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.
Despite the $10 billion spent on training, the Afghan police are "the weak link in the security chain," according to Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke. Police expansion is a major component of President Obama's strategy for Afghanistan, but there is widespread concern about this program. USIP's Security Sector Reform Working Group hosted a panel presentation to discuss this issue.
Afghanistan is perhaps one of the most pressing issues in contemporary humanitarian and foreign affairs. In his Inaugural address, President Obama committed to "forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan." The country has been the scene of extreme human rights abuses, civil war, terrorism, regional instability, and is the third poorest country in the world.
Effective ministerial advising is a lynchpin of successful security sector reform (SSR). However, the U.S. lacks an integrated, cohesive strategy for advising Are there "best practices" for ministerial advisors? Can advisors effectively apply these practices across contexts? A panel of experts discussed this issue from their various perspectives.
As the International Criminal Court considers the chief prosecutor’s request for an arrest warrant for Sudanese president Omar Hassan al-Bashir, there is an ongoing debate concerning the relationship between efforts to achieve peace in Sudan, especially in the Darfur region, and efforts to achieve proper accountability. This panel explored the relationship between peace and justice in three past cases — the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the Special Court for Sierr...
A public event co-sponsored by the U.S. Institute of Peace and The Center for Strategic and International Studies
Provision of police and military advisors, plus logistics and support personnel is a multi-billion dollar industry. Should we worry about private sector involvement in what had been a government function? At this meeting of the SSR Working Group, a panel of experts discussed this issue from their various perspectives.