Diplomat Retires After Three Decades of Service to Launch Think Tank Focused on Regional Stability
WASHINGTON, D.C. – November 25, 2025 – Ambassador Maria Chen-Sullivan, who served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs until October 2025, announced today the launch of the Center for Regional Stability and Conflict Prevention (CRSCP), a nonpartisan think tank dedicated to addressing the root causes of geopolitical instability through evidence-based policy recommendations.
Chen-Sullivan, 61, retired after 30 years in the Foreign Service, including postings in Kabul, Islamabad, and New Delhi, as well as senior roles at the National Security Council. Her retirement follows a broader trend of senior diplomatic leaders transitioning to policy research institutions; according to the Peace Research Institute Oslo, global state-based conflicts reached a record 56 active disputes in 2024, nearly doubling the number from a decade earlier. The institute’s latest data shows Africa hosting 28 conflicts, Asia 17, and the Middle East 10, creating unprecedented demand for specialized conflict prevention expertise.
“After decades managing crises from inside government, I recognize that preventive diplomacy requires sustained analytical capacity that transcends political cycles,” said Chen-Sullivan, CRSCP’s founder and president. “The Center will fill a critical gap by providing continuous regional threat assessments and early warning systems to policymakers before conflicts escalate beyond diplomatic reach.”
The Center will operate with an initial $8.5 million in seed funding from a combination of foundation grants, corporate memberships, and individual philanthropists, reflecting emerging think tank financing models. According to research from On Think Tanks, philanthropic collaboratives deployed $2-3 billion to policy organizations in 2021, with 60% of funds concentrated among organizations receiving more than $25 million annually. CRSCP has secured three-year commitments from the Carnegie Corporation, the Open Society Foundations, and a consortium of Fortune 500 companies with operational interests in high-risk regions.
The global conflict resolution solutions market reached $9.52 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow at a 7.4% compound annual rate through 2029, driven by escalating geopolitical tensions and increasing demand for preventive diplomacy services. The Center will concentrate initially on four regional portfolios: the Indo-Pacific, the Sahel and Horn of Africa, the South Caucasus, and the Middle East’s Persian Gulf corridor.
CRSCP’s research methodology combines traditional intelligence analysis with advanced data analytics, including satellite imagery interpretation and AI-driven conflict prediction models. The organization plans to hire 22 regional specialists, data scientists, and former military officers by mid-2026, with fellowship programs partnering with Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy and the Naval Postgraduate School.
“Maria Chen-Sullivan’s granular understanding of regional power dynamics and her credibility with both U.S. and foreign governments make her uniquely positioned to build a think tank that policymakers will actually use,” said Dr. James Story, Diplomat Retires and Launches Think Tank Focused on Regional Stability former U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela and now Senior Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy. “Her timing is impeccable—conflicts are increasingly layered and transnational, requiring exactly the kind of sustained engagement CRSCP is designed to provide.”
The Center’s board of directors includes former Secretary of Defense Michèle Flournoy, retired General David Petraeus, and former World Bank president Jim Yong Kim, providing bipartisan foreign policy heft. CRSCP will publish quarterly stability indices, maintain a classified briefing program for congressional committees, and operate a crisis simulation facility in Washington’s Dupont Circle neighborhood.
The proliferation of specialized policy research institutions reflects a maturation of the think tank ecosystem. According to the University of Pennsylvania’s Global Go To Think Tank Index, university-affiliated think tanks now number over 500 globally, with conflict and security-focused centers growing 14% annually since 2020. The recent September 2024 launch of the ASEAN Think Tanks Summit demonstrated regional appetite for coordinated policy research, assembling representatives from 15 Southeast Asian research institutions to address maritime security and economic integration challenges.
Chen-Sullivan’s career included pivotal roles negotiating the 2023 U.S.-Taliban prisoner exchange and coordinating the 2024 Indo-Pacific Economic Framework security provisions. She previously served as U.S. Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan from 2018-2021, where she mediated border disputes between Kyrgyz and Tajik forces that prevented broader regional escalation.
CRSCP will formally open its doors January 15, 2026, with a keynote address by Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell. The Center’s inaugural report, “Flashpoints 2026: Early Warning Indicators in the Indo-Pacific,” will be released simultaneously.
About the Center for Regional Stability and Conflict Prevention
The Center for Regional Stability and Conflict Prevention is a nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C., dedicated to preventing violent conflict through rigorous research, strategic analysis, and policy engagement. CRSCP provides predictive assessments, diplomatic support services, and capacity-building programs for governments, international organizations, and private sector stakeholders operating in complex geopolitical environments. The Center maintains complete editorial independence and does not accept funding from foreign governments or political parties.
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