Overview

On April 26, 2004 the U.S. Institute of Peace and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) hosted a public discussion with USAID Administrator Andrew Natsios in an examination of humanitarian intervention and reconstruction strategies using USAID experiences from Iraq, Afghanistan, Liberia, and more. Offering commentary was Daniel Serwer of the Institute's Peace and Stability Operations Program; William Garvelink of USAID's Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Affairs Bureau; and James Dobbins of the RAND Corporation.

Speakers

  • Andrew Natsios
    Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development
  • James Dobbins, RAND Corporation
  • William Garvelink, U.S. Agency for International Development
  • Daniel Serwer, U.S. Institute of Peace

Latest Publications

Bangladesh’s Revolution Remains Unfinished

Bangladesh’s Revolution Remains Unfinished

Monday, August 19, 2024

On August 5, a student-led revolution toppled Bangladesh’s increasingly repressive prime minister, Sheikh Hasina. After 15 years in power, her government’s sudden and improbable collapse creates the possibility for a new era in Bangladesh. Democratic champions are reinvigorated, but instability and violence will grow in the near term and countervailing forces will likely emerge to blunt progress. Bangladesh’s revolutionary moment is not yet a revolution. Only sustained and deliberate political reform can finish what the students started. The United States can help.

Type: Analysis

Democracy & Governance

Ukraine’s Pivot Changes the Narrative in Russia’s war; Outcome Remains Unclear

Ukraine’s Pivot Changes the Narrative in Russia’s war; Outcome Remains Unclear

Thursday, August 15, 2024

Almost 30 months into Vladimir Putin’s brutalization of Ukraine with a full-scale invasion that has pulverized vast swaths of its farmlands, towns and cities, Ukrainians have surprised Putin and the world by driving the war back into Russia — a move that, if nothing else, has altered the current narrative around this conflict. Ukraine has again brandished its determination, initiative and innovation, effectively resetting assumptions in its defense against its much larger attacker. The possible outcomes of Ukraine’s strike remain varied and unpredictable — and its eventual implications will rest on the evolutions of several questions, both military and political.

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

In Venezuela, Nonviolent Action Is Key to a Negotiated Democratic Transition

In Venezuela, Nonviolent Action Is Key to a Negotiated Democratic Transition

Thursday, August 15, 2024

On July 28, Venezuela held one of the most consequential elections in its history. The country’s political opposition, led by Maria Corina Machado, overcame popular disillusionment, political divides and a rigged electoral system to earn a landslide victory for its unity candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia. According to one civil society group, estimates “extrapolated from the official vote count receipts” from a representative sample of local voting centers give González 66% of the vote. Venezuela’s opposition met the moment with an inspired pro-democracy campaign.

Type: Analysis

Democracy & GovernanceMediation, Negotiation & DialogueNonviolent Action

Western Sahara’s conflict is over. Negotiating the terms comes next.

Western Sahara’s conflict is over. Negotiating the terms comes next.

Wednesday, August 14, 2024

One of Africa’s longest wars shifted toward a conclusion in July when France recognized Morocco’s claim of sovereignty over the Western Sahara. That action, alongside Morocco’s military advantage, effectively will leave the indigenous Sahrawi independence movement with no choice but to eventually settle for some form of autonomy within Morocco. While this reality will be unsatisfactory for the estimated 173,000 Sahrawis living in refugee camps, their best option, and that of their backer, Algeria, is now to seize the opportunity to negotiate for best-possible peace terms with Morocco. Ending a war that keeps so many stateless and living in squalor while also removing a major irritant to the Moroccan-Algerian relationship will improve regional stability.

Type: Analysis

Conflict Analysis & PreventionGlobal Policy

Amid Illicit Drug Boom, Is the Pacific’s Regional Security Architecture Fit for Purpose?

Amid Illicit Drug Boom, Is the Pacific’s Regional Security Architecture Fit for Purpose?

Wednesday, August 14, 2024

In January, Fiji police seized more than four tons of methamphetamine during two raids in Nadi, marking one of the largest drug seizures in the country’s history. But while Fiji police made the seizure, they weren’t working alone. Such a significant law enforcement operation would not have been possible without the immense multi-jurisdictional, cross-border coordination between Fiji’s police, the Australian Federal Police and the Pacific Transnational Crime Coordination Centre.

Type: Analysis

Conflict Analysis & PreventionGlobal Policy

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