Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Two American Lieutenants: A Veterans Day Story
This November 11 marks 100 years since the World War I armistice that Americans commemorate as Veterans Day. With the nation, the U.S. Institute of Peace honors those who have served in America’s armed forces and, especially, their sacrifices in times of war. These men and women know better than most of us the terrible costs we face when human conflict turns violent.
Tunisia: Will Elected Local Governments Build Democracy? (Video)
A model to help stabilize Tunisia's volatile communities could come from Kasserine, which has seen frequent protests and upheaval, and which is a locus of recruitment by extremist groups.
Montana Students Take on the World
The students from Gardiner, Montana’s high school didn’t have much experience in the world beyond “little towns among farmland,” as one of them put it. So, when the mayor of the state capital, Helena, spoke to them as a 1994 refugee from Liberia’s civil war, the link between distant conflict zones and pastoral Montana took on a captivating human form.
Lebanon’s New Election Law Results in Limited Change
On May 6, Lebanon held parliamentary polls—its first in nine years—under a new electoral law. I served as an international observer with the National Democratic Institute’s (NDI) mission. It was a unique opportunity to witness firsthand Lebanon’s complex political system. Deployed to Zahle, a multi-confessional district in eastern Lebanon, I gained a deeper appreciation of the election’s enormous challenges and limited bright spots.
The Risks of China’s $4 Trillion 'Belt-and-Road' Plan
Chinese President Xi Jinping is gathering 29 heads of state and officials from more than 110 countries in Beijing starting May 14 for the first summit of his high-stakes Belt and Road Initiative. The $4 trillion plan offers the promise of economic growth, stability and increased connectivity for countries around the world. But it also faces—and creates—a host of complications for China and the other countries involved.
Can Trump Revive Saudi Peace and Anti-Terror Role?
President Donald Trump’s upcoming meetings in Riyadh with Saudi King Salman bin Abd Al-Aziz could spur a renewal on two critical fronts for both leaders: the Saudi role in the region’s military conflicts and the extremist threat on its own turf.
Next Steps on Israeli-Palestinian Peace
At each stop on President Trump’s recent visit to the Middle East—Riyadh, Jerusalem and Bethlehem—he reiterated his seriousness about moving forward on Middle East peace. The theme continued in his visit to the Vatican, where the Pope gave the President a small sculpted olive tree and told his guest: “It is my desire that you become an olive tree to construct peace."
Burma Dialogue Inches Ahead Amid Tough Issues for Peace
The second round of Burma’s high-level political dialogue, part of an ongoing peace process that seeks to resolve one of the world’s longest running civil conflicts, produced some movement by the time it wrapped this week, even as leaders on all sides struggle with some of the most contentious questions.
As ISIS Fighters Return Home, Mobilizing Communities
The dozen senior officials seated around the room were veterans of high-level strategy and planning. They work in ministries. They serve as analysts and advisors on security, counterterrorism, human rights. They had helped craft their national policy to prevent violent extremism. Now they were embarking on a specific plan for handling the next stage of the problem.
Curbing the Next Wave of Radicals
A seaside suburb of Dakar, Senegal’s capital, Guédiawaye boasts a new coastal highway, large stadiums for wrestling and soccer, and new urban parks that even have marshes to manage periodic flooding. By all appearances, it is a growing, productive community. Yet underneath, the city struggles with high crime rates, environmental degradation, extreme poverty, unemployment and a disturbing growth in the number of suspected extremists.