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.
![Bill Taylor on Strategic Stability and Nuclear Security](https://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/styles/summary_image/public/2018-02/usip-sirius-on-peace-podcast-logo.jpg?itok=P6tKk4cz)
Bill Taylor on Strategic Stability and Nuclear Security
Nuclear diplomacy has long been a bilateral affair between the United States and Russia. But with China, North Korea and possibly Iran emerging as nuclear threats, USIP’s Bill Taylor says, “The number of actors is a threat to stability” requiring a new framework for addressing issues of nuclear security.
![Brian Harding on Defense Secretary Austin’s Trip to Vietnam](https://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/styles/summary_image/public/2018-02/usip-sirius-on-peace-podcast-logo.jpg?itok=P6tKk4cz)
Brian Harding on Defense Secretary Austin’s Trip to Vietnam
While cooperation on war legacy issues topped the agenda during U.S. Defense Secretary Austin’s recent trip to Vietnam, USIP’s Brian Harding says the deepening U.S-Vietnam relationship is, in part, meant “to balance what they’re concerned about on [Vietnam’s] northern border” with China.
![The Impact of COVID-19 on South Asian Economies](https://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/styles/summary_image/public/2021-08/20210803-sr_500-the_impact_of_covid-19_on_south_asian_economies-sr.jpg?itok=hQRuq0vg)
The Impact of COVID-19 on South Asian Economies
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused one of the most serious public health and economic crises faced by India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan in recent years. This report looks at the economic impact on these nations, their prospects for the remainder of 2021, and their relations with the United States. It identifies key areas of focus for ensuring the subcontinent’s recovery is equitable—which, in the context of an erosion of democratic norms, growing authoritarianism, and severe crackdown on dissent, could help avoid economic and social instability.
![Gender-Based Violence and COVID-19 in Fragile Settings: A Syndemic Model](https://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/styles/summary_image/public/2021-08/20210803-sr_501-gender-based_violence_and_covid-19_in_fragile_settings_a_syndemic_model-sr.jpg?itok=DNFvXVnS)
Gender-Based Violence and COVID-19 in Fragile Settings: A Syndemic Model
The long-standing pandemic of gender-based violence has been worsened by COVID-19 and related containment measures, particularly in fragile settings marked by conflict, poverty, and weak infrastructure. At the same time, the implementation of gender-insensitive COVID-19 control policies can exacerbate the community transmission of COVID-19. These interactions form a syndemic—two or more pandemics whose interactions compound the severity of each. This report identifies the key avenues through which these two pandemics have synergistic effects and offers recommendations for mitigating their impact.
![Mobilization, Negotiation, and Transition in Burkina Faso (French)](https://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/styles/summary_image/public/2021-03/sr_491-mobilization_negotiation_and_transition_in_burkina_faso-feature.jpg?itok=_Q3S8OGF)
Mobilization, Negotiation, and Transition in Burkina Faso (French)
En octobre 2014, un soulèvement populaire massif a destitué le président de longue date du Burkina Faso, Blaise Compaoré, et conduit à une transition menée par des civils, laquelle a abouti à des élections libres et équitables en novembre 2015. Ce rapport illustre l’importance de la culture nationale du dialogue et du consensus et les avantages d’un vaste et solide réseau entre les groupes de négociation. Bien que la violence dans le pays ait augmenté depuis lors, les enseignements tirés de la transition au Burkina Faso peuvent être d’une aide précieuse pour guider les efforts de mobilisation populaire, les négociations et les perspectives de paix et de démocratie à long terme dans d’autres contextes.
![William Byrd on Afghanistan’s Economic Crisis](https://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/styles/summary_image/public/2018-02/usip-sirius-on-peace-podcast-logo.jpg?itok=P6tKk4cz)
William Byrd on Afghanistan’s Economic Crisis
Amid the fallout from the Taliban’s sudden takeover, USIP’s William Byrd warns that Afghanistan’s economy faces a catastrophic outlook if action isn’t taken — adding that “the Afghan people and the economy have a lot farther to fall than they did the previous time the Taliban were in charge.”
![Nurturing and Sustaining Facilitator Networks: Key Considerations for Support Organizations](https://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/styles/summary_image/public/2021-09/20210921-pw_177-feature-pw.jpg?itok=Z3SrAtTN)
Nurturing and Sustaining Facilitator Networks: Key Considerations for Support Organizations
As more emphasis is placed on the role of national and local efforts in peacebuilding, support organizations may increasingly look for opportunities to bolster national and local facilitator networks. This report shares findings from a meta-review commissioned by the United States Institute of Peace that examined networks it supported in Afghanistan, Colombia, Iraq, Pakistan, and Tunisia. It provides recommendations for creating and sustaining networks that successfully operate with the resources and technical assistance available.
![Corinne Graff on the U.N. General Assembly’s Theme of Resilience](https://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/styles/summary_image/public/2018-02/usip-sirius-on-peace-podcast-logo.jpg?itok=P6tKk4cz)
Corinne Graff on the U.N. General Assembly’s Theme of Resilience
As the 2021 U.N. General Assembly begins amid a host of global crises, USIP’s Corinne Graff says this year’s theme of resilience must “deal not just with the symptoms of these emergencies, but the root causes as well” and that effective governance is “key to building resilience against many of the global challenges we face today.”
![Precarity and Power: Reflections on Women and Youth in Nonviolent Action](https://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/styles/summary_image/public/2021-09/20210929-pw_178-feature-pw.jpg?itok=WODOwB9X)
Precarity and Power: Reflections on Women and Youth in Nonviolent Action
Examples abound of women and youth on the front lines of recent nonviolent action campaigns—from Alaa Salah leading demonstrators in Sudan in 2019 to the thousands of young people marching against the coup in Myanmar in early 2021. Yet significant social, cultural, and economic barriers can prevent both women and youth from participating in nonviolent action. This report, based in part on firsthand reports from activists in seven diverse countries, sheds light on these barriers and makes concrete recommendations for maximizing the impact of women and youth in nonviolent action.
![Dan Markey on the Quad Leaders’ Summit](https://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/styles/summary_image/public/2018-02/usip-sirius-on-peace-podcast-logo.jpg?itok=P6tKk4cz)
Dan Markey on the Quad Leaders’ Summit
USIP’s Dan Markey says the growth of the Quad — a partnership between the United States, Australia, India and Japan — can be seen as a counter to China, but “instead of being principally a military organization, the Quad … will focus on more positive ventures” such as vaccine diplomacy, climate change and technology.