The longer the war continues in Yemen, the stronger al-Qaeda is likely to get. PBS Newshour Richard Atwood Chief of Policy Latest Updates Op-Ed / Global 8 February 2016 The dangers lurking in the U.N.’s new plan to prevent violent extremism Originally published in Reuters Speech / Global 4 June 2015 Violent Extremism and Crisis Management Speech by Richard Atwood, International Crisis Group’s Director of Multilateral Affairs & Head of New York Office, to the UN’s Group of Friends on Counter-Terrorism Meeting. Commentary / Global 1 July 2014 Not Voting but Shouting: Popular Protests, Democratic Legitimacy and Identity Crises Commentary / Africa 8 November 2012 How the EU Can Support Peaceful Transitions in Africa Too many transitions of power in Africa result in bloodshed. Crisis Group's Richard Atwood examines the causes of violence and ways to prevent it. This is the executive summary of a policy briefing submitted to the European Parliament. Originally published in Directorate-General for the External Policies of the Union Commentary / Africa 29 October 2010 West African Elections: There’s too Much at Stake