While Colombia’s government and the guerrilla group known as the FARC work on the final details of a comprehensive peace deal, one part of the proposed accord is already in effect: the commitment by both sides to recover and return the remains of tens of thousands of “disappeared” people—those presumed to have been secretly killed in the conflict. USIP and the Latin America Working Group Education Fund held an event on April 22 for an early assessment of how implementation of the agreements on disappearances is proceeding.

Mediation, Negotiation & Dialogue;  Justice, Security & Rule of Law;  Nonviolent Action;  Peace Processes

The president of Somalia, His Excellency Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, gave a public address on April 20 at USIP on political and security developments in his country. As Somalia works toward planned national elections this year, President Mohamud highlighted current efforts by his government and discussed strategies by which the Somali people, government and international community can move the country forward.

Violent Extremism

The terrorist attacks that regularly dominate news coverage of Pakistan have overshadowed deeper trends that constrain the space for political, social and religious diversity within the country. How can the arts and music bridge divisions and contribute to peacebuilding in Pakistan? The U.S. Institute of Peace hosted a forum on this question on April 18 to hear how artists and other practitioners see themselves playing this role.

Conflict Analysis & Prevention;  Gender

The Woodrow Wilson Center, the U.S. Institute of Peace and the Kurdistan Regional Government Representation in the United States hosted a discussion with Qubad Talabani, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq (KRG) at the Woodrow Wilson Center, on April 14, 2016.

Conflict Analysis & Prevention;  Violent Extremism;  Environment;  Economics

No country weighs more heavily on America's economy, cybersecurity and strategic posture in Asia than China. China's foreign policies are being shaped by changes within the country that can be hard to measure and evaluate. USIP and Georgetown University gathered a dozen experts for a daylong assessment of how China's internal economic, political and security pressures are influencing policies critical to the United States and peace and security around the world.

Conflict Analysis & Prevention

On April 4, the somber anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination, USIP held a forum on ways to reclaim and re-frame nonviolent action against 21st-century global conflicts, extremisms, and injustices that fuel them. Researchers and activists discussed their recent or forthcoming books on nonviolent action and joined an audience-wide conversation and poll.

Conflict Analysis & Prevention;  Nonviolent Action;  Religion

How does the U.S. government now define its partnership with Nigeria, and what may arise next in that relationship? The two governments have long maintained a broad “strategic dialogue” on issues from energy to food security to transparency in governance. On March 28, two days before the main annual meeting in that dialogue, Assistant Secretary of State Linda Thomas-Greenfield spoke on the evolution of the U.S.-Nigerian partnership.

Conflict Analysis & Prevention;  Violent Extremism;  Environment;  Gender;  Justice, Security & Rule of Law;  Economics

Wars and oppression—from Syria and Iraq to Afghanistan and parts of Africa—last year pushed more than a million people to seek safety and opportunity in Europe. This tide of migrating humanity has heightened Europe’s tensions around its growing Muslim community. Conflict is growing around terrorism, the status of sharia law, the construction of mosques, and the possibility and desirability of multicultural societies. On March 23, American University anthropologist Akbar Ahmed screened his 201...

Religion