The Interorganizational Global Forum (IGF) conducted in partnership with the Joint Staff J-7 serves as a platform for diverse stakeholders to consider a complex global security challenge of key importance to U.S. national security and global peace and stability. The IGF brings together civilian and military representatives from the U.S. Government, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, academia, think tanks, and the private sector, to explore different approaches to these challenges. Ultimately, the IGF seeks to improve coordination, communication and effectiveness in global responses to prevent, mitigate and resolve violent conflict.

The IGF builds on USIP’s Interorganizational Tabletop Exercise (ITX) project series, hosted in partnership with the Department of Defense’s Joint Staff J-7, which in the past examined complex crises in Somalia, the Philippines, the Lake Chad geographic area, and the Red Sea Region.

IGF 2024: Sino-Indian Maritime Competition

IGF 2024 aims to support the U.S. government and its partners in assessing threats, de-escalating potential crises, and strengthening strategic collaboration in the Indo-Pacific region. The Tabletop Exercise (TTX) will simulate a maritime crisis, providing participants with a deep understanding of the complexities involved in an India-China militarized conflict. The TTX will explore the intricate dynamics of managing alliance and partnership dilemmas, challenging attendees to address crisis management, political strategy, and cooperation amidst conflicting interests. Participants will also navigate potential pitfalls, such as entrapment, escalation, and bureaucratic hurdles, to refine their approaches to regional stability.

IGF 2023: Security Cooperation in the Pacific Islands 

IGF Fall 2023 focused on security cooperation in the Pacific Islands region. The IGF brought together diverse stakeholders, from regional civil society actors to U.S. interagency representatives, for a full agenda on regional security issues, partnerships, and drivers of instability and resilience in the Pacific Islands.

IGF 2023: Disaster Relief in the Indo-Pacific

IGF Spring 2023 considered a disaster relief scenario in the Indo-Pacific that illuminated the threat of strategic conflict. The IGF brought together key stakeholders ranging from regional civil society leaders to U.S. interagency representatives, to consider how the United States and its partners can manage a crisis in the region. It identified potential tension points and made recommendations to mitigate the risks of escalation in strategic competition, as well as offered options to optimize coordination for humanitarian assistance.

IGF 2020: State Fragility in Venezuela

IGF 2020 examined global power competition in the context of state fragility in Venezuela. The event produced concrete recommendations for how the USG and its partners can manage threats to peace and stability emanating from Russian and Chinese activities in Venezuela, while also identifying opportunities for collaboration on issues of shared concern. It also provided a conceptual framework for understanding the intersection of state fragility and global power competition that can be used in other country cases.

2019 ITX

The 2019 ITX focused on cross-regional challenges in the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula where ongoing conflict, transitions, peacekeeping operations, and humanitarian operations intersect. The interstate dynamics within the Horn and the Arabian Peninsula, the impact of each region on the other, as well as regional and great power engagement and competition informed the problem set examined in the exercise. Relevant participants from the interagency, IOs, and NGOs convened to discuss the seam issues and the implications of interactions between the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa.

2018 ITX

The 2018 ITX focused on preventing and countering violent extremism in the southern Philippines. The siege of Marawi by ISIS-affiliated extremists in 2017 highlighted the long-standing tensions between the Muslim population and the Philippine government. The reconstruction of Marawi and implementation of the Bangsamoro Organic Law provided improved prospects for peacebuilding. At the end of the convening, demobilization of insurgents, risk tolerance, and reliable and flexible funding were identified as key issues requiring further work to improve the effectiveness of external assistance in this watershed moment.

2017 ITX

The overarching theme of the 2017 ITX was “Transitioning from Fragility toward Stabilization and Sustainable Human Security in Somalia and the Region.” Representatives from the Department of State, Department of Defense, U.S. Agency for International Development, and a number of NGOs convened over four days to assess the impact of a potential AMISOM drawdown and eventual withdrawal from Somalia and to plan how best to ease the transition to Somali responsibility for security and governance. Recommendations from the exercise centered on how best to support the new Somali government’s priorities.

