Menu

United States Institute of Peace

Imagine: Reflections on Peace

A Multimedia Exhibit

From June 2 through August 1, 2022, the U.S. Institute of Peace together with The VII Foundation presented “Imagine: Reflections on Peace,” a multimedia exhibit exploring the themes and challenges of peacebuilding through an immersive look at societies that suffered — and survived — violent conflict. Using historical photos, texts, video profiles and interactive opportunities, the Imagine exhibit brought visitors face-to-face with the realities of violent conflict and asks the question: “Why is it so difficult to make a good peace when it is so easy to imagine?”

TAKE A VIDEO TOUR OF THE EXHIBIT

The U.S. military airlifted over 120,000 civilians from Bagram airbase, many of them employees of U.S. and foreign organizations whose lives were now at risk under the Taliban.

 

Conceived and designed by the VII Foundation, the in-person experience gave visitors a chance to engage with the Institute’s on-the-ground peacebuilding work — as well as learn about practical actions they themselves can take to make the world more peaceful.

Public Event Series Highlighting Themes from the Exhibit

Local civil defense forces in the village of Todos Santos, Guatemala, October 1982. (Robert Nickelsberg)

Images From Central America’s Wars and Its Unfinished Peace

On July 27, USIP welcomed journalists Bill Gentile, Robert Nickelsberg and Jose Luis Sanzfor on the legacy of Cold War-era conflicts in Central America.
Residents work together on a drainage ditch in Mbyo, one of seven "reconciliation villages” where perpetrators and victims of the genocide in Rwanda live side by side, in April 2017. (Megan Specia/The New York Times)

Reconciliation and Justice in Rwanda

On July 13 USIP discussion on the approaches to reconciliation and justice in Rwanda that followed the 1994 genocide, including the Gacaca Courts and community-based and women-led initiatives.
Relatives of victims of the Srebrenica massacre mourn in Potocari, Bosnia, prior to the reburial of the remains. (Andrew Testa/The New York Times).

Documenting the Impact of War on Civilians in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Join us on July 9 for a conversation on the importance of documentation in the pursuit of accountability for crimes committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the war — as well as lessons for current international accountability efforts.
A woman walks along the side of the Kabul–Kandahar Highway north of Ghazni, Afghanistan, in Dec. 8, 2021. (David Guttenfelder/The New York Times)

Reflections from Afghan Women: The Consequences of an Unsuccessful Peace Process

On June 27 convened a discussion with leading Afghan women experts and activists who have shown extraordinary resilience and courage in the face of great uncertainty and fear.
Students make their way through photo displays at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022. (Nadia Shira Cohen/The New York Times)

Justice and Accountability for Khmer Rouge Atrocities

On July 6 hosted a conversation on role of documentation in achieving justice and accountability.
People take part in a moment of silence in Beirut, on Aug. 11, 2020, to honor those killed when a deadly explosion ripped through the heart of the city last week, killing at least 171 people and injuring thousands more. (Diego Ibarra Sanchez/The New York

Past Event: Lebanon at the Crossroads

On June 16, USIP hosted a discussion on whether Lebanon’s 2022 elections can initiate a drive for reforms aimed at Lebanon’s entrenched and corrupt political system — or if the still-fragile country might fall deeper into crisis and political gridlock.
The Honorable Pramila Patten

Past Event: The Ukraine Conflict and the Crisis of Sexual Violence

On June 6, USIP held a conversation with U.N. Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) on Sexual Violence in Conflict Pramila Patten following her recent visit to Ukraine.
Chuck Todd and Bill Taylor

Past Event: Exposing Atrocities in Ukraine

On June 1, USIP hosted a discussion with NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd and USIP’s Ambassador William B. Taylor on the role that journalists have played in relation to accountability for atrocities committed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Women rush to vote at a women's school early in the morning.

AFGHANISTAN, 2004

Alexandra Boulat, photographer

Women rush to vote at a women's school early in the morning. The 2004 election was the first-ever direct presidential election and the first time in 20 years that Afghan women were allowed to vote. Herat, Afghanistan.

Nedžiba Salihović and other Srebrenica widows celebrate the conviction of Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladić for his role in the 1995 genocide at Srebrenica. Salihović lost her husband and son in the massacre.

BOSNIA, 2017

Ron Haviv, photographer

Nedžiba Salihović and other Srebrenica widows celebrate the conviction of Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladić for his role in the 1995 genocide at Srebrenica. Salihović lost her husband and son in the massacre.

The hatred and barbarity that was to become normal during the years of this war began here: the banker fighting against the barber, the school teacher fighting against the grocery clerk. I was witnessing a complete breakdown of civil society.

Ron Haviv, photographer of the war in Bosnia
Khmer Rouge guerrillas in a remote village near Pol Pot’s base in Anlong Veng, northern Cambodia, 1990

CAMBODIA, 1990

Gary Knight, photographer

Khmer Rouge guerrillas in a remote village near Pol Pot’s base in Anlong Veng, northern Cambodia.

Peace demonstration at La Plaza de Bolívar, Bogotá. The peace treaty seeks to protect gay rights along with the rights of other minority groups. Opposition groups include Uribe’s conservatives, Catholics, and evangelists.

COLOMBIA, 2016

Stephen Ferry, photographer

Peace demonstration at La Plaza de Bolívar, Bogotá. The peace treaty seeks to protect gay rights along with the rights of other minority groups.

We simply can no longer afford to deny the full potential of one half of the population. The world needs to tap into the talent and wisdom of women. Whether the issue is food security, economic recovery, health, or peace and security, the participation of women is needed now more than ever.

Michelle Bachelet, U.S. High Commissioner for Human Rights
One of the byproducts of Lebanon’s 15 year civil war was Hezbollah, which emerged after Israel’s 1982 invasion and remains the last militia in Lebanon with arms. Hezbollah runs special cemeteries—some with their own Facebook pages—for its fighters, including several in Beirut’s predominantly Shiite suburb of Dahiye.

LEBANON, 2017

Nichole Sobecki, photographer

One of the byproducts of Lebanon’s 15 year civil war was Hezbollah, which emerged after Israel’s 1982 invasion and remains the last militia in Lebanon with arms. Hezbollah runs special cemeteries—some with their own Facebook pages—for its fighters, including several in Beirut’s predominantly Shiite suburb of Dahiye.

Schoolteacher Ruth Mukankuranga in a Kigali school today. Prior to the 1994 genocide, discrimination was taught as part of the school culture, written into school history books and perpetuated within the educational system.

RWANDA, 2019

Jack Picone, photographer

Schoolteacher Ruth Mukankuranga in a Kigali school today. Prior to the 1994 genocide, discrimination was taught as part of the school culture, written into school history books and perpetuated within the educational system.

What becomes clear is that the signing of an agreement is not the culmination of a peace process. Indeed, it is only the beginning, for lasting peace is built by the people left in a ravaged country long after the peacemakers are gone.

Jonathan Powell, “Building the Tunnel”
Fighters with the Free Syrian Army on the front line. With limited access to arms, FSA rebels resorted to making their own weapons. Aleppo, Syria.

SYRIA, 2012

Nicole Tung, photographer

Fighters with the Free Syrian Army on the front line. With limited access to arms, FSA rebels resorted to making their own weapons. Aleppo, Syria.

Refugees from Ukraine wait for a bus to continue their journey after crossing the Polish border at Medyk, Poland.

UKRAINE, 2022

Maciek Nabrdalik, photographer

Refugees from Ukraine wait for a bus to continue their journey after crossing the Polish border at Medyk, Poland.