As a national, nonpartisan, independent Institute, the U.S. Institute of Peace draws on our exceptional convening power to create opportunities for diverse audiences to exchange knowledge, experiences, and ideas necessary for creative solutions to difficult challenges. We serve as an important, neutral platform for bringing together government and nongovernment, diplomacy, security, and development actors, and participants across political views. The Institute’s events help shape public policy and priorities to advance peaceful solutions to conflict and strengthen international security.
Based on a recent USIP report "Hamas: Ideological Rigidity, Political Flexibility" by Paul Scham and Osama abu-Irshaid, this discussion will explore how the international community can detect and take advantage of any willingness by Hamas to compromise, without making ourselves vulnerable to manipulation. How should we interpret this movement, what is the role of Shari'a law in Hama's political behavior and what are the policy implications of the report?
Nearly a decade ago with the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1325, the United Nations and member states made a commitment to promote the participation of women in decision-making levels in conflict resolution and peace processes, expand the role and contribution of women in UN field-based operations, and to integrate gender perspectives and training into peacekeeping. Where are we now, what has worked, what has not worked, and why? The panelists will address these questions on women...
Following President Álvaro Uribe’s visit to Washington in late June and his meeting with President Obama, Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA) will offer his views on how the U.S. should approach Colombia and prospects for peace in the country’s decades-long internal conflict.
On June 12, Iran held an historic, and as it has turned out, highly contentious presidential election. While the government declared incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the decisive winner, his challengers--led by Mir Hossein Mousavi--have accused the regime of massive voter fraud, thus setting up a unprecedented conflict between a regime and major segments of society. These developments come on the heels of efforts by the Obama administration to engage Iran. USIP hosted a fascinating ...
From his first day in office, President Barack Obama has made Arab-Israeli peacemaking a top foreign policy priority. In recent weeks, he has consulted with a wide range of leaders from the region, including Israel’s new prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu
As the Obama administration seeks to re-engage Russia on military, economic and human rights issues, the United States Institute of Peace announces the release of Human Rights, Perestroika, and the End of the Cold War (USIP Press, July 2009). This diplomatic memoir, co-authored by a Soviet and an American diplomat, explores their unlikely partnership and role in the transformation of Soviet-American relations.
Haiti has received unprecedented diplomatic attention this year, with visits from the UN Secretary General, Secretary of State and former President Clinton, and the UN Security Council. The April 14 international donors' conference yielded $324 million in new pledges. The Senate elections saw little violence, but low turnout. Has Haiti reached a genuine turning point?
At the request of the UN Secretary General, Professor Paul Collier, author of the best selling book The Bottom Billion, traveled to Haiti to assist the government to develop a strategy for generating economic security. Professor Collier's findings, which relies on U.S. trade incentives to generate economic growth, could provide a blueprint for donor assistance to Haiti.