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United States Institute of Peace

Emily Cole

Program Officer, Governance, Justice and Security

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Please submit all media inquiries to interviews@usip.org or call 202.429.3869.

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Emily Cole is a program officer for governance, justice and security in the Applied Conflict Transformation Center. She works on the Sahel/Maghreb Justice and Security Dialogue project.

Emily has been focused on peacebuilding, governance and humanitarian response in the Sahel for the past several years with experience in both implementation, research and policy. Prior to joining USIP, Emily worked on governance, civil society and peacebuilding programs at FHI 360. Before graduate school, she worked on advocacy and strategy with U.S. private foundations and NGO coalitions.

Emily served in the Peace Corps in Senegal and speaks French and Pulaar. Emily holds a MALD from the Fletcher School at Tufts University and a B.A. from Amherst College.

Publications By Emily

Countering Coups: How to Prevent Armed Seizures of Power

Countering Coups: How to Prevent Armed Seizures of Power

Thursday, February 17, 2022

By: Thomas P. Sheehy;  Edward A. Burrier;  Ena Dion;  Emily Cole

Armies have seized power in five states of the greater Sahel over nine months, cementing this African region as the most pronounced center of a global crisis. The Sahel’s military coups d’état are an acute symptom of poor and authoritarian governance that is breeding extremism and transnational criminality, igniting violence and undermining efforts to build democracies. These crises highlight widening security risks for the Sahel’s 135 million people and ultimately for Europe and the United States. Congress has begun urgently needed policy changes that analysts say should now be accelerated to prevent further coups and to buttress stability and democracy.

Type: Analysis

Democracy & Governance;  Global Policy

To Consolidate Democracy, Change U.S. Security Assistance

To Consolidate Democracy, Change U.S. Security Assistance

Thursday, December 16, 2021

By: Emily Cole;  Calin Trenkov-Wermuth, Ph.D.

As the United States pursues its initiative to bolster democratic rule and human rights after last week’s Summit for Democracy, a priority should be to diagnose and repair the flaws in U.S. and allied approaches to helping vulnerable nations strengthen their security. Our existing pattern of security sector assistance focuses largely on training and equipping such nations’ forces, and it emphasizes the security of governments and institutions, rather than of the people they are meant to serve. This type of assistance prioritizes short-term tactical gains to the detriment of long-term U.S. strategic goals—and it should be reformed.

Type: Analysis

Democracy & Governance;  Justice, Security & Rule of Law

How to Respond to a ‘Year of Coups?’ We Can Try in Mali.

How to Respond to a ‘Year of Coups?’ We Can Try in Mali.

Thursday, October 28, 2021

By: Emily Cole;  Kadiatou Keita

In a year replete with military coups against the principles of democratic rule, this week’s coup in Sudan and a less-noted setback in Mali underscore that U.S. and international policymakers must improve their efforts to support democracy by rebalancing their assistance to fragile states at high risk. Supporting democracy amid this season of coups means targeting that assistance at the root causes of upheaval in regions such as Africa’s Sahel. In part, this means acting quickly—but shifting our focus to long-term stability and human security, rather than simply seeking perceived short-term counter-terrorism gains.

Months After Protests, Nigeria Needs Police Accountability

Months After Protests, Nigeria Needs Police Accountability

Thursday, February 25, 2021

By: Emily Cole

In Nigeria and more than a dozen nations—the United States, Brazil and Japan are others—public protests erupted in the past year against police brutality. Across the globe, police violence traumatizes the marginalized, spares the powerful and remains unaddressed until the abuse is illuminated to broad public view. While brutality is typically rooted among a minority of officers, it persists because weak systems of police accountability offer impunity, even to repeat offenders. In Nigeria, as in other countries, the solution will require building strong accountability mechanisms—both within police agencies and externally, in the communities they serve.

Type: Analysis

Justice, Security & Rule of Law;  Democracy & Governance

Amid Sahel’s Crises, a Community in Niger Builds Peace

Amid Sahel’s Crises, a Community in Niger Builds Peace

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

By: Emily Cole;  James Rupert

The 135 million people of Africa’s Sahel region work with thin resources as they labor to stabilize their countries against layers of crises—extremist violence, the COVID pandemic and natural disasters. But in one of the world’s poorest regions and countries, a community in Niger’s capital city has united to produce what can seem like a small miracle of self-reliance. With the simple tools of community meetings, cellphones and voluntarism, a network of residents worked with police services and officials to help contain COVID, prevent violence, reduce crime—and even save residents from a disastrous flood.

Type: Blog

Fragility & Resilience;  Justice, Security & Rule of Law

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