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.
On June 21, USIP took a first look at the results of a study by the Empirical Studies of Conflict Project at Princeton University, which can inform more effective stabilization work in future conflicts.
On May 15, the U.S. Institute of Peace held a discussion of the region’s shifting geopolitics and ways current trends might line up with U.S. interests.
On April 25, USIP and HALO Trust, one of the world’s largest demining organizations, gathered experts for a discussion on the implications and results of demining.
On April 24, the U.S. Institute of Peace and the Center for Global Policy convened experts to discuss emerging trends in extremism across the region, how it impacts states internally and how those governments and the United States should respond.
At USIP, Amb. Chaudhry discussed Pakistan’s relationship with Afghanistan and opportunities for U.S.-Pakistani cooperation to promote peace and stability amid the Afghan conflict.
U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq have used a new tool in the past decade—millions of dollars spent by battlefield commanders for local relief and reconstruction projects. These projects have drawn criticism for gaps in financial accountability, but a new study from the RAND Corporation suggests they improved local security and led to reductions in hostilities. On October 13, the report’s authors, along with other experts, discussed their findings on the role in Afghanistan of the Commander’s Emergency Response Program (CERP)—and on ways that such programs can be improved.
On October 6, USIP released a Special Report on women’s roles in non-violent struggles. With the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) and the non-profit organization Just Vision, USIP gathered path-breaking activists, scholars and filmmakers to examine how women’s participation—and the success of non-violent campaigns—can be strengthened.
People forced from their homes amid conflict—the majority of them women—face threats of deprivation, discrimination and a militarized society. During a forum hosted by the U.S. Institute of Peace and the Women’s Regional Network, speakers discussed possible model solutions in Afghanistan, India and Pakistan for displaced women and girls.
Groups such as Afghanistan-based ArtLords and Awareness and Prevention Through Art, which works in the Middle East, are converting blast walls and blighted buildings into murals and other works that prompt discussions in their communities about how to reduce the injustices, social exclusion and other drivers of violent conflict. On July 28, practitioners convened at USIP to discuss how peace advocates can use street art to help build peace.
United States forces and their allies abroad have underestimated the irreversible damage done to their missions when they kill or harm civilians, says a new report by combat veteran and strategist Christopher Kolenda and human rights researcher Rachel Reid. On June 8, the report’s authors, with former Under Secretary of Defense Michèle Flournoy, held a discussion at USIP of their findings.