The Insights newsletter is a new USIP publication that highlights the intersection between theory and practice in the peacebuilding field on a quarterly basis.

As a relatively recent practice in international politics, peacebuilding constantly evolves through lessons learned, new technological developments and the changing nature of violent conflict. This new USIP publication will raise critical questions on a select peacebuilding field or practice, such as mediation, the prevention of electoral violence or the role of technology in conflict mitigation. The newsletter will chal­lenge and refine major assumptions about the theory and practice of peacebuilding, and contribute to the design of specific peacebuilding tools applicable in conflict situations worldwide.

Each issue will feature contributions by conflict analysts from the national and international policymaking, academic and practitioner communities. Insights will foster exchanges between academics and practitioners to further public understanding of peacebuilding efforts, and create new thinking on the practitioner’s toolkit of international responses to violent conflict. Guest contributors will address conceptual hurdles, and closely examine how peacebuilding concepts are put into practice. Additionally, the newsletter will feature concrete examples of peacebuilding practices in the field.

This first edition of Insights is dedicated to Countering Violent Extremism or CVE as a field of theory relevant to peacebuilding practice. This spring issue features an introduction to CVE’s “State of the Art” by USIP’s Steven Heydemann and Naureen Chowdhury Fink from the Global Center on Cooperative Security, a PeaceArena discussion between Dr. John Horgan and Tom Parker, and case studies illustrating the practice of CVE in Pakistan and Nigeria.

In this Issue

  • State of the Art:
    • Countering Violent Extremism as a Field of Practice
    • Something Old, Something New
  • Peace Arena: CVE Theory vs. Practice
    • With Tom Parker and Dr. John Horgan
  • In Practice
    • CVE In Nigeria and Pakistan

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As Fragile Kashmir Cease-Fire Turns Three, Here’s How to Keep it Alive

As Fragile Kashmir Cease-Fire Turns Three, Here’s How to Keep it Alive

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

By: Christopher Clary

At midnight on the night of February 24-25, 2021, India and Pakistan reinstated a cease-fire that covered their security forces operating “along the Line of Control (LOC) and all other sectors” in Kashmir, the disputed territory that has been at the center of the India-Pakistan conflict since 1947. While the third anniversary of that agreement is a notable landmark in the history of India-Pakistan cease-fires, the 2021 cease-fire is fragile and needs bolstering to be maintained.

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

Understanding Pakistan’s Election Results

Understanding Pakistan’s Election Results

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

By: Asfandyar Mir, Ph.D.;  Tamanna Salikuddin

Days after Pakistan’s February 8 general election, the Election Commission of Pakistan released the official results confirming a major political upset. Contrary to what most political pundits and observers had predicted, independents aligned with former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won the most seats at the national level, followed by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). No party won an absolute majority needed to form a government on its own. The resultant uncertainty means the United States may have to contend with a government that is more focused on navigating internal politics and less so on addressing strategic challenges.

Type: Analysis

Global Elections & ConflictGlobal Policy

Tamanna Salikuddin on Pakistan’s Elections

Tamanna Salikuddin on Pakistan’s Elections

Monday, February 12, 2024

By: Tamanna Salikuddin

Surprisingly, candidates aligned with former Prime Minister Imran Khan won the most seats in Pakistan’s elections. But while voters “have shown their faith in democracy,” the lack of a strong mandate for any specific leader or institution “doesn’t necessarily bode well for [Pakistan’s] stability,” says USIP’s Tamanna Salikuddin.

Type: Podcast

The 2021 India-Pakistan Ceasefire: Origins, Prospects, and Lessons Learned

The 2021 India-Pakistan Ceasefire: Origins, Prospects, and Lessons Learned

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

By: Christopher Clary

The February 2021 ceasefire between India and Pakistan along the Line of Control in Kashmir has—despite occasional violations—turned into one of the longest-lasting in the countries’ 75-year shared history. Yet, as Christopher Clary writes, the ceasefire remains vulnerable to shocks from terrorist attacks, changes in leadership, and shifting regional relations. With the ceasefire approaching its third anniversary, Clary’s report examines the factors that have allowed it to succeed, signs that it may be fraying, and steps that can be taken to sustain it.

Type: Special Report

Peace Processes

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