Publications
Articles, publications, books, tools and multimedia features from the U.S. Institute of Peace provide the latest news, analysis, research findings, practitioner guides and reports, all related to the conflict zones and issues that are at the center of the Institute’s work to prevent and reduce violent conflict.
How Northeast Asian Geopolitics Impact Peace on the Korean Peninsula
Amid today’s renewed great power competition, the Korean Peninsula has entered a new Cold War winter without having enjoyed the spring of the previous post-Cold War era. During the post-Cold War period, the South Korean and U.S. governments anticipated that the seismic changes occurring in Europe would be replicated on the Korean Peninsula. However, over the past 30 years, none of their main policy goals regarding North Korea — such as reform and opening, denuclearization, peace settlement and unification — were fulfilled due to several factors in Northeast Asian geopolitics that favored the status quo. The enduring nature of these factors means the United States and South Korea should adjust their North Korea strategy and goals to enhance peace and security on the Korean Peninsula more effectively.
Gordon Peake on the Pope in Southeast Asia and the Pacific
During his 10-day trip to the region, the pope used “straight, plain-spoken language” while discussing pressing issues — such as climate change in Indonesia and violence against women in Papua New Guinea — in the hopes of spurring change, said USIP’s Gordon Peake: “No pun intended, he has a bit of a bully pulpit in these matters.”
China’s Bid for a Bigger Security Role in Africa
Last week, China welcomed more than 50 African leaders to Beijing for the ninth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which has met every three years since 2000 to coordinate economic and political relations. FOCAC is China’s main platform for Belt and Road-affiliated projects and Chinese plans for infrastructure development have generally dominated the action plans that come out of the forum. In recent years, exchanges between Chinese and African political parties, legislatures and local governments have also been a focus of the forum. China has also found in FOCAC a source of support for international relations principles it prioritizes, including noninterference and its "one China" principle. While security cooperation has been an element of FOCAC for more than a decade, this year’s forum saw an unprecedented Chinese emphasis on its role in security on the continent.
What Does the Emerging China-Africa Minerals Consensus Mean for U.S. Initiatives?
The recently concluded Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) provided a revealing glimpse into the current state of the Africa-China relationship. On the one hand, the official imagery and language of the summit emphasized constancy — a vision of a stable South-South relationship stretching from the past into the future. On the other hand, the summit also projected a relationship that is being reshaped for a new decade.
Jordan's Three Balancing Acts: Navigating the Post-October 7 Middle East
Jordan sits at the heart of the ever-shifting sands of the Middle East, walking a tightrope between maintaining neighborly relations, advancing national interests and containing threats to ensure its own security and stability.
Expanding the Scope of U.S.-Vietnam Reconciliation
Last September, Vietnam and the United States upgraded their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership — a historic development that has analysts, academics and high-level officials from both sides now pondering the question of “What’s next?” Part of the answer might be an expansion of Vietnam-U.S. postwar reconciliation.
Keith Mines on Haiti’s Recent Progress and U.S. Support for Its Transition
With a Kenyan-led security mission and a new interim government in place in Haiti, Secretary Blinken’s visit to the country shows that “the United States has been trying hard … to take advantage of the momentum,” says USIP’s Keith Mines, adding that while there’s a long way to go, “for now, there’s something to build on.”
INDUS-X at One: A Year of Bilateral Breakthroughs
Amid warming bilateral ties, India and the United States have steadily built their defense relationship over 20 years. More recently, shared concern over China’s rise and projection of power has motivated a renewed focused on institutionalizing the relationship at the highest levels while building the connective tissue necessary to innovate and collaborate effectively in support of preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
How China Is Leveraging Security Cooperation in Central Asia
The July 2024 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in in Astana, Kazakhstan provided China with another platform to highlight its vision for global governance and security. While the SCO has expanded to include states beyond Central Asia, the organization’s focus on fighting terrorism, separatism and extremism — the so-called “three evils” — is particularly relevant for China in Central Asia, where Beijing looks to test and advance its security cooperation strategies. The SCO, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Global Security Initiative (GSI) are key components of China’s ambition to offer an alternative to what it calls “Western hegemony” and to resist external interference in the domestic affairs of SCO states.
Quatre moyens par lesquels les États-Unis peuvent aider à faire progresser Haïti
Depuis que Haïti a conclu un accord politique début avril pour avancer vers une « transition ordonnée », de nombreux progrès ont été réalisés. Médié par la Communauté des Caraïbes (CARICOM), cet accord fixe à février 2026 l’échéance pour la mise en place d’un gouvernement et d’un parlement élus. Bien que politiquement et administrativement fragile, une structure de gouvernance transitoire est en place, dirigée par un Conseil présidentiel de transition (CPT) et le Premier ministre Garry Conille. Une mission multinationale de soutien à la sécurité (MSS), dirigée par le Kenya, est désormais active dans le pays et travaille à stabiliser la situation sécuritaire.