Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Afghanistan's Prospective 'Unity' Government: A Test for the Constitution
The plan for a “unity government” in Afghanistan that includes both of the top presidential candidates will test the integrity of the country’s constitution, according to a legal scholar who was chairman of the commission that conducted public consultations for the final 2004 constitution. USIP Program Officer Lillian Dang interviews Mohammad Hashim Kamali, an influential expert on Islam and legal issues and a United Nations advisor on constitutional reform.
'Culture of Peace' Must be Inclusive, USIP’s Kuehnast Tells UN Panel
Promoting a "culture of peace," as called for in a 1999 United Nations General Assembly resolution, requires "dynamic and creative leadership," the inclusion of women and sufficient funding, USIP's Kathleen Kuehnast told an annual UN forum in New York this week.
Latest Extremist Group in Iraq, Syria Must Be Challenged at Core, USIP’s Omar Says
The brutality of the extremist militants who call themselves “The Islamic State” is a strategy in itself and must be met by powerful counter-measures that address the core causes of the conflict, said Manal Omar, USIP’s associate vice president for the Middle East and Africa, at the recent launch of the U.S. Senate’s Human Rights Caucus.
Community Policing and Violent Extremism: Sharing Security Responsibility
How is it possible to do community policing in the absence of trust between citizens and security forces? This is just one of the questions that challenged an international group of experts as they explored the role of police and citizens, especially women, in countering violent extremism (CVE), during a workshop hosted by USIP’s Center for Gender and Peacebuilding.
Meet Syria’s Rescue Workers: When War Becomes 'Daily Life'
Update Aug. 15, 2016: Rescue worker Khaled Harah, who spoke at USIP in this 2014 discussion, died in the kind of airstrike he and others knew too well. See news report here. The day started with seven hours of digging through rubble to free three families from a building hit by a barrel bomb. Just as the workers thought they were finished, a frantic mother rushed up to them, crying and pleading to please help find her missing baby too, a child just 10 days old. The resulting 16-hour day o...
Afghanistan’s Mining Industry, Crucial for Economy, Holds Risks for Women
As Afghanistan attempts to develop its economy by attracting investment to its mining sector, the already daunting conditions for women in rural areas could worsen without specific steps to address their needs. That’s the conclusion of a study funded by USIP that examined the potential ramifications for women in three mining communities in Afghanistan.
A Post-War Transition That Works: A Lesson for Afghanistan... from Kosovo
A case study hashed out at West Point recently focused on a conflict 15 years past to demonstrate that a post-war transition has a better chance of success with three key elements. The formula could reframe the nation’s recurring debate over “nation-building” and point the way to approaches that might help the U.S. and its allies during the next phase of Afghanistan’s transition.
Religious Leaders Countering Extremist Violence: How Policy Changes Can Help
As the militant group calling itself “Islamic State” stormed across northern Iraq and Syria in recent months, prominent imam Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayyah and more than 100 other Muslim leaders flew into action, drafting a condemnation of the insurgent group’s actions with an appeal to Islamic jurisprudence. In Burma (Myanmar), as Muslims have faced persecution from Buddhist extremists, some Buddhist monks offer shelter in their monasteries. In Nigeria, the kidnapping of hundreds of schoolgirls ...
Tunisia’s Secret Sauce: From Freedom to Responsibility
On one of the busiest intersections of Tunisia’s coastal city of Monastir stands a prominent building draped in red-and-white banners urging citizens to vote. Miniature Tunisian flags hang over the pillared entrance. Like similar buildings all over the country, the structure has been converted from a political party hub of the former dictator to a regional election-information center. The hive of activity inside during the run-up to Tunisia’s October parliamentary election and the coming pres...
FARC-Colombia Talks Advance in Havana
On Friday, November 7, President Juan Manuel Santos wrapped up a five-day diplomatic marathon for peace to the capital cities of Madrid, Brussels, Berlin, Lisbon, Paris, and London. He met with heads of state, kings, princes, and the leaders of the European Union and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), where Colombia’s membership is under consideration. Santos garnered widespread political support for Colombia’s peace process with Colombia’s largest insurgency, ...