Experts from the U.S. Institute of Peace provide the latest analysis and perspective on the world’s critical hot spots, U.S. and global security and issues involved in violent conflict, based on the Institute’s work on the ground and with key individuals, governments and organizations. They give interviews and background briefings to journalists and write for news outlets around the world.
Israel is reportedly preparing for a direct military attack by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). These preparations come in light of the rising tensions between the two countries in Syria. It began in February when an Iranian drone flew into Israeli airspace and Israeli jets responded by...
The protests that rocked Iran earlier this year barely affected how most countries engage with the world’s only Shiite theocracy. But in neighboring Iraq, they have forced a much deeper debate that goes to the heart of the country’s political future — and that of the whole region.
Despite clear evidence of the effectiveness of individual peacebuilding efforts, the field as a whole often struggles to have a meaningful collective impact on broader conflict dynamics. This report, drawing on a pilot initiative in the Central African Republic—IMPACT-CAR—to develop a shared...
In Afghanistan, the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a Kabul voting center that killed at least 60 people, including 22 women and eight children. More than 130 people were wounded, and Afghan police say many of the victims were waiting in line outside the center attempting to receive national identity cards in order to vote.
“Efforts are underway behind the scenes to bridge differences between United States and Pakistan. People from both sides are working very hard to make this relationship a success,” U.S. State Department official Martha Patterson told Daily Times at a convention recently organised by the Pakistani Embassy in Washington D.C.
In October 2006, Al-Masri announced the creation of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI). By April 2013 this organization would change its name to what most of us know it as today, Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant; otherwise abbreviated as ISIL or ISIS. After ISIS had made massive territorial gains and had committed several human rights abuses, many nations decided that due to the threat of further spillover that intervention was needed.
It has been obvious to observers of the West Asian scene for some time that the United States’ game plan for regime change in Syria has backfired spectacularly. The Syrian government has re-established control over the most populous parts of the country. The U.S. is making a last-ditch effort to carve out an independent Kurdish enclave in Syria encompassing the oil and gas rich parts of the country.
The Afghan economy tanked after large numbers of coalition troops — and the jobs created to support them — left the country, indicating a 16-year, $122 billion reconstruction effort failed to develop a sustainable economic system, according to a U.S. watchdog agency.
The U.S. Institute of Peace is saddened by the death of former First Lady Barbara Bush, who served America and the global community as an exemplar of the diplomacy, honest dialogue and compassion that are central to building peace. During the administration of her husband, President George H.W. Bush, Barbara Bush lent her active support to USIP’s educational mission, notably among U.S. high school students.
As rogue states and terrorist organizations continue to exploit cyberspace, governments around the globe must do more to curb illicit online funding, U.S lawmakers say.