USIP Explains: Al-Hol Camp's Reintegration Challenge Shows ISIS’ Enduring Impact

USIP Explains: Al-Hol Camp's Reintegration Challenge Shows ISIS’ Enduring Impact

Tuesday, September 5, 2023

By: Sarhang Hamasaeed

The al-Hol camp in Syria has become a symbol of the Islamic State’s enduring impact in the region. While most of the 53,000 people still living in the camp — half of which are children under the age of 11 — did not choose to live under ISIS, their reintegration into society remains stalled, in part over their perceived affiliation with the extremist group. USIP’s Sarhang Hamasaeed discusses why the stigma around those living in al-Hol only serves to increase their isolation and vulnerability to malign influence, as well as how the Institute is working with Iraqi government and community leaders to overcome the practical challenges associated with reintroducing displaced people into society.

Type: Blog

Violent Extremism

Ask the Experts: How to Stop Transnational Crime Networks in Southeast Asia

Ask the Experts: How to Stop Transnational Crime Networks in Southeast Asia

Wednesday, August 30, 2023

By: Andrew Cheatham;  Jason Tower

In recent years, transnational criminal networks have built a web of influence throughout Southeast Asia to facilitate their illicit gambling, fraud and human trafficking operations. And while these networks emanate from several countries in the region — particularly Myanmar — their reach is global. In the United States alone, victims have already lost several billion dollars to scams. USIP’s Andrew Cheatham and Jason Tower discuss how these large-scale networks operate, how the 2021 military coup in Myanmar offered the networks a safe haven for their illicit activities, and how the United States can take the lead on addressing this issue.

Type: Blog

Justice, Security & Rule of Law

The Latest @ USIP: Documenting the Taliban’s Assault on Human Rights

The Latest @ USIP: Documenting the Taliban’s Assault on Human Rights

Tuesday, August 22, 2023

By: Richard Bennett

Despite initial promises to the contrary, the Taliban have systematically stripped human rights protections from large swaths of the Afghan population — particularly women, minorities and children. With the gains of the last two decades nearly wiped out, accountability for human rights abuses will be a major factor in the international community’s policy toward the Taliban going forward. Richard Bennett, the U.N. special rapporteur for human rights in Afghanistan, explains why documentation is the first and most important step in upholding human rights; discusses various forms of accountability for human rights abuses; and offers ways that Afghan and international human rights advocates can contribute to this crucial work.

Type: Blog

GenderHuman Rights

USIP Peace Teacher Highlights Vietnam Reconciliation with ‘Peace Homes’ Project

USIP Peace Teacher Highlights Vietnam Reconciliation with ‘Peace Homes’ Project

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

By: Michelle Mao;  Erin Sullivan

Across the country, teachers are teaming up with USIP to integrate peacebuilding into their curriculum. One of these peace teachers, Erin Sullivan, and her student Michelle Mao discuss how their school in Wilmington, Delaware, recently worked with The 2 Sides Project on its “peace homes” rehabilitation program in Vietnam, which connects donors with Vietnamese families in need of major renovations or a completely new home. Together, they raised the money needed to help renovate the flood-prone home of the Cong family in Ho Chi Minh City — and even donated extra funds to buy two desks for the family’s school-aged children.

Type: Blog

Education & Training

The Latest @ USIP: The Local Aspects of the Global Fragility Act

The Latest @ USIP: The Local Aspects of the Global Fragility Act

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

By: Anne Witkowsky

The best strategy to save lives, disrupt cycles of violence and build lasting peace is to prevent conflicts before they happen. The U.S. Global Fragility Act (GFA) and associated U.S. Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability both center this approach within U.S. foreign policy, helping partner countries get ahead of the curve. Assistant Secretary of State Anne Witkowsky discusses how the GFA and the Strategy aim to eliminate the drivers of instability and conflict; why the 10-year GFA plans offer a chance for policymakers to learn and adapt to changing environments; and why those on front lines of conflict are the ones most likely to understand where solutions may be found.

Type: Blog

Conflict Analysis & PreventionFragility & Resilience

The Latest @ USIP: The Future of U.S.-Philippines Relations

The Latest @ USIP: The Future of U.S.-Philippines Relations

Tuesday, August 8, 2023

By: Hank Hendrickson;  Michael Schiffer

The U.S.-Philippines relationship runs deep, with the two countries working together on a host of issues ranging from security challenges in the South China Sea to economic growth and peacebuilding in the Mindanao region. However, climate change has emerged as one of the most pressing challenges facing the Philippines — and the risk for climate-related disasters is only going to intensify in the years ahead. USIP spoke with Philippines experts to discuss the U.S.-Philippines relationship and where it can go from here.

Type: Blog

Democracy & GovernanceEnvironment

The Latest @ USIP: Climate Change is Driving Migration in the Horn of Africa

The Latest @ USIP: Climate Change is Driving Migration in the Horn of Africa

Monday, July 31, 2023

By: Amy Pope

Climate change is already an acute issue in the East and Horn of Africa. Agricultural and pastoral communities are now facing their sixth straight season of drought, and without a way to shield themselves from the impact, they have very few options but to move. Amy Pope, the director general-elect of the International Organization for Migration, discusses how global aid agencies must continue providing life-saving assistance to those already displaced — but should also help vulnerable communities anticipate and mitigate the impacts of climate change to protect their livelihoods and avoid displacement altogether.

Type: Blog

EnvironmentFragility & Resilience

The Latest @ USIP: What China’s Nuclear Advances Mean for India

The Latest @ USIP: What China’s Nuclear Advances Mean for India

Thursday, July 27, 2023

By: Rajeshwari Rajagopalan

Despite ongoing confrontations along their shared Himalayan border, the India-China nuclear relationship remains fairly stable at this point in time. Both countries maintain a no-first-use policy and officials have not broached the possibility of nuclear escalation. However, China’s expanding nuclear arsenal poses questions for India’s own nuclear posture. The Observer Research Foundation’s Rajeshwari Rajagopalan explains that China’s recent nuclear advances alone haven’t raised alarm in New Delhi — but that Indian leaders should pay special attention to any shifts in Beijing’s no-first-use policy or developments in first-strike options.

Type: Blog

Conflict Analysis & Prevention

The Latest @ USIP: How to Reverse Latin America’s Governance Crisis

The Latest @ USIP: How to Reverse Latin America’s Governance Crisis

Thursday, July 27, 2023

By: Michelle Muschett

Despite massive democratic progress over the last 40 years, Latin America is currently experiencing a governance crisis, with extreme polarization and diminished public trust in institutions. Michelle Muschett, the regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the U.N. Development Programme, discusses how peacebuilding and development practices can help restructure governance institutions to meet people’s needs — with a special emphasis on increasing youth’s participation in political and civic life.

Type: Blog

Democracy & GovernanceYouth

The Latest @ USIP: For Myanmar’s Economy to Recover, Military Rule Must End

The Latest @ USIP: For Myanmar’s Economy to Recover, Military Rule Must End

Monday, July 17, 2023

By: Sean Turnell

Myanmar’s February 2021 military coup wiped out almost all the economic progress that had been made under civilian rule. Today, the country’s economy remains completely devastated, with the national currency having lost 30 percent of its value amid widespread junta violence and instability. Macquarie University’s Sean Turnell — who served as an economic advisor to deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi before being imprisoned by the junta for nearly two years — says there’s only one way to solve Myanmar’s economic crisis: military rule must end. And the international community should do all it can to ensure a return to democratic, civilian governance.

Type: Blog

Democracy & GovernanceEconomics