Project Rationale, Purpose, and Outline.

The article presents information on the project "Internal Conflicts and State-Building Challenges in Asia." The project is a part of the larger East-West Center project on state building and governance in Asia. The project began in July 2005 and investigates the causes and consequences of internal conflicts in Burma, Thailand, Nepal, northeast India, and Sri Lanka. The project attempts to explore the solutions and strategies for their peaceful management and eventual settlement. It examines how the conflicts have affected the vitality of the state. A study group has been organized for each of the five conflicts investigating in the study. The project will publish twenty to twenty-five policy papers providing a detailed examination of particular aspects of each conflict.