2016 ITX

The 2016 ITX focused on countering violent extremism (CVE) in the Lake Chad Basin. During the ITX, relevant actors from the across the USG as well as representatives from a number of IOs and NGOs wrestled with the uncertainties and ambiguities of CVE to compare understanding, share initiatives, discuss progress and shortcomings and explore the interplay of different CVE efforts to devise practical strategies to work together more effectively. Issues, challenges, and opportunities identified by participants were briefed to senior leaders in the concluding session of the 2016 ITX. They, in turn, tasked participating organizations and others in the community of interest to delve more deeply into the issues raised and propose concrete recommendations to address problems or shortcomings in a second senior leaders’ meeting in early 2017. Three interorganizational working groups formed to look at challenges surrounding policy synchronization, analytical CVE frameworks, as well as gaps in current learning and knowledge sharing.

2014 ITX

The 2014 ITX brought together participants from over 15 U.S. government agencies, departments, and bureaus as well as a number of NGOs and IOs to grapple with key interorganizational topics using South Sudan and Ethiopia as case studies.

Latest Publications

¿Puede Honduras poner en orden su democracia en el 2025?

¿Puede Honduras poner en orden su democracia en el 2025?

Thursday, November 7, 2024

Días después de acusar a Estados Unidos de presionar a las fuerzas armadas hondureñas para destituirla de su cargo, la presidenta de Honduras, Xiomara Castro, dijo a cientos de seguidores a mediados de septiembre que no permitiría “otro golpe de Estado” en Honduras. Su esposo, Manuel Zelaya, fue destituido en un golpe militar en el 2009. Castro afirmó que el tratado de extradición de 112 años entre EE.UU. y Honduras fue el instrumento que EE.UU. usó para coaccionar a los militares en tal complot, justificando su decisión de terminar unilateralmente el tratado.

Type: Analysis

Democracy & Governance

Australia’s Strategic Thinking on the War in Ukraine, NATO, and Indo-Pacific Security

Australia’s Strategic Thinking on the War in Ukraine, NATO, and Indo-Pacific Security

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Russia’s war against Ukraine has spurred closer cooperation between Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific states and organizations, particularly Australia and NATO, signaling a deepening of ties that could have long-term benefits for global security. Over the long term, writes security expert Gorana Grgić, such alignment is crucial for signaling to potential aggressors that global coalitions are prepared to respond. This report analyzes Australia’s response in order to examine Canberra’s strategic thinking with respect to cross-theater cooperation, and it offers recommendations for US, NATO, and Australian policymakers.

Type: Special Report

Conflict Analysis & PreventionGlobal Policy

Can Honduras Get Its Democracy in Order in 2025?

Can Honduras Get Its Democracy in Order in 2025?

Thursday, November 7, 2024

Days after accusing the United States of pressuring the Honduran armed forces into removing her from office, Honduran President Xiomara Castro told hundreds of her followers in mid-September that she would not allow “another coup” to happen in Honduras. Her husband, Manuel Zelaya, was ousted in a 2009 military coup. The 112-year-old U.S.-Honduran extradition treaty, she said, was the instrument used by the U.S. to coerce the military into such a plot, justifying her decision to unilaterally end the treaty.

Type: Analysis

Democracy & Governance

Dean Cheng on What China’s Pressure on Taiwan Means for the Region

Dean Cheng on What China’s Pressure on Taiwan Means for the Region

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

As Beijing ratchets up military pressure along the Strait, Taiwan remains “the one area where we are most likely to see … a direct confrontation between the United States and China” because a conflict “would affect a lot of our allies [like] Japan, South Korea and the Philippines,” says USIP’s Dean Cheng. 

Type: Podcast

La transition en Haïti ne peut réussir sans le leadership des femmes

La transition en Haïti ne peut réussir sans le leadership des femmes

Monday, October 28, 2024

Malgré l’instabilité politique et les bouleversements sociaux les plus graves de son histoire au cours de la dernière décennie, Haïti a désormais l’occasion d’aller de l’avant. La sélection d’un Premier ministre efficace par un Conseil présidentiel de transition offre au pays une chance de rétablir la sécurité et d’organiser des élections pour la première fois depuis 2016. Mais pour que les progrès soient durables, il faudra un mélange de leadership transitoire et de leadership transformationnel. Et cela signifie mobiliser et respecter le rôle essentiel des femmes, qui sont actuellement sous-représentées à tous les niveaux de gouvernement et d’influence.

Type: Analysis

Democracy & GovernanceGender

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