Resources & Tools
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An online toolkit for peacemakers, negotiators, and other conflict management practitioners. |
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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. Countries: Iraq, Syria
| Issue Areas: Civil-Military Relations, Conflict Management and Resolution, Economics and Development, Governance, Human Rights, International and Regional Organizations, Mediation and Facilitation, Negotiation and Diplomacy, Nongovernmental Organizations, Political Systems and International Relations, Terrorism and Political Extremism
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The recent war in Gaza has again underscored the tensions involved in brokering sustainable peace in the Middle East. USIP has actively explored the critical role neighboring countries in the Middle East play in the success of creating peace throughout the region. In this "On the Issues," USIP presents a collection of resources and tools about the role of Syria in peacebuilding efforts. Building upon the foundation started in 2005 with the Syrian Working Group, USIP has held a number of recent events, activities, and programs resulting the development of some recent resources. |
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Since 2004, USIP's "Iraq and its Neighbors" initiative has sponsored track II dialogues and ongoing research on relations between Iraq and its six immediate neighbors. As part of this work, the Institute—in partnership with the Stimson Center—sponsored a bipartisan, independent, and unofficial Study Mission to Syria and Saudi Arabia in mid-January 2009. The delegation met with a wide variety of leading political figures, businesspeople, NGOs and foreign policy experts in both countries, including President Bashar Assad of Syria and Prince Turki al-Faysal of Saudi Arabia. The top concern for both Riyadh and Damascus remains blowback from Iraq: the ascendance of ethnic and sectarian identity and the spread of Islamic militancy. The need to contain this threat is the dominant force that shapes their relations with Iraq. Both Syria and Saudi Arabia have a vital interest in ensuring that Iraq's emerging political order is inclusive of Sunni Arab Iraqis, who have not yet been fully incorporated into Iraqi institutions. This working paper represents the initial findings of the Study Mission. |
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Addressing an increasingly important and greatly understudied phenomenon in international affairs, this groundbreaking volume analyzes the formation, actions, and efficacy of groups of states created to support UN peacemaking and peace operations. While these groups—Friends of the Secretary-General and related mechanisms—may represent just one small component of the United Nations’ increased involvement in conflict management, they have fast become a critical element in today’s system of global-security governance. |
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An evenhanded and insightful picture of the obstacles, fiscal incentives, and growing potential for Western oil companies to ameliorate or even prevent conflict in the areas where they operate. Countries: Angola, Azerbaijan, Sudan
| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis, Economics and Development, Nongovernmental Organizations, Peacebuilding
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Countries: Afghanistan
| Issue Areas: Civil-Military Relations, Humanitarian Efforts, Nongovernmental Organizations, Peacekeeping, Post-Conflict Activities
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Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, co-chairs of the Task Force on the United Nations, testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) on Thursday, July 21. Gingrich and Mitchell discussed the findings and recommendations of the task force report. |
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Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, co-chairs of the Task Force on the United Nations, testified on the findings and recommendations of the task force report, which was released on June 15. |
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Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, co-chairs of the Task Force on the United Nations, testified on the findings and recommendations of the task force report, which was released on June 15. |