Conflict Management and Resolution

Serious and contentious questions surround the issue of how the international community should relate to Somalia. Should major support be given to the Transitional Federal Government? Should the African Union peacekeeping force be expanded?

In a major diplomatic victory for both countries, Kosovo and Macedonia recently concluded the demarcation of their shared border. This process of diplomacy, cooperation, confidence-building and reconciliation was conducted by a Joint Technical Commission (JTC) comprised of the two state parties and the International Civilian Office (ICO). 

With more than four million internally displaced Colombians- an average of more than a quarter of a million people annually in recent years- and almost half a million more forced to flee across national borders in search of safety, Colombia now ranks just behind Sudan in the numbers of people displaced by the conflict.  Women, youth, Afro-Colombians, and indigenous communities have been disproportionately affected by the conflict and by the displacement it causes.

Sudan faces challenges on many fronts, among them an ongoing conflict in Darfur, a fragile Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the north and south that ended decades of civil war, and upcoming nationwide elections at every level of government in 2010 (the first elections since 1986).  The US Institute of Peace is engaging all of these issues in an effort to help build a more stable Sudan. 

Based on conversations held in the summer of 2007 with Iraqi political leaders, senior government officials, members of parliament, and Iraqi citizens, this report shows that the security and political situations in Iraq in the summer of 2007 were tentatively and marginally improved in Baghdad but in a state of flux, and that the political process was far behind the military effort.

Promoting non-violent resolution of conflict at all local levels will be essential to bringing, and sustaining, peace and stability to Afghanistan.  In Afghanistan's recent history, the most effective agents in advancing peace and security at the local level have been indigenous structures such as shura and jirga councils, as well as Maliks.

Overall, Syria has marginally benefited from the war in Iraq at both the regional and international levels. After watching the U.S. military unseat the Baathist regime next door in 2003 with unprecedented speed, it looked to many observers—including some in Damascus—as if Syria would be next in line.

USIP's Center of Innovation for Science, Technology and Peacebuilding hosted a full-day multimedia showcase of state-of-the-art simulation and "serious gaming" tools that promise to transform the way that peacebuilding organizations train, plan and collaborate. The "Smart Tools for Smart Power" event featured presentations from such innovators as IBM, the Army War College, EBay, Lockheed Martin, Second Life, and USIP's own Education and Training Center.  U.S. Deputy Chief Technology Officer Beth Noveck presented the keynote address.