WASHINGTON—A facet of Afghanistan's reconstruction to which little attention and scant resources have been directed is the need for free and independent media. This is a crucial component of any open and transparent democratic system, but making it happen in Afghanistan will be a huge challenge, even if the requisite energy and resources are brought to bear. This is largely because Afghanistan has never had a free press. Americans take press freedom for granted, but the concept is foreign and...

WASHINGTON--With elections having occurred or soon to occur this fall in Bosnia (October 5), Kosovo (October 26), Macedonia (September 15), Montenegro (October 6), and Serbia (September 29), the international community is watching the region to see if moderate, reform-minded politicians can withstand nationalist forces at the polls. The triumph of peace agreement supporters in Macedonia last weekend is encouraging, but in much of the rest of the region nationalists seem to hold the upper hand...

The Peace Scholar fellowship recipients represent a diverse array of academic disciplines--political science, sociology, anthropology, history and others--and a cross-section of leading universities across the United States. The Peace Scholar Program is one of the Institute's most competitive. This year's winners were selected in a rigorous competition from more than 144 applicants from 58 universities in 25 states, the District of Columbia, and 35 foreign countries. The program is open to a...

WASHINGTON, July 12, 2002 –The United States Institute of Peace mourns the passing of John Wallach, a tireless and heroic advocate for peace in the Middle East and elsewhere. Mr. Wallach died in New York on Wednesday, July 10 after a long struggle with lung cancer. He was 59. Mr. Wallach was a great friend to the U.S. Institute of Peace, having been a senior fellow in 1997-98, a multiple grantee and a participant in numerous Institute programs and events. After a long and distinguished care...

WASHINGTON--David Epstein, a junior at Pikesville High School in Pikesville, Maryland., has won the 2001–2002 National Peace Essay Contest, the U.S. Institute of Peace announced today. David's essay, entitled "Safeguarding Human Rights and Preventing Conflict through U.S. Peacekeeping," was judged to be the best of more than 1,200 entries received from high school students in 48 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories and overseas schools. As the national winner, David will recei...

WASHINGTON--During a five-day training workshop on "Developing Good Governance" for 30 Kosovo Assembly Members, organized June 12-16 by the United States Institute of Peace, participants developed conflict management skills and applied them to the task of setting an agenda for the Assembly. According to Institute organizers George Ward (Director, Training Program) and Daniel Serwer (Director, Balkans Initiative), they achieved a consensus on six important issues: Passing the necessary ...

WASHINGTON–The United States Institute of Peace mourns the passing of Tahseen Bashir, a distinguished Egyptian diplomat and an Institute Senior Fellow in 1995-96. Mr. Bashir died of heart failure Tuesday in London. He was 77. Mr. Bashir served as spokesman to the first two of Egypt's three modern presidents–Gamal Abdel Nasser and Anwar Sadat–and later became known as an outspoken, unabashed and oft-quoted critic of Egyptian politics and government. During his fellowship at the U.S. Institut...

WASHINGTON--The United States Institute of Peace is pleased to present its 2002-2003 Senior Fellows. This is the fifteenth class of fellows to be in residence at the Institute. The Jennings Randolph Fellowship Program is one of the Institute's core programs. Named in honor of former U.S. Senator Jennings Randolph of West Virginia, a vigorous proponent in the Institute's founding, the program affords leading policy practitioners and researchers opportunities to examine international conflict a...