As a national, nonpartisan, independent Institute, the U.S. Institute of Peace draws on our exceptional convening power to create opportunities for diverse audiences to exchange knowledge, experiences, and ideas necessary for creative solutions to difficult challenges. We serve as an important, neutral platform for bringing together government and nongovernment, diplomacy, security, and development actors, and participants across political views. The Institute’s events help shape public policy and priorities to advance peaceful solutions to conflict and strengthen international security.
Afghanistan is perhaps one of the most pressing issues in contemporary humanitarian and foreign affairs. In his Inaugural address, President Obama committed to "forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan." The country has been the scene of extreme human rights abuses, civil war, terrorism, regional instability, and is the third poorest country in the world.
At the dawn of the twentieth century Burma was the richest country in Southeast Asia. By the dawn of the twenty-first it was the poorest. The journey between these poles is the political and economic history of modern Burma. It is a history in which the common thread has been the failure to fashion the institutions necessary for sustained economic growth - including that of a properly functioning financial system. A careful analysis of Burma's financial system - of its banks, moneylenders and...
Effective and sustainable state-building requires a balanced application of all instruments of foreign assistance, particularly defense, diplomacy and development (the 3Ds).
This event featured Jan Eliasson, former United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Darfur and President of the United Nations General Assembly and current Senior Visiting Scholar at USIP. Ambassador Eliasson discussed his experience as Special Envoy, lessons learned and prospects for peace in Sudan, with a focus on Darfur.
Amid ongoing concerns over North Korea's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, China and North Korea are celebrating the "Year of Sino-DPRK Friendship," commemorating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Based on new materials, panelists Jin Linbo, John Park, James Person, and Bernd Schaefer examined the history of the Sino-DPRK alliance and its limits.
A USIP Congressional Newsmaker Series Event
This event featured two recent recipients of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award, one based in Sudan and one in Chad, who shared their firsthand views on how a regional approach can help address the region's problems.
A public event co-sponsored by the U.S. Institute of Peace and the Asia Society
Effective ministerial advising is a lynchpin of successful security sector reform (SSR). However, the U.S. lacks an integrated, cohesive strategy for advising Are there "best practices" for ministerial advisors? Can advisors effectively apply these practices across contexts? A panel of experts discussed this issue from their various perspectives.