Country Specific Initiatives
Center for Sustainable Economies
The Center for Sustainable Economies (CSE) conducts research, identifies best practices, and develops new peacebuilding tools for professionals working on issues related to economics and conflict, and management of peace promotion.
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Cote d'Ivoire
Events and Multimedia
Next Steps in Cote d'Ivoire
May 2011 | Congressional Testimony by Raymond Gilpin
USIP expert Raymond Gilpin testifies before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on the economic costs and consequences of the recent post-election crisis in Cote d'Ivoire.
Publications
Long-term peace in Côte d'Ivoire after Gbagbo?
April 2011 | News Feature by Raymond Gilpin and Dorina Bekoe
Almost five months after Ivoirian presidential elections adjudged by African states, African organizations and the United Nations to have been won by Alassane Ouattara, the electoral stalemate has ended with the arrest of Laurent Gbagbo, the former president, who had refused to step down. Many believe that the forthcoming Ouattara administration would be a government of national unity.
Smart Power for Sustainable Peace in Côte d’Ivoire
December 2010 News Features by Raymond Gilpin
As a delegation arrived in Côte d'Ivoire at the end of December 2010 in an effort to end the nation's political crisis, Gilpin looks at the prospects for peace in that country.
Egypt
Publications
Egypt's Economic Future
March 2011 | On the Issues by Raymond Gilpin
USIP’s Raymond Gilpin, co-author of “Defusing Egypt’s Demographic Time Bomb,” discusses how proper management of Egypt’s economy can help ensure a stable future.
Defusing Egypt’s Demographic Time Bomb
March 2011 | Peace Brief by Raymond Gilpin, Amal A. Kandeel, and Paul Sullivan
This publication looks at the development of youth employment and economic development in Egypt underpinning the recent 2011 revolution.
Is Egypt 'Too Big to Fail'?
February 2011 News Features by Raymond Gilpin
With the recent turmoil in Egypt, USIP examines the economic implications from Egypts protests and social unrest.
Haiti
Free Trade Zones
The Economic Lift Program Act (HELP), signed into law by President Obama on May 24, 2010 is an effort to make investment in Haiti’s Free Trade Zones (FTZ’s) more attractive. Given the serious deficiencies in infrastructure and the poor business climate that exists in the country, this effort aims to identify ways to ensure that the policy is well imbedded in a conflict-sensitive strategy for it to succeed in reactivating the economy in a fair and balanced way.
The USIP Center for Sustainable Economies will outline recommendations in this process in a USIP Peace Brief.
Private Sector
At the request of the Chamber of Commerce in Haiti, CSE provided input for the post-earthquake private sector recovery strategy, which was tabled at the Haiti donors’ conference in New York on 31st March 2010. CSE input covered post-disaster economic recovery policy, sensitivity to informal and illegal market structures, sustainability and metrics
Liberia
Events and Multimedia
Liberia: Through the Eyes of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s First Elected Female Head of State
June, 24th 2011| Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf made her third visit to USIP on Friday, June 24, 2011 for a speech that addressed key political, economic and social issues affecting her country and the region. Audio, Video and Photos are available on the event page.
Revisiting Security Sector Reform in Liberia: A Discussion with the Liberian Defense Minister
March 29, 2011|This event, co-hosted by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), will feature Liberian Defense Minister Brownie Samukai who will discuss prospects for peace in Liberia and the sub-region. Watch the Webcast.
GEMAP in Liberia: A Model for Economic Management in Conflict-Affected Countries
April 2008 Liberia's Governance and Economic Management Assistance Program (GEMAP) was established in 2005 to promote fiscal accountability and transparency. This multi-year initiative is supported by a wide range of stakeholders including bilateral partners, multilateral institutions and civil society. In many ways, GEMAP has been central to rebuilding and restructuring Liberia's war-torn economy and putting the country on a path toward sustained poverty reduction and equitable economic growth.
