WASHINGTON—Fifty-two American high school students have been named winners of the 17th annual National Peace Essay Contest, sponsored by the United States Institute of Peace. Each student will receive a $1,000 college scholarship and compete for the 2004 national first prize, a $10,000 college scholarship. A list of winners, their schools, hometowns, essay titles, and faculty coordinators follows this release.  The contest, which is open to students in all American high schools, is designed ...

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Institute of Peace will release The Iraq Experience DVD, a richly illustrated, interactive briefing on the nation, people, culture and relevant history of Iraq for Americans assigned to the U.S. Mission in Iraq. A demonstration and samples of the DVD will be available to the press on Thursday, May 13 at 9:30 a.m. at the Institute's headquarters (1200 17th Street, N.W.). The creators of the DVD will answer questions about its value in preparing U.S. government officials and...

WASHINGTON— A U.S. Institute of Peace study has provided a blueprint for the creation of a single federal office with responsibility for establishing public order and the rule of law in stability operations. According to this study, Building Civilian Capacity for U.S. Stability Operations: The Rule of Law Component,"establishing public order in the aftermath of an international military intervention is 'job one.' The success of all other activities hinges on getting this job done." The repor...

WASHINGTON—The age of terrorism has forced the federal agency charged with extending U.S. assistance around the world to change its operational goals, according to Andrew Natsios, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Speaking on Monday at an event co-sponsored with the U.S. Institute of Peace, Natsios said that the war on terror has led the agency to broaden its mandate and move beyond its traditional role of providing development assistance and humanitarian...

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Institute of Peace is working to advance post-conflict stabilization and peace building efforts in Iraq thanks to a $10 million appropriation from Congress in late 2003. Institute experts, including Amatzia Baram, a preeminent scholar on Iraqi religion and the state, and Faleh Jabar, a world-renowned Iraqi sociologist, are available to respond to questions and provide commentary and analysis on the range of issues confronting Iraq today, including: Peace and Stability Ope...

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Institute of Peace began a training program for uniformed and civilian officials of the Iraqi Ministry of Defense (MOD) today in Washington, D.C. This program encompasses the third week of the Iraqi Defense Planners Workshop and follows on two weeks of professional skills training just completed by the Iraqi officials at the National Defense University's Near East/South Asia Center for Security Studies. Institute trainers, led by Professional Training Program director Geor...

WASHINGTON—A just released U.S. Institute of Peace report exposes the dangers posed by terrorists' use of the Internet. In www.terror.net: How Modern Terrorism Uses the Internet, Institute Senior Fellow Gabriel Weimann discloses how terrorist organizations and their supporters maintain hundreds of web sites that take advantage of the unregulated, anonymous, and easily accessible nature of the Internet to reach large and varied audiences worldwide. Weimann examines eight different ways that t...

WASHINGTON--The U.S. Institute of Peace announces publication of Where Is the Lone Ranger When We Need Him? America's Search for a Postconflict Stability Force by former senior fellow Robert Perito. The book examines the current challenge faced by the United States in establishing sustainable security in the Balkans, Afghanistan, and Iraq. The book analyzes repeated U.S. failures to prevent widespread looting and breakdowns in public order following successful military interventions from Ope...