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.
On the Issues: North Korea’s Leadership Succession: The China Factor
USIP’s John Park outlines the development of China’s North Korea policy, and examines the implications of deepening Communist Party of China (CPC)-Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) ties for this succession process and the U.S.’s North Korea policy.
Crowdsourcing Crisis Information in Disaster- Affected Haiti
This report was commissioned by the United States Institute of Peace’s Center of Innovation for Science, Technology, and Peacebuilding and Haiti Working Group. It examines the role of Ushahidi, a crisis-mapping platform, in the disaster relief effort following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
Make It Theirs
This report from the United States Institute of Peace’s Center of Innovation for Media, Conflict and Peacebuilding illustrates the importance of local ownership in peacebuilding and stabilization operations—not just in concept but in practice.
Mental Health Services During and After Armed Conflict: The State of Knowledge and Practice
The need for mental health services as part of emergency and long-term health development responses in regions of armed conflict is widely recognized. To date, responses have too often been fragmented, lack comprehensiveness, and based on assumptions rather than on evidence of effectiveness. This Peace Brief reviews the challenges and how Inter-Agency Standing Committee guidelines can point a way forward.
Local Justice in Southern Sudan
This study is the result of collaboration between the United States Institute of Peace and the Rift Valley Institute (RVI), leveraging the former’s broader work on customary justice and legal pluralism and the latter’s extensive knowledge of the region. This report empirically analyzes the current dynamics of justice at the local level, identifying priorities for reform according to the expressed needs and perceptions of local litigants.
The Civil Society-Military Relationship in Afghanistan
This brief is a report on a one-day civil-military roundtable to identify tensions, tradeoffs and opportunities found in the civil society–military relationship in Afghanistan.
World Leaders Tackle Global Poverty, Security Issues at United Nations General Assembly
In New York, some 8,500 delegates from 192 countries are meeting at the United Nations this week for the summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the U.N. General Assembly. The big issues on the U.N.’s agenda this year include development, peace and security, conflict prevention, human rights, the environment and climate change, and U.N. reform, among others, said Abiodun Williams, vice president of the Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention at the United States Institute of...
First Vice President Salva Kiir on the Road Ahead in Sudan
His Excellency General Salva Kiir Mayardit, first vice president of Sudan and president of the Government of Southern Sudan, met with international leaders, including President Barack Obama, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York last week about Sudan’s highly anticipated referenda scheduled for January 2011. In advance of the U.N. meetings, Kiir spoke at the United States Institute of Peace on September 20.
The ICJ’s Advisory Opinion on Kosovo
On July 22, 2010, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued its long-awaited advisory opinion on the legality of Kosovo’s declaration of independence of February 17, 2008. The expectation had been that the ICJ would offer a mixed ruling that would give some comfort to Serbia and some support to Kosovo. Instead, by a majority of 10 to four, the ICJ concluded that “the adoption of [the] declaration did not violate any applicable rule of international law.” While the advisory opinion will ...
Internal Displacement and Local Peacebuilding in Kenya
Since the election in December 2007, Kenya has witnessed an unprecedented degree of postelection violence that has produced large numbers of victims, including hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs). This persistent insecurity linked to mobilized youth, local impunity, and the failure of the police and legal system makes resettlement and reintegration of the displaced dangerous.