Experts from the U.S. Institute of Peace provide the latest analysis and perspective on the world’s critical hot spots, U.S. and global security and issues involved in violent conflict, based on the Institute’s work on the ground and with key individuals, governments and organizations. They give interviews and background briefings to journalists and write for news outlets around the world.
One year after toppling the internationally recognized Afghan government and seizing power, the Taliban has consolidated its tight grip over the war-torn country. The extremist group has monopolized power, sidelining many ethnic and political groups. It has also jailed and beaten journalists and rights defenders...
In the 12 months since the United States withdrew from Afghanistan and the Taliban took over control of the South Asian nation, the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), the IS terror outfit’s regional affiliate, remains a formidable armed actor, experts say. They also say the recent killing of al-Qaida leader...
American spy agencies have concluded in a new intelligence assessment that Al Qaeda has not reconstituted its presence in Afghanistan since the U.S. withdrawal last August and that only a handful of longtime Qaeda members remain in the country. The terror group does not have the ability to...
A year into the Taliban’s de facto government in Afghanistan, the war-torn country has experienced an economic crisis that has worsened the already dire humanitarian situation there. The economy collapsed after the Taliban seized power in August 2021 and the international community placed sanctions on...
It’s not even been a full year since the chaotic US-led withdrawal from Afghanistan and already American drones are back in the war-torn country’s skies, hunting terrorists the Taliban had vowed never to allow back on Afghan soil again. Since a strike on a house in Kabul early in the morning of July 31 killed...
What do Bill Clinton and Oscar-winning actress Jessica Chastain have in common? They’ve both talked to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this week as Ukrainian and Russian forces exchange blows at a critical juncture in the war. "The United States helps us prevent Russia from freezing this conflict,” Zelensky told...
The first punch lands on the left side of the young man’s face, the second on the right. Several more follow. Knees strike his stomach. He cannot defend himself, his hands are cuffed. His attacker, face outside the frame, has his fist wrapped in cloth. He drags his victim by the lapels into the middle of the frame...
Over the past time, in the spirit of “forgetting the past, looking to the future,” Vietnam and the U.S. have taken various effective and practical measures to heal the wounds of war. However, experts have evaluated that those efforts are not enough as around 3 million Vietnamese people are still being affected by...
China’s largest-ever military exercises around Taiwan have not only raised regional tensions — they have also provided analysts with potential insight into how Chinese forces might operate around the self-ruled island in case of a conflict. At the same time, the multiday maneuvers, launched in retaliation for...
With Russia and China looming in the background, America’s top diplomat pitched a “new chapter” in U.S.-African relations on Monday, promising robust trade and calling for democracy despite political upheaval in much of the continent. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken insisted his five-day swing through...