Publications
Articles, publications, books, tools and multimedia features from the U.S. Institute of Peace provide the latest news, analysis, research findings, practitioner guides and reports, all related to the conflict zones and issues that are at the center of the Institute’s work to prevent and reduce violent conflict.
Honduras progresa en controlar la violencia, ¿es posible hacerlo de forma sostenible?
“Reducción histórica en la tasa de homicidios”, tuiteó el gobierno hondureño en un hilo celebrando los logros en materia de seguridad durante el primer año en el cargo de la presidenta Xiomara Castro. La tasa oficial del país de 36 asesinatos por cada 100.000 habitantes en 2022 (seis puntos menos que en 2021) mantiene a Honduras entre los países más violentos de América Latina y del mundo. Pero representa un claro avance desde principios de la década de 2010, cuando el empobrecido país centroamericano parecía atrapado en una espiral de violencia vinculada a las pandillas callejeras y al narcotráfico, con tasas que superaban los 85 asesinatos por cada 100.000 habitantes.
Mona Yacoubian on Russia’s Diminishing Role in Syria
Amid military struggles in Ukraine, Russia’s presence in Syria is slowly receding, setting off a series of regional shifts from Turkey, Iran and Israel that could have major ripple effects on U.S. national security interests, says USIP’s Mona Yacoubian: “There are too many actors there for it be a simple math equation.”
America Must Now Build the Partnership it Offered to Africa
A month after leaders from 49 African states returned home from the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, their region’s struggles have shifted back into their frequent place in global news headlines and discussion, often obscured by crises from Ukraine to China to the Middle East. So it’s a good moment to refocus on a specific “to-do list” for President Joe Biden’s vow that “the United States is ‘all in’” on the future of the continent with the world’s fastest-growing population. To be “all in” on Africa’s future requires concrete steps on at least six needs.
How to Address the Racism at the Heart of Japan-South Korea Tensions
Anti-Korean racism is at the heart of historic and unresolved tensions between Japan and South Korea. It will be near impossible to resolve disputes like the comfort women issue without addressing this racism. This is because the difficulty in reaching a consensus on the Japanese side often derives from the underlying tendency among many Japanese to view Koreans as “inferior” and “untrustworthy.” U.S. actors, including officials, businesses and academics, should understand the consequences of the important role they have played in perpetuating such prejudice and help right this wrong.
Mirna Galic on Japan’s New National Security Strategy
President Biden will meet Friday with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida amid “a really high sense of insecurity” over North Korean missile tests, says USIP’s Mirna Galic. On the agenda: Japan’s new national security strategy, which features “potential for closer cooperation and integration of U.S. and Japan operations.”
An Assault on Brazil’s Government Raises Hemispheric Alarm Bells
On January 8, hundreds of protesters fueled by rage over election results invaded federal buildings in Brazil’s capital city Brasília while tens of thousands gathered outside military installations across the country, openly calling for a coup.
Can the Taliban’s Brazen Assault on Afghan Women Be Stopped?
The Taliban marked the New Year by doubling down on their severe, ever-growing restrictions on women’s rights. On December 20, they banned women from all universities — adding to their prior ban on girls attending middle and high school. Then the Taliban announced on December 24 that women cannot work for NGOs, including humanitarian organizations that are providing vital food and basic health services to the population that is now projected at 90 percent below the poverty rate. Western and regional governments have responded with uncommonly unified outrage and many humanitarian organizations have suspended their operations until women are allowed to return to their jobs.
Un asalto al gobierno de Brasil enciende las alarmas en el hemisferio
El 8 de enero, cientos de manifestantes alimentados por la ira causada por los resultados de las elecciones presidenciales, invadieron los edificios federales en la capital de Brasil, Brasilia, mientras que decenas de miles se reunieron al frente de instalaciones militares en todo el país, pidiendo abiertamente un golpe de Estado.
Why Are Papua New Guinea’s Elections Plagued with Problems?
Papua New Guinea’s 2022 elections suffered from a host of problems, following a pattern plaguing the country’s polls for years. At least 50 people died in election-related violence. Post-election fighting in the country’s Highlands region contributed to a rapid rise in internally displaced people. Election observers estimated that in some places as many as half of all voters could not vote owing to problems with the roll. Voting was disrupted and ballot boxes hijacked in places, and violence prevented vote counting from being completed in at least two national electorates. There is now an urgent need for the international community to intensify their work with the government of Papua New Guinea to ensure that future elections improve and that the country’s democracy is preserved.
Ukraine: Can We Shorten a Path to Peace in 2023?
How will Ukraine’s war evolve in 2023, and can it yield a path to peace? Analysts’ scenarios for the war are full of unknowns. Yet one certainty is that Ukrainian soldiers and civilians will continue to fight Russia’s assault with every weapon at hand — or with none. Building a sustainable, rather than illusory, path to peace must take account of the Ukrainians’ determination. And laying such a path will benefit from noting that the immediate option for peace rests in the hands of Vladimir Putin, who on any given day could end this war by withdrawing his forces.