The Council on Strategic Risks (CSR) recognizes the extraordinary strains on the U.S. democratic system today, which were laid bare viscerally and tragically by the murder of George Floyd, threats of the use of military force against American citizens, and other troubling developments. These strains on our society—driven by systemic racism and xenophobia, the legitimization of ethno-nationalist political views, rising authoritarianism, inequality, poverty, and other deep systemic phenomena that have long gone unresolved—will have increasingly dangerous human security consequences if allowed to continue and fester. In this context, CSR unequivocally affirms what should be a given: Black Lives Matter. 

CSR’s mission is to analyze, anticipate and address core systemic risks in our society. Fundamental to this work is highlighting the plight of groups vulnerable to complex layers of endemic risks. This takes not just expressing solidarity, or highlighting injustice and inequality in the analysis and solutions we pose, but also committing as an organization to working with and elevating individuals with diverse backgrounds on, and direct experiences with, the issues of injustice being addressed. These are not commitments we take lightly—they are the heart of what we do and who we are. There is no peace, and there is no security, without justice. This core principle will continue to inform all of the CSR’s work now and in the future.