The Latest @ USIP: How Peace Games Can Help Congress

The Latest @ USIP: How Peace Games Can Help Congress

Thursday, March 2, 2023

By: Steve Israel

In an often volatile and complex geopolitical environment, U.S. leaders need to understand the full range of tools available to them when it comes to managing conflict. Former Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY), who now leads Cornell University’s Institute of Politics and Global Affairs, discusses how the partnership with USIP on congressional peace games gives members of Congress and their staff a chance to work through a simulated scenario in a way that doesn’t necessarily involve going to war and explains why bipartisanship is so important for promoting democracy, peace and stability abroad.

Type: Blog

Conflict Analysis & PreventionPeace Processes

The Latest @ USIP: Libya’s Institutional Legitimacy Crisis

The Latest @ USIP: Libya’s Institutional Legitimacy Crisis

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

By: Abdoulaye Bathily;  Andrew Cheatham;  Can Dizdar;  Ambassador Richard Norland

As Libya’s cease-fire continues to hold, the country can take the next step toward long-term stability by addressing its institutional legitimacy crisis. Without public trust in decision-making bodies, the country will struggle with crucial issues at the heart of the conflict, such as Libya’s vast oil wealth and how to distribute it. Democratically elected leadership is the best way forward — but elections remain elusive amid a political and military stalemate.

Type: Blog

Democracy & GovernancePeace Processes

The Latest @ USIP: Where Does NATO Go From Here?

The Latest @ USIP: Where Does NATO Go From Here?

Thursday, February 23, 2023

By: Ambassador Douglas Lute

Amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s rise as a strategic competitor, NATO is faced with a rapidly shifting geopolitical environment. Moving forward, the alliance’s greatest challenge might come from within, as democratic backsliding continues to plague some member states. Ambassador Douglas Lute, a former U.S. permanent representative to NATO, discusses NATO’s efforts to deter further Russian aggression, how China’s differing view of world order makes it a competitor to NATO’s mission and why shared democratic values are the glue that holds the consensus-based NATO structure together.

Type: Blog

Global Policy

The Latest @ USIP: The Role of Poetry in Conflict Resolution

The Latest @ USIP: The Role of Poetry in Conflict Resolution

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

By: Pádraig Ó Tuama

So often, language can seem flimsy in the face of violence and conflict — but poetry as an art form reminds us that language can help people heal from conflict and build lasting peace. Pádraig Ó Tuama, poet-in-residence at Columbia University's International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution, discusses how poetry can help unlock ways to reframe and reimagine peace, how he’s used poetry in his own conflict resolution work in Ireland, and where he sees signs of hope in today’s conflict environment.

Type: Blog

Peace ProcessesReconciliation

The Latest @ USIP: Venezuela’s Road to Free and Fair Elections

The Latest @ USIP: Venezuela’s Road to Free and Fair Elections

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

By: Mark Wells

As the Venezuelan regime and opposition cautiously return to the negotiating table, the focus is on creating an environment for free, fair and democratic elections in 2024. Mark Wells, deputy assistant secretary for the State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, discusses the on-the-ground role of Venezuelan civil society, pairing U.S. sanctions relief with progress in negotiations, and what regional allies are doing to help guide Venezuela toward a democratic solution.

Type: Blog

Democracy & Governance

The Latest @ USIP: What’s at Stake in Nigeria’s Elections? (Part 2)

The Latest @ USIP: What’s at Stake in Nigeria’s Elections? (Part 2)

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

By: Ibrahim Gambari

Nigeria’s national elections later this month will have major implications not only for Nigeria, but for West Africa and the continent more broadly. Ibrahim Gambari, chief of staff to the term-limited President Muhammadu Buhari, says the outgoing president has made organizing a peaceful, free and fair election process a cornerstone of the legacy he hopes to hand to his successor — and that he hopes civil society, political leaders and international partners like the United States can rally behind Nigerians as they exercise their right to vote.

Type: Blog

Democracy & Governance

The Latest @ USIP: The Future of Ukraine’s Democracy

The Latest @ USIP: The Future of Ukraine’s Democracy

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

By: Peter Erben

At the moment, the priority for Ukrainians is to win the war against Russia. But to ensure victory in what comes next, Ukraine must strengthen its democratic practices so that it emerges from this conflict prepared for critical elections. Peter Erben, principal advisor and senior country director for Ukraine at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, discusses how an improved democracy is the key for Ukraine’s possible ascension to the EU, the importance of ensuring Ukrainians forced to leave their homes are able to vote in the next elections, and what the international community can do to help.

Type: Blog

Democracy & Governance

The Latest @ USIP: Religious Inclusion in Afghanistan

The Latest @ USIP: Religious Inclusion in Afghanistan

Tuesday, February 7, 2023

By: Charles Ramsey

The Taliban often use religious arguments to justify their claim to authority. But the Taliban are just one aspect of Afghanistan, and the caretaker government has failed to justify many of its more draconian policies — especially those against women and girls. Charles Ramsey, a resident scholar at Baylor University's Institute for the Studies of Religion and a senior fellow at the Religious Freedom Institute, discusses the role that other religious actors in Afghanistan can play in shaping the country’s future and how positively engaging with these religious leaders can contribute to building peace.

Type: Blog

Peace ProcessesReligion

How Do Israeli and Palestinian Youth View the Prospects for Peace?

How Do Israeli and Palestinian Youth View the Prospects for Peace?

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

By: Robert Barron

Amid this year’s rising tide of violence between Israelis and Palestinians, a new poll released last week by Khalil Shikaki and Dahlia Scheindlin brings more sobering news. In the study, pollsters found that in Israel, for the first time, support for a nondemocratic regime (unequal rights between Israelis and Palestinians) is stronger than a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Trends among young people are especially striking — only 20 percent Israeli Jews aged 18-34 are in favor a two-state solution to the conflict.

Type: Blog

Peace ProcessesYouth

The Latest @ USIP: Threats to Peace and Security in the Sahel

The Latest @ USIP: Threats to Peace and Security in the Sahel

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

By: Emanuela Del Re

From coups and climate change to food insecurity and a rise in violent extremism, the Sahel region of Africa is facing a number of complex and interconnected threats to regional security. Emanuela Del Re, the EU special representative for the Sahel, discusses how Africa’s partners can help address these issues, the importance of international collaboration that’s rooted in equality, and the roles of the EU-Africa Summit and U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in developing a path toward peace and stability in the Sahel.

Type: Blog

EnvironmentFragility & ResilienceViolent Extremism