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.
Helping Libya’s New Leaders Move from Euphoria to Reform
USIP’s Colette Rausch, director of USIP’s Rule of Law Center of Innovation, discusses the situation in Libya and what issues Libyans will have to address after Col. Muammar al-Qaddafi is out of power. While no two countries are exactly alike, USIP’s Rule of Law Center has been there before – helping countries like Nepal, Kosovo and Iraq as they navigated the minefield that is a transition from dictatorships to civil societies.
Dispute Resolution and Durable Peace in Afghanistan
USIP’s Scott Worden discusses the connection between local dispute resolution work, U.S. national security objectives and a lasting peace in Afghanistan.
Getting to ‘Afghan Good Enough’
With the Obama administration poised to transition the bulk of its forces out of Afghanistan by 2014, it’s all the more critical to build credible, accountable and enduring institutions there.
Nigeria’s 2011 Elections: Best Run, but Most Violent
Nigeria’s 2011 elections were the most violent yet—claiming 800 lives in three days. Breaking the cycle of violence includes ending impunity for political violence, cultivating local peacebuilding initiatives and strengthening local democratic institutions.
‘Expeditionary Economics:’ How One Military Officer Links World Security with Economics
When it comes to creating stability and solving the world’s security problems, it may be counterintuitive that a military man believes that the power of the economy – and not the military. But indeed he does.
U.S. Special Envoys: A Flexible Tool
This report is based on interviews with nine current and three former U.S. special envoys, conducted between October 2010 and March 2011. It’s part of a U.S. Institute of Peace special oral history project supported by the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training (ADST).
Five Myths of Afghan Reconciliation
Amid the budding political discourse on a peace process in Afghanistan, USIP’s Gordon Lubold examines five myths about reconciliation.
Chester Crocker on the State of Peacebuilding
Chester A. Crocker, long-serving member of USIP's Board of Directors, discusses the future of peacebuilding, the impacts of cuts to national security budgets, his contributions as a board member and chairman, USIP's unique national security functions and Academy, and more.
Steven Heydemann on International Diplomatic Pressures on Syria
USIP Mideast expert Steven Heydemann examines the reasons behind the regime's escalation of violence, the international community's response, and additional steps that the U.S. might take to pressure the Assad government.
The Politics of Dispute Resolution and Continued Instability in Afghanistan
In this Special Report Noah Coburn analyzes findings from USIP's in-country research projects on dispute resolution in Afghanistan. The report argues that the lines between formal and informal justice systems in Afghanistan are blurred and that this has major implications for international programs engaging the informal sector, and ultimately concludes that lack of security and political stablity are the greatest challenges to dispute resolution.