Experts from the U.S. Institute of Peace provide the latest analysis and perspective on the world’s critical hot spots, U.S. and global security and issues involved in violent conflict, based on the Institute’s work on the ground and with key individuals, governments and organizations. They give interviews and background briefings to journalists and write for news outlets around the world.
The Afghan conflict could overtake Syria as the deadliest conflict in the world this year, analysts say, as violence surges 17 years after the US-led invasion. The grim assessment contrasts sharply with the consistently upbeat public view of the conflict from NATO's Resolute Support mission in Kabul, and underscores the growing sense of hopelessness in the war-torn country. It suggests that US President Donald Trump's...
The Taliban has indicated that it is willing to engage in another round of peace talks with the US, according to reports. The latest negotiations, which follow largely unsuccessful talks with State Department officials in Doha in July, could address a possible prisoner swap, Reuters reports. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has repeatedly invited the Taliban to the negotiating table, but the group says it will only talk to American representatives...
Next week's inter-Korean summit will test whether South Korean President Moon Jae-in can pull off his role of mediator and salvage stalled nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington. Moon will cross the border into the North for his third meeting with Kim Jong Un on Tuesday, amid scepticism over whether the North Korean leader was serious about denuclearization, a goal vowed at his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in June. Trump last...
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair warned Thursday that the current global approach in the fight against Islamist terrorism adopted since the 9/11 attacks has failed. A more complex strategy is needed, he said. "The essence of my message today is to say that when you look at the scale and the scope of this problem, without combating the ideology and the ideas, you will never defeat the extremism," Blair said during a speech at...
The next round of Syria peace talks are scheduled to begin Friday, even as the international community braces for a potential bloodbath in Idlib province, the country’s last rebel stronghold. The United Nations said a major offensive by the Syrian regime and its allies in the northwestern province could be the “worst humanitarian disaster” of the 21st century, putting at risk more than 3 million people in Idlib and the surrounding areas...
It might be tempting to think we have turned the tide on terrorism. After all, the Islamic State is on the run in Iraq and Syria, and terrorist attacks are on the decline globally for the third consecutive year. But that would be a grave mistake. Violent extremists are regrouping and will strike again. The 9/11 Commission, which we chaired 14 years ago, recommended three core goals for U.S. policy: Attack terrorists and their organizations, protect...
In this episode we’re looking to answer the big question of whether or not the country is safer than before 9/11. There hasn’t been a big terrorist attack on our soil since then, ISIS has lost almost all its territory in Iraq and Syria, Bin Laden is dead, and yet there are still thousands of extremist fighters out there and their ideology persists in attracting new recruits.
A new report says U.S. counterterrorism efforts need to focus much more on the long-term goal of supporting fragile countries and preventing extremism from taking root. The report, sponsored by the nonpartisan U.S. Institute of Peace, says that after the 2001 terrorist attacks, the U.S. response was to protect the homeland and pursue terrorists abroad. Now, the authors say, the U.S. should emphasize the stabilization of countries where...
A new report by the leaders of the 9/11 Commission has warned that growing Russian and Chinese influence threatens to create more extremism worldwide, and encouraged the U.S. to fight to retain global leadership. Released on the 17th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the document suggests Russian and Chinese interests could see the two countries support more authoritarian governments across the developing world, which...