Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities

The uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa have been accompanied by horrific levels of violence, particularly in Libya, Yemen and Syria. Post-authoritarian transitions will require a focus not only on building the institutions needed to sustain democracies, but also a focus on the myriad issues associated with post-conflict reconstruction.Please join Ambassador William B. Taylor, special coordinator for Middle East Transitions at the U.S. Department of State and Ellen Laipson, President and CEO of the Stimson Center for the second in a series of breakfast briefings organized by the United States Institute of Peace in partnership with the Defense Education Forum of the Reserve Officers Association.

USIP experts provide a quick analysis on Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's announcement about the U.S. ending the combat mission earlier than expected.

Arguing that the popular uprisings of the past year reflect the global appeal of American values of freedom, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who led his own country’s 2003 “Rose Revolution,” told an audience at the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) on February 1 that the success of such revolutions requires sweeping reforms that aim for a complete “social transformation,” commence quickly and “never stop.”

Training for most militaries around the world requires good instruction, lots of practice, and a large amount of remote territory. Jeff Helsing and Alison Milofsky of USIP’s Academy provide an account of their recent ACOTA program training in Tanzania.

Under Saddam Hussein, a complex web of intelligence and security institutions protected the regime and repressed the Iraqi people.  Underfunded and mismanaged, the Iraqi police were least among those institutions and unprepared to secure the streets when Coalition Forces arrived in 2003 and disbanded the rest of the security apparatus.  Iraq’s police forces have made important strides, and some 400,000 Iraqi police have been trained and stationed across the country.  However, with the U.S. drawdown in Iraq, the future of the Iraqi police and U.S. police assistance is uncertain.  On February 29, the United States Institute of Peace and the Institute for the Study of War will co-host a panel of distinguished experts who will discuss the history of the Iraqi police and the U.S. police assistance program in Iraq. 

Rebuilding economies after protracted chaos or violent conflict requires careful thought and political courage. By creating dynamic and inclusive growth, reconstruction zones could help countries stand on their own feet, consolidate peace, and overcome the unsustainable aid dependency to which they have grown accustomed. This event examines the validity of this approach, using Afghanistan and Pakistan as case studies.

Webcast: This event is now full and we are no longer accepting RSVPs for audience attendance. However, you can still participate by watching the live webcast and joining the online discussion beginning at 2:00pm EST on February 9, 2012. If you have already RSVP'd, you may still attend the event.

USIP hosted a panel of distinguished experts to discuss the various aspects of security - political, economic, personal and criminal - in Haiti.

USIP’s Robert Perito, director of the security sector governance center, files this dispatch from Libya.

USIP has maintained an office in Baghdad since early 2004 and works to promote security and stability at community, regional and national levels. The Iraq program provides opportunities for dialogue among groups who might not ordinarily meet; we have trained and continue to develop a network of Iraqi facilitators; we support the growth of independent nongovernmental organizations, and we work with educators and government officials.

USIP’s Sheldon Himelfarb, director of USIP’s Center of Innovation for Science, Technology and Peacebuilding, and Andrew Robertson, a senior program officer with the center, discuss the latest developments on technology, science and peacebuilding – and where the new field is going.