WASHINGTON – The U.S. Institute of Peace recently unveiled a new organizational structure designed to improve integration, promote innovation, and increase the impact of its work. The new structure is built around three new strategic centers oriented to the goals of the Institute and the three major phases of conflict. These centers include the Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention, headed by Dr. Paul Stares; the Center for Mediation and Conflict Resolution, headed by Dr. David Smock; ...

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Institute of Peace announced today that Brenda Oppermann, most recently a policy advisor on gender and democracy issues with USAID's Iraq Reconstruction Office, will be chief of party at the Institute's Baghdad office starting in January. A. Heather Coyne, the current chief of party, will return to Washington to work as a senior program officer in the Institute's new Center for Conflict Management and Resolution. "The Baghdad office is essential to our Iraq programs bec...

WASHINGTON – Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, co-chairs of the Task Force on the United Nations, are scheduled to testify before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Science, State, Justice and Commerce (SSJC) on Wednesday, June 22 at 10 a.m. in Room 2359 Rayburn House Office Building. SSJC Chairman Frank R. Wolf (R-VA), who authored the legislation mandating the report, will preside. Gingrich and Mitchell will discuss the findings and...

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has named Barry Lowenkron, assistant secretary for democracy, human rights, and labor, as her ex-officio designee to the Board of Directors of the U.S. Institute of Peace. In her letter to Institute President Richard Solomon announcing the designation, Secretary Rice expressed her wish to "maintain the close relationship that exists between the Institute and the Department of State." She called the Institute "one of the best organizations for t...

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Institute of Peace released a major report today on Iran and Iraq: The Shia Connection, Soft Power, and the Nuclear Factor, which underscores Iran's critical relationship with post-Hussein Iraq. Furthermore, it highlights how Iran's relations with the United States, other countries in the region, and the international community could impact regional stability. "The greatest threat to regional stability with respect to Iran and Iraq currently revolves around the Iranian ...

WASHINGTON – Richard H. Solomon, President of the U.S. Institute of Peace, announced today that Pamela Keeton, formerly with Powell Tate|Weber Shandwick, a powerhouse public relations firm inside the beltway, is the organization's new director of public affairs and communications. Keeton will oversee external outreach, including the Institute’s Web site; media relations; internal communications; marketing; and alumni relations. Keeton has led a two-track, varied career in public affairs, inc...

United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan was the keynote speaker at a day-long conference to examine whether reform efforts discussed at last month's UN General Assembly meeting are being implemented, as well as obstacles and opportunities for future reform. American Interests and UN Reform: Report of the Task Force on the United Nations, a 154-page report developed by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich for the United States Ins...

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Institute of Peace is pleased to announce the selection of its 19th class of Senior Fellows in the Jennings Randolph Fellowship Program. Named in honor of former U.S. Senator Jennings Randolph of West Virginia, a founder of the Institute, the program affords leading policy practitioners and researchers opportunities to examine non-violent approaches to the resolution of international conflict and postconflict stabilization. In welcoming the new group, most of whom will ...