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 December 8 the U.S. Institute of Peace and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum held a discussion with experts about the risks for mass violence and options for upholding the shared U.S. and global responsibility to prevent genocide.
Despite Nigeria’s recent advances in pushing back the Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast, the country now faces fresh challenges in the region. They include a growing humanitarian crisis because of destruction and displacement, including the risk of widespread hunger, and the need for progress on reconstruction and reconciling communities. On October 20, the U.S. Institute of Peace held a webcast discussion with governors from states across the northern region of Nigeria on what they and their citizens can do to address these and other challenges. Participating governors took questions via Twitter.
Countries from Myanmar to Chile have moved from autocratic regimes to more inclusive forms of government, though their experiences continue to be fraught with difficulties. On September 8, the U.S. Institute of Peace hosted a symposium exploring recent research on what factors encourage or inhibit peaceful transitions and how nascent democracies can overcome their fragility. The discussion included a focus on a new study released by Chatham House on Zimbabwe’s potential for peaceful democratic transition.
Recent years have seen a rise in the passage and enforcement of blasphemy laws in countries including Pakistan, Sudan and Saudi Arabia. On May 26, the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission and the Senate Human Rights Caucus held a discussion co-sponsored by the U.S. Institute of Peace and Freedom House.
On May 13, Afghanistan’s First Lady Rula Ghani discussed her country’s history of violent conflict and recent progress and challenges in reforming the justice sector, including for women.
The U.S. Institute of Peace brought together U.S. government officials and experts on March 3 for a discussion on Mali’s transition, U.S. policies, and the specific role in Mali of USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives.
Extremist groups like ISIS have seized control in swaths of Iraq and Syria in part because they tout themselves as an alternative to corrupt and inept government at all levels. USIP hosted a discussion on January 6, 2016 highlighting new research by the global humanitarian and development organization Mercy Corps on the connection between citizens’ perceptions of governance and public support for armed opposition.
On December 10th, 2015 the U.S. Institute of Peace, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of State held a discussion with Assistant Secretary of State William Brownfield and other experts on how to make progress against the scourge, part of a week of activities to mark the United Nations-designated International Anticorruption Day Read the event coverage, Corruption Poses Unparalleled Threat, U.S. Official Says.
The U.S. Institute of Peace and the Great Lakes Policy Forum brought together the editors of Making Sense of the Central African Republic and several contributing authors on November 30 for a panel discussion on the roots of the recent crisis and the potential for peaceful, democratic change.
A critical figure in Tunisia’s evolution—Sheikh Rachid Ghannouchi, the leader of the Islamist movement Nahda—visited USIP, together with the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy, on October 28 to discuss how his country can consolidate its progress.