Tuesday, April 30, 2024
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.
Ask the Experts: What Is the American Approach to Peacebuilding?
The American approach to peacebuilding has deep roots in many of the world’s greatest diplomatic successes. From the creation of a new international rules-based system after World War II to the end of the Cold War, the United States has taken the lead in shaping one of the most peaceful eras in history. USIP’s Andrew Cheatham spoke with Asle Toje, deputy leader of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, to discuss the definition of peace outlined by Alfred Nobel, the role of the United States as a constructive partner in the international community, and examples where “the American way of peace has been much more influential in delivering positive outcomes … than the American way of war.”
The Latest @ USIP: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on Women’s Inclusion in African Leadership
Nobel Peace Prize winner and former President of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf discusses the inspiring persistence of African women in the face of male-dominated societies, the need for women to work collectively across national boundaries, and how African leaders can better promote women’s participation by ensuring gender equality is built into both their policies and practices.
The Latest @ USIP: Africa’s Security Challenges
African countries are grappling with a wide range of cross-national security threats, from illicit trafficking to extremist groups such as Boko Haram and al-Shabab. At the same time, China and Russia have expanded their involvement in Africa while U.S. engagement has waned in recent years. Retired Admiral James Foggo, who served as commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, discusses his experience working with African security partners, explores ways the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit can bring the continent back to the forefront of U.S. foreign policy, and explains how expanded NATO-African Union cooperation opens doors for engagement with all 54 African countries at once.
The Latest: Africa’s Coups and Transitions
In recent years, a spate of coups throughout Africa has threatened the continent’s peace, stability and development. While coup leaders often cite popular discontent to justify their actions, post-coup environments in Africa have only exacerbated longstanding issues with security and governance. Without a path for a democratic transition back to civilian rule, many countries controlled by coup regimes are risking further fragility that could spread beyond their borders. As the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit unfolds, USIP’s Chris Kwaja, Joseph Sany and Susan Stigant look at how several post-coup transitions have unfolded in Africa — as well as how the summit can help get them back on track.
The Latest @ USIP: Russia's Influence in the Middle East and North Africa
When Russia intervened in the Syrian civil conflict in 2015, many analysts believed it marked Russia’s return as an influential actor in the Middle East and North Africa. But the war in Ukraine — and the Russian military’s lackluster performance in that war — have since altered Russia’s standing in the region. Eugene Rumer, director of the Russia and Eurasia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, discusses how Russia has expanded its presence in the Middle East and North Africa in recent years, how the invasion of Ukraine has affected Russia’s geopolitical goals, and trends that might affect Moscow’s commitments there going forward — from overextended military resources to global oil prices.
Ask the Experts: What’s Next for U.S. Policy in Africa
USIP’s Andrew Cheatham spoke with Ambassador Johnnie Carson — the newly named special presidential representative for U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit implementation — to discuss the Biden administration’s post-summit goals, what African leaders hope to take away from the talks, and why this moment offers a unique chance to reframe the U.S. approach toward Africa.
In Douar Hicher, Tunisian Women Are Breaking the Cycle of Violent Extremism
Since ISIS emerged in 2011, an estimated 5,000 young men from Tunisia have joined violent extremist organizations in Syria, Iraq and Libya — the highest per-capita population of foreign fighters in the world.