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.
Systems Thinking for Peacebuilding and Rule of Law
Many peacebuilding interventions seeking to support rule of law get stuck. The reason they get stuck may have little to do with the law and its technical dimensions and more with a tendency to treat certain rule of law systems as if they were...
Systems Thinking for Peacebuilding and Rule of Law (Arabic)
إن نهجنا التقليدي المتبع في بناء السلام وعملية إصلاح سيادة القانون يبدو جيدًا؛ حيث الأهداف الطموحة، وضخ الموارد، وفرق الخبراء الذين يعملون بشكل مكثف. ومع ذلك، يبدو أننا نادرًا ما ننجح في خلق إصلاحات ناجحة ومستدامة حقًّا. لماذا نتعثر؟ تكمن إحدى الإجابات المحتملة في كيفية النظر إلى الأنظمة التي نعمل بها؛ لأننا نميل إلى معالجة العديد من نظم بناء السلام وسيادة القانون كما لو كانت أنظمة الساعة، وهي أنظمة منتظمة ويمكن التنبؤ بها بشكل كبير. وفي الواقع، فإن البيئات التي نعمل بها أشبه بأنظمة السحب من حيث إنها غير منتظمة، وغير منظمة، وغير متوقعة. واستنادًا إلى مجال التفكير المنظومي، يدعو هذا التقرير ممارسي بناء السلام إلى استخدام أكثر من منظور عند دراسة الأنظمة والمشاكل التي يواجهونها. وفي بعض الأحيان، سنضطر إلى التعامل مع المشاكل من منظور تقني زمني. وفي أحيان أخرى، سنضطر إلى استخدام منظور أوسع يركز على تعقيد النظام الأكبر. وكثيرًا ما سنحتاج إلى استخدام كلا المنظورين في التعامل مع المكونات المختلفة لجهود الإصلاح في الوقت نفسه.
Sarhang Hamasaeed Discusses Recent Events in Kirkuk
Sarhang Hamasaeed reviews a tense week in which the Iraqi Army and Kurdish forces clashed in the disputed area of Kirkuk. With ISIS driven out of Kirkuk, renewed tensions dating back to 2014 have re-emerged between the Iraqi Army and Popular Mobilization Forces Hamasaeed tells us why a political dialogue process is central to protecting minorities, and avoiding Shia and Sunni clashes.
Governance Challenges in Raqqa after the Islamic State
The fall of the Syrian city of Raqqa—the capital of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS)’s caliphate—will be a critical defeat for IS. Yet the success of the counter-campaign will ultimately...
Nancy Lindborg on Negotiations with North Korea
USIP President Nancy Lindborg tells us about the challenges presented by North Korea’s nuclear capabilities, and discusses her own experiences travelling to North Korea.
Nonformal Dialogues in National Peacemaking
Nonformal dialogues offer complementary approaches to formal dialogues in national peacemaking efforts in contexts of conflict. As exemplified by the nonformal dialogues in Myanmar, Lebanon, and Nepal examined in this report, nonformal dialogues are able to...
Rethinking Conflict: Its Role in Building Peace
When you hear the word “conflict,” what immediately comes to mind? This is an exercise we often use with students at middle school and high school levels. Off the tops of their heads, their answers...
Jonas Claes on Liberia and Kenya’s Elections
Jonas Claes joins us to talk about Liberia’s election and the significance of the country's first peaceful transfer of power since 1944. Claes also lays out the challenges for the Kenyan election
Nigerian Civic Leaders Assert a Role Against Violence
As Nigeria struggles to calm violent conflicts nationwide, including the Boko Haram insurgency, 11 eminent civil society leaders are summoning government officials to seek an unprecedented degree of citizen input on policy. Prominent religious, military, academic...
Taliban Hostages Freed: Can It Ease U.S.-Pakistan Ties?
Today’s announcement that Pakistani troops rescued a U.S.-Canadian family held hostage by a Taliban faction comes as the U.S. and Pakistani governments labor to avert a break in their strained relations. It’s unclear whether the rescue can be parlayed into a broader improvement in their ties.