Preventing Transboundary Crises: The Management and Regulation of Setbacks

Setbacks-unanticipated, unwanted, and often sudden checks on moving forward-are common in crisis prevention. Managing setbacks, however, is rarely discussed. Even less discussed is the central role that setback management can play in preventing transboundary crises across interdependent critical infrastructures for electricity, water, transportation, and financial services. With a focus on the ongoing financial crisis and on strategies for resilience and anticipation, the article draws out implications for crisis prevention as the first, rather than last, line of defense in managing future crises. Copyright 2009 by The Policy Studies Organization.