How to Stabilize Iraq: A Marine in Congress Speaks
USIP hosted a discussion with Congressman Moulton and USIP President Nancy Lindborg on Iraq, ISIS and the broader Middle East.
Events
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.
The Power of Youth Working for Peace and Equality
On September 13, the U.S. Institute of Peace, Search for Common Ground and other partners held a Conflict Prevention and Resolution Forum including USAID Agency Youth Coordinator Michael McCabe. Speakers, including youth leaders, discussed how young women and men are leading such work and what policymakers can do to ensure that the largest generation of youth the world has ever known is not left on the sidelines.
Using Art to Wage Peace From Afghanistan to the Mideast
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.
Iraqi Foreign Minister on Aid, ISIS and Reconciliation
Iraq’s Foreign Minister Dr. Ibrahim al-Jaafari addressed his country’s role in the Middle East, its battle against ISIS/ISIL, relations with the U.S., and the need for international assistance, in an event at the U.S. Institute of Peace on July 19. It was his only public appearance during a trip to Washington for meetings with the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL and an international pledging conference to raise funds for relief and reconstruction, as the Iraqi government works with allies to prepare for the massive undertaking of recapturing the country’s second-largest city, Mosul, from ISIS control.
The Global Refugee Crisis: Overcoming Fears and Spurring Action
On Wednesday June 29, Ambassador Samantha Power, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations and a member of President Obama’s Cabinet, addressed an audience at the U.S. Institute of Peace on the urgent need for a concerted, global response to the current refugee crisis. She also previewed the Leaders’ Summit on Refugees that President Obama will convene at the U.N. on September 20.
The Dalai Lama: To End Violence, Engage Youth
His Holiness the Dalai Lama campaigns not only for an end to violent conflict, but for the particular role of youth in achieving it. At a recent two-day dialogue in India with 28 youth peacebuilders convened by USIP, the Dalai Lama discussed ways to use universal spiritual values, such as compassion, in transforming violent conflicts into peaceful dialogue. On June 13, the Dalai Lama joined a few of these leaders at USIP to extend that discussion, which he and the youth participants say gives them new hope for their missions.
Killing Pakistani Women for 'Honor': A Filmmaker’s Tale
Women in Pakistan are murdered routinely, and usually with impunity, for allegedly staining the “honor” of their families—often by marrying over the objection of their relatives, and even for glancing at a man in the street. Nearly 1,000 such “honor killings” are reported publicly each year, but uncounted others add to a largely hidden tide of brutality. Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy threw a spotlight on this violent seam of life in her country—and won an Academy Award—with her documentary, “A Girl in the River.” She screened and discussed her film on May 16.
Women, Social Media and Violent Extremism
On May 10, the Conflict Prevention and Resolution Forum held a discussion at the U.S. Institute of Peace on women, social media and extremism.
Advancing Women in MENA: Should We Keep Trying?
The longstanding United Nations call for countries to adopt National Action Plans to involve women in issues of national security repeatedly stumbles in much of the Middle East and North Africa. The U.S. Institute of Peace had a discussion on May 4 on how these roadblocks can be overcome, especially amid the current upheaval.
Supporting Youth Who Build Peace: How Can We Foster Resilience to Violence and Trauma?
A staggering 230 million children live in lands that have become battlefields, and extremist groups exploit their traumas to recruit youth to violence. Yet from these same embattled lands, young leaders emerge, working to heal divisions in their communities and build peace. They often face large social or political forces of violent conflict, and even threats of suppression or violence by combatants. As they do, how can others help them sustain the personal resilience on which their work depends? On May 4, USIP hosted a global discussion online.