This inaugural meeting of the Roundtable had two primary goals: 1) to review and approve the draft strategic plan  and 2) to identify the first set of activities (and actors) that the Roundtable will undertake.  

Somalia's Transitional Federal Government is struggling to assert its authority in a country plagued by lawlessness and a ruthless insurgency waged by a rebel group affiliated with al Qaeda. Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed is a Somali American who is serving as prime minister of the Transitional Federal Government. In a presentation at the U.S. Institute of Peace he described the steps his government is taking to stabilize Somalia.

It has been more than six months since the general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and political leaders have shown little initiative in pursuing the dialogue needed for state-level coalition formation. Bosnia and Herzegovina's High Representative, Valentin Inzko, provided his assessment of the country's current political conundrums. 

On May 10, 2011 Congressman Charles Boustany of Louisiana spoke about the current situation in Lebanon and how it is fairing in the Arab Spring, as Syria and the Arab world are being rocked by historic change.

Conflict Analysis & Prevention;  Religion

The U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP), Peace Research Institute-Oslo (PRIO), and Royal Norwegian Embassy hosted a book launch and international symposium on the next decade of UNSCR 1325 on the afternoon of May 5th and all day on May 6th. The symposium further examined the issues of women and war, power and protection in the 21st century, and explored the implementation of gender-sensitive policies in defense, diplomacy, development, and the role of documentary film, media and the arts in this e...

Conflict Analysis & Prevention;  Gender

In February and March, three U.N. agencies conducted on-the-ground assessments of the food situation in North Korea and reported that more than 6 million North Koreans – about a quarter of the country’s population – are in urgent need of international food aid. This panel examined what factors are driving key countries’ deliberations on whether to provide food aid to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Conflict Analysis & Prevention;  Environment;  Human Rights;  Economics

Over the last four months, mass protests have rocked the Arab world. Protestors seek democracy, the rule of law and greater social justice. Whether democracy will be the harbinger of greater internal conflict and instability, or instead will provide the institutional, legal and normative framework for processes of domestic reconciliation and peacemaking, is the question that this conference will address. Read the event analysis

On April 29, 2011 a panel held at USIP discussed the challenges that will face Côte d'Ivoire in the aftermath of post-election violence that left 1,500 people dead and more than one million displaced. What factors must be considered in addressing the humanitarian crises and crimes against humanity? Equally important, what does the recent postelection violence tell us about the state of political development and democratization in Africa today?

Conflict Analysis & Prevention;  Mediation, Negotiation & Dialogue