Thursday, May 9, 2024
The Latest on al-Qaida after al-Zawahiri: 3 Things You Need to Know
It's been about 10 years since the killing of al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden. In July, his successor Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in a drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan. In this episode of The Latest, Asfandyar Mir, a senior expert in USIP's Asia Center, describes where this leaves al-Qaida, what it means for U.S. counterterrorism policy, and who the next leader of al-Qaida might be.
The Latest @ USIP: How to Stymie Guatemala’s Democratic Slide
In recent years, Guatemala’s democracy has faced a series of setbacks, following a troubling regional trend. Endemic corruption is a major challenge that has exacerbated inequality and driven mass migration to the United States. The Biden administration is prioritizing addressing insecurity in Central America. Arresting Guatemala’s democratic erosion will be vital to that effort. In this edition of "The Latest @ USIP,” Ana María Méndez Dardón, director for Central America at the Washington Office on Latin America, discusses the challenges facing civil society and independent journalists in Guatemala today, and explains how the United States can help protect democracy and promote human rights.
The Taliban Are Stuck in the Past — But Afghan Youth Can Create a Better Future
When pressed on the future of girls’ education in Afghanistan, Taliban Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai stated that their government law requires education for “both men and women” and signaled the former insurgent group would reopen girls’ schools once the Taliban government developed “some sort of solution.”
Barriers for Young Women in Northern Nigeria
We are constantly reminded that the youth are “leaders of tomorrow.” But when it comes to their involvement in governance and development, tomorrow never comes. In Nigeria, this has created an unsustainable system. Currently, about 70 percent of Nigeria is under the age of 30, with girls under 30 alone comprising nearly one-third of the total population. Based on their sizable role in the country’s demographics, you would think youth and young women specifically in Nigeria should have more of a voice in decision-making processes. Yet, both are often underrepresented and excluded as collaborators in all sectors of society.
The Latest on Strategic Stability in Southern Asia: 4 Things You Need to Know
While the world focuses on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, there's another hotspot — China, India and Pakistan — where three nuclear-armed states share contested borders. In this video, USIP’s Tamanna Salikuddin and Vikram J. Singh discuss how to enhance stability in the region, the Biden administration's Indo-Pacific strategy, the prospects of nuclear talks in Southern Asia, and the impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war.
The Latest @ USIP: Resurgent Efforts in Colombia’s Peace Process
Newly elected Colombian President Gustavo Petro has made “total peace” a cornerstone of his agenda, looking to jump-start implementation of the 2016 FARC peace agreement and establish negotiations with the ELN and various other armed groups. Monsignor Hector Fabio Henao, who serves as a delegate of the Episcopal Conference of Colombia for relations between the Catholic Church and the Colombian government, discusses how the Church is working at the grassroots level to address the humanitarian situation in conflict-affected areas and efforts to build consensus among civil society and government officials regarding next steps in the peace process.
Ask the Experts: What Drives Papua New Guinea’s Fragility?
The island nation of Papua New Guinea (PNG) struggles from a range of factors that exacerbate its fragility, from intercommunal violence to the potential secession of the autonomous Bougainville region to its inability to hold safe and credible elections. Sexual- and gender-based violence against women also runs rampant in the country. While the PNG state is weak and garners little trust from the people, there are critical civil society actors working to address the country’s instability and mitigate violence.
Time is Running Out to Account for Vietnamese War Dead
As the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War approaches in 2025, Vietnamese families continue to search for the fallen. Finding these war remains not only helps provide closure, but is critical to furthering postwar reconciliation, addressing the war’s legacies and advancing the story of U.S.-Vietnam relations as an example of the practicality and possibility of peace after war.
Thời gian không còn nhiều cho nỗ lực tìm kiếm hài cốt sau chiến tranh
Trong khi Chiến tranh Việt Nam đã lùi xa gần 50 năm (1975-2025), các gia đình Việt vẫn tiếp tục khắc khoải tìm kiếm hài cốt thân nhân nằm xuống trong cuộc chiến. Nỗ lực tìm kiếm này không chỉ giúp khép lại quá khứ, mà còn đóng vai trò quan trọng trong thúc đẩy tiến trình hòa giải, khắc phục hậu quả chiến tranh, và đưa câu chuyện quan hệ Hoa Kỳ-Việt Nam trở thành một điển hình về tính thực tiễn và khả năng xây dựng hòa bình thời hậu chiến. Tuy nhiên, năm tháng đi qua và tạo thêm nhiều thách thức, việc tìm kiếm hài cốt ngày càng trở nên khó khăn.
The Latest @ USIP: A New Framework for Global Development and Security
The unprecedented decline in global development and security in recent years has led organizations like the U.N. Development Program (UNDP) to rethink their strategies to address this growing crisis. Asako Okai, assistant U.N. secretary-general and director of the Crisis Bureau at UNDP, explains how UNDP is training the next generation of crisis leaders and implementing their new policy framework for engaging with fragile states — with an eye toward breaking the cycle of fragility, getting ahead of crises before they get worse, and fostering hope.