Publications
Is Liberia’s Governance and Economic Management Assistance Program a “Necessary Intrusion?”
May 2008 Peace Brief by Raymond Gilpin and Emily Hsu
Liberia's Governance and Economic Management Assistance Program (GEMAP) is improving the country's fiscal profile after years of neglect. Is this internationally-monitored system a "necessary intrusion" into Liberia's sovereignty?
Libya
Publications
Oil and Turmoil in Libya
March 2011| On the Issues byRaymond Gilpin
As chaos worsens in Libya, Gilpin assesses Libya's management of its oil resources and the economic impact of the country’s instability.
Nigeria
Conflict Resources
In collaboration with Center for Mediation and Conflict resolution, the Center for Sustainable Economies is providing support for Niger Delta initiatives to promote capacity building for conflict mediation and negotiation among stakeholders in the Niger Delta. Specifically, the center plans to contribute to the analysis of economic and human security dimensions of this project, which augments and promotes the established Global Memoranda of Understanding process involving local communities, oil companies and government officials.
Events and Multimedia
Towards the Consolidation of Democratic Processes in Nigeria
December 9, 2010 | USIP In partnership with The National Endowment for Democracy, hosted a dialogue with the Foreign Minister of Nigeria.
Publications
August 2009 Special Report by Judith Burdin Asuni
The trade of stolen oil, or “blood oil,” in Nigeria is fueling a long-running insurgency in the Niger Delta region that has claimed many lives. A USIP special report by Judith Burdin Asuni shows how the big business of blood oil poses a threat not only to the Nigerian state and the region, but to the international community as well.
Pakistan
The center’s work on Pakistan is rooted to its thematic research on the role of the business sector in building peace. CSE's projects analyze welfare gains from trade-including in the Kashmir region, private sector, and improving the livelihoods of Pakistanis.
Events and Multimedia
Could Pakistan’s Private Sector Promote Stability and Peace?
June 2010 Despite notable developments in governance and internal security in recent months, Pakistan still struggles to consolidate political gains, address a deepening insurgency and improve socioeconomic prospects for its citizens. Domestic and international efforts mainly focus on the first two challenges, with relatively scant attention paid to strategies for lasting and equitable economic development. Economic growth could transform communities, bolster human security and contribute to state building by reestablishing the social contract. A viable and competitive private sector is central to success in this regard.
Over the past couple of years foreign direct investment to Pakistan has lagged. Weak performance in the World Bank’s Doing Business ranking reveals the fragility of institutions, lax regulatory enforcement, and an overall policy framework that is not very business-friendly. This panel will analyze these issues and examine creative strategies to empower the private sector, sustain broad based economic progress and promote peace in Pakistan. Panelists will consider questions like: Is it realistic to discuss business development before security could be guaranteed in and around Pakistan? Is Pakistan’s public sector crowding out private enterprise? How strong are the links between Pakistan’s informal sector and conflict economy? What role can the United States play in supporting positive economic development outcomes in Pakistan?
Somalia
CSE has researched the economic consequences of pircay in Somalia, and how the linkages between conflict, piracy, and a weak domestic market intertwine, and propose some policies for conflict resolution and stability.
Events and Multimedia
Piracy and Peace in the Horn of Africa
December 2008 Since January 2008, pirates operating off the Somali coast in East Africa have extorted an estimated $150 million in ransom payments from over 100 vessels, the largest being the Saudi tanker Sirius Star with its cargo of two million barrels of oil. The increasing frequency, aggressiveness and sophistication of these attacks have made the Gulf of Aden the world's most dangerous waterway according to the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Center. Gangs of organized pirates operate with impunity even though warships from over six countries are in the region and both the U.S. and French have naval bases in the vicinity.
Inadequate maritime security in this region has far-reaching implications. For example, piracy disrupts global trade (3.3 million barrels of oil daily), increases the cost of trade (higher insurance premiums, ransoms, and costly detours), undermines safe transport, and complicates prospects for peace in Somalia. Addressing piracy requires a two-pronged approach. A robust enforcement regime must be complemented by efforts to improve governance and reduce poverty in Somalia. While the European Union launched a naval initiative to provide "close support protection" for vessels transiting the Gulf of Aden in December 2008 called Operation Atlanta, relatively little has been done to address the plight of the pirates who operate in Somalia's territorial waters and find refuge in Somali ports like Eyl.
The panel will discuss creative solutions to the legal, security, financial, political and socio-economic challenges that must be overcome. Recommendations for a comprehensive, lasting and effective strategy will also be considered.
Publications
Counting the Costs of Somali Piracy
July 2009 Working Paper by Raymond Gilpin
Authored by USIP's Raymond Gilpin, this new working paper offers practical strategies to mitigate the rising costs of Somali piracy and lay the foundation for lasting peace. The upsurge in attacks by Somali pirates between 2005 and mid-2009 reflects decades of political unrest, maritime lawlessness and severe economic decline which has dire implications for economic development and political stability in Somalia.
On the Issues: Somalia
April 2009 by Raymond Gilpin
Raymond Gilpin, Associate Vice President and director of USIP’s Sustainable Economies Center of Innovation, talked about this new development, factors fueling Somali piracy, and offers policy options to address the problem.
North Korea
The Center's work on North Korea has been to analyze the impact of financial sanctions and other economic road blocks in North Korea, and seeks to investigate the scope, magnitude and impacts of remittance flows into North Korea. This project would shed light on North Korea’s evolving political economy and highlight potential entry points for foreign assistance-when circumstances permit.
Programs
Economic Tools for Conflict Prevention in Fragile Regions
The U.S. National Security Strategy identifies fragile states as significant global threats because internal upheavals could easily extend beyond their borders, with dire implications for global security. Such states would include North Korea, Burma and Zimbabwe. Preventing such states from experiencing violent conflict and potential collapse requires a targeted strategy including all instruments of national power --- especially security, diplomatic, financial and economic.
While a lot is known about security and diplomatic dimensions of potential peace building in fragile states, their financial and economic conditions remain shrouded in mystery. A better understanding of current macro- and microeconomic conditions in these countries would improve the efficacy of conflict prevention initiatives. The dearth of reliable economic information and analysis relating to these countries has contributed to the formulation of policies and strategies that are often inappropriate and counter-productive. This project will focus on documenting and analyzing economic dimensions of conflict prevention in fragile countries during quarterly meetings of ad hoc working groups. This project will highlight economic indicators and offer scenarios for effective economic and financial interventions. It will also design and maintain a database of economic indicators, developments and actors. Quarterly events will focus on a particular country and summary findings/recommendations will be published by USIP.
Sudan
The Center for Sustainable Economies has advised governments in North and South Sudan, separately, on petroleum revenue sharing, petroleum infrastructure, currency management and external debt in the context of 2011 referendum on self determination. In addition, the center has prepared comprehensive study on post-2011 resource management and scenario options for Sudan at the request of the State Department. Further, the Center has presented perspectives on economics and conflict in Sudan at the Institute for the Development of Civil Society in Khartoum, Sudan.
Programs
Petroleum Project for Sudan Post-2011 Resource Management Scenario Study
According to Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that was signed in 2005, Southern Sudan will put its self-determination to a referendum in 2011. Given the faltering progress of national unity within the scope of the CPA, USIP will provide an analysis that will consider the nature, costs and implications of various policy scenarios if Southern Sudan decides to secede.
Publications
Improving Natural Resource Management in Sudan
June 2010 Special Report by Paul Sullivan and Natalie Nasarallah
Most experts view secession as the most likely outcome of the 2011 referendum on southern Sudan's potential secession. While this scenario may lead to some stability in the long run, effective secession immediately after the referendum may prove difficult.