The Brookings Africa Security Initiative (ASI), led by Vanda Felbab-Brown and Michael O’Hanlon, focuses on military, social, and human security in Africa. ASI draws on experts from the Brookings Foreign Policy program and colleagues at the Africa Growth Initiative in the Brookings Global Economy and Development Program, as well as St. Lawrence University, other universities in the Washington, D.C. area, and the broader policy community. The focus of ASI’s research and publications ranges from crises and conflicts in places such as the Horn of Africa, West Africa, and Central Africa to cross-cutting issues involving illicit economies, such as wildlife and drug trafficking, terrorism, and non-democratic governance. ASI also explores the complex relationships between nonstate armed actors, governments and governance, and geopolitical actors in Africa. The goal of the initiative is to help improve security issues in and public policy towards African countries—by the United States, other international actors and organizations, and African governments themselves—by developing new ideas and by providing a forum for education, discussion, and debate.