Past Events

While the world has concentrated on the civil wars in Darfur and South Sudan, there are simmering political conflict and resource challenges that must be addressed in the east, the Nuba Mountains, and Nubia. In eastern Sudan, political tensions persist despite the signing of a peace agreement in 2006.

On July 27, 2009, a panel of experts reviewed the destructive potential of a nuclear weapon, and discussed the role of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) as keystone agreements to halt the spread of nuclear weapons technology.

Dr. Hoodbhoy will assess the growth of extremist trends and related political changes in Pakistan, as well as discuss countervailing forces and the inherent resilience of Pakistani society. His analysis will draw out ways by which Pakistanis can help themselves, and the means by which US and Western assistance to Pakistan can help Pakistan stay on an even keel and help move it forward politically and economically.

Ambassador Lodhi has long been an expert on Pakistan’s security decisions and on Pakistan’s relations with the United States and the West and is well known in Washington, DC. Her presentation at USIP will review the internal political and security problems that challenge Pakistan from the spread of Taliban influence and extremism, and the impact on Pakistan and its relations with Afghanistan and other neighbors of US and NATO operations in Afghanistan.

The U.S. Institute of Peace and the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy are co-sponsoring a public event with a delegation from the Pakistan Council of Islamic Ideology.

Fighting in Pakistan’s tribal areas rages on, as government forces step up their battle against Taliban fighters and other militants. Pakistan authorities recently said it will go after Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud in his stronghold South Waziristan along the Afghan border. USIP’s Imtiaz Ali wrote about Mehsud in Foreign Policy magazine, arguing why this man is the new "public enemy" number one to Washington, D.C. and Islamabad.

The second annual meeting of the International Network to Promote the Rule of Law (INPROL) took place on Friday, July 17 at the United States Institute of Peace. The focus this year was on a discussion of preliminary lessons learned from the experience of the UN Mission in Kosovo in establishing the justice and corrections systems in Kosovo.

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.

Based on a recent USIP report "Hamas: Ideological Rigidity, Political Flexibility" by Paul Scham and Osama abu-Irshaid, this discussion will explore how the international community can detect and take advantage of any willingness by Hamas to compromise, without making ourselves vulnerable to manipulation. How should we interpret this movement, what is the role of Shari'a law in Hama's political behavior and what are the policy implications of the report?

Nearly a decade ago with the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1325, the United Nations and member states made a commitment to promote the participation of women in decision-making levels in conflict resolution and peace processes, expand the role and contribution of women in UN field-based operations, and to integrate gender perspectives and training into peacekeeping.  Where are we now, what has worked, what has not worked, and why?  The panelists will address these questions on women as peacekeepers, and other policy-related questions.

Following President Álvaro Uribe’s visit to Washington in late June and his meeting with President Obama, Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA) will offer his views on how the U.S. should approach Colombia and prospects for peace in the country’s decades-long internal conflict.

Former President Jimmy Carter, former Secretary of State James Baker, and former national security advisors Zbigniew Brzezinski and Brent Scowcroft speak about America’s role in crafting peace between Israel and Palestine in Landrum Bolling’s newly released short film.

What is the potential for political negotiations and reconciliation to resolve the armed conflict raging on both sides of the Durand Line that separates Afghanistan and Pakistan?