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.
Top Afghan Officials Appeal for Sustained Help Against Opium
Top Afghan ministers and the governors of Kandahar, Helmand and Farah provinces appealed for international support of projects to curb the country’s opium poppy trade over the long haul, amid the risk that cultivation will rise in the short term as most U.S.-led military forces withdraw and foreign aid declines.
Questions and Answers with David J. Smith
David Smith answers questions about his new book, Peacebuilding in Community Colleges: A Teaching Resource. Smith discusses the relationship between community colleges and global education. He also highlights the benefits and challenges of developing peace and conflict resolution programs at two-year institutions.
Syria Leaves U.S., EU Uncertain How to Meet Pledge to Prevent Atrocities
Despite pledges to carry out the principle of the responsibility to protect against mass killings, the U.S. and the EU have struggled how to respond to Syria, even as the scale of human loss eclipses that of Libya before the international community intervened. A USIP panel considers how to move forward.
Helping Somalia Move Forward
Congressman Keith Ellison this month met with USIP President Jim Marshall, USIP Vice Chairman Ambassador George Moose, former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson, now a senior advisor at USIP, David Smock, senior vice president of USIP’s Centers of Innovation, and Jon Temin, director of USIP’s Horn of Africa program, to discuss the current situation in Somalia.
Obama’s Africa Trip Seizes on Progress to Trumpet Economic Potential
President Barack Obama’s first extended trip to Africa will seize on democratic and economic progress in the three countries on his itinerary – Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania – to inspire further advances across the continent and encourage more American companies to plunge in.
USIP-Supported Radio Drama Aims to Strengthen Justice, Young People in Afghanistan
Young Afghan villagers Zarlakhta and Jamil would like to marry. But there is a big problem: Zarlakhta’s father is deceased and her uncle Akram is dead-set against the union, fearing that his family will lose good farm land that, in a marriage, would transfer to Jamil’s family. Akram is so opposed to the marriage that he is trying to fix Zarlakhta up with his son Khudaidad to keep the land in his own family, and when that scheme doesn’t work he shoots Jamil. Jamil survives, and Akram flees the...
Questions and Answers with the Robert M. Perito
Where Is the Lone Ranger? Questions and Answers with the Author Why is the figure of the Lone Ranger emblematic of the need for a U.S. stability force, and what does this tradition have to offer in the way of guidance? The Lone Ranger, “the most famous Ranger of them all,” stands against lawlessness and injustice. He never shoots to kill but disarms his opponents and restores peace. At the conclusion of his mission, the Lone Ranger and his companion ride off into the sunset and toward ...
USIP President Jim Marshall Leads U.S. Delegation to Crisis Avoidance Track 1.5 Dialogues in Beijing
USIP President Jim Marshall recently led a U.S. delegation to two Track 1.5 dialogues in Beijing aimed at moving quickly beyond intractable official government statements and finding ways for de-escalating tensions in East Asia.
U.S. Senators, Officials Urge Speed, Priority for Afghan Elections Preparations
The U.S. Senate this week called for more urgency and accountability in preparations for Afghanistan’s presidential election in 2014, which will be a key marker for a political transition that U.S. Special Representative James Dobbins called “our main priority for the coming year.”
USIP Meeting Examines Iran’s Post-Election Politics
Iran’s June 14 presidential election, with its surprise, first-round win for the most moderate candidate in the officially approved field, demonstrates that Iranian politics and support for reform remain vibrant despite the right wing’s hold on power in recent years, a panel of experts said at a July 15 meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP).