Publications
Articles, publications, books, tools and multimedia features from the U.S. Institute of Peace provide the latest news, analysis, research findings, practitioner guides and reports, all related to the conflict zones and issues that are at the center of the Institute’s work to prevent and reduce violent conflict.
Question And Answer
Amid a Changing Global Order, NATO Looks East
Peacebuilding and Resilience: How Society Responds to Violence
Based on research and a series of working group meetings hosted by the United States Institute of Peace, this report explores the concept of resilience in the context of peacebuilding and conflict-affected states and how socioecological systems respond to violence.
Community Resilience to Violent Extremism in Kenya
Focusing on six urban neighborhoods in Kenya, this report explores how key resilience factors have prevented or countered violent extremist activity at the local level. It is based on a one-year, mixed-method study led by the United States Institute of Peace and supported by Sahan Research.
Violent Extremism And Clan Dynamics In Kenya
Derived from interviews across three Kenyan counties, this report explores the relationships between resilience and risk to clan violence and violent extremism in the northeast region of the country. The research was funded by a grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development through the United States Institute of Peace, which collaborated with Sahan Africa in conducting the study.
Understanding Pakistan's Water-Security Nexus
Pakistan faces unprecedented stresses on its water resources from inequitable distribution, population growth, urbanization, and shifts in production and consumption patterns, and these water problems exacerbate local tensions. Solutions to Pakistan’s water crisis must focus on addressing unsustainable practices and gross mismanagement, say the authors of this new report.
A New Approach to Understanding Afghanistan's Transition
When it is compared with other countries that have undergone transition, Afghanistan is revealed to be stronger than many on economic performance but weaker than the norm for governance and rule of law. If its strengths are supported and weak areas are targeted for improvement, the country will improve its prospects for a successful transition, say the authors of this new report.
The United States and R2P: From Words to Action
In this report, former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright and the late Ambassador Richard S. Williamson identify concrete steps to increase U.S. capacity in preventing mass atrocities.
Domestic Barriers to Dismantling the Militant Infrastructure in Pakistan
Pakistan will continue to find it difficult to counter militancy more vigorously in its territory, and U.S. officials urging the country to make greater efforts should fully understand the obstacles. One is the Pakistan security establishment’s penchant for supporting militant groups it believes might have strategic uses while ignoring those it believes have no strategic value. But there are other obstacles, including lack of funding, bureaucratic barriers, and public opinion.
Regional Politics and The Prospects for Stability in Afghanistan
The United States is planning its withdrawal from Afghanistan as the country faces three interrelated challenges: a weak national state, rising Islamic radicalism based in Pakistan’s tribal belt, and zero-sum regional politics. The stage is set for a balance-of-power contest between India and Pakistan played out in Afghanistan that could fuel another civil war in the country. This report details the nature of the tension between India and Pakistan over Afghanistan and outlines steps that the ...
Counterinsurgency, Local Militias, and Statebuilding in Afghanistan
Arming local defense forces in Afghanistan has had mixed and often perverse effects on the security of local populations, according to this study on the role and impact of the Afghan Local Police in three provinces. These findings suggest that, as international forces draw down, the ALP will require stronger state oversight and absorption into the national police force.
Syria’s Socially Mediated Civil War
Much of what the outside world thinks it knows about Syria has come from videos, analysis, and commentary circulated through social media. In the report, leading social media researchers assess the sources of this content, its credibility, and how it travels. Their examination of English-language and Arabic-language Twitter feeds on Syria reveal insular networks with vastly different content, calling into question Western reliance on English-only sources of information on the conflict.