USIP's Lessons Learned program captures the experiences of US military and civilian officials returning from work in Sudan, Iraq, and Afghanistan. 

USIP’s Lessons Learned efforts are designed to collect, analyze, and distribute lessons learned from U.S. government officials, military officers, contractors, and representatives of international and non-governmental organizations who have served in peace and stability operations.  USIP has conducted studies of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the peace process in Sudan.  Transcripts of interviews from these studies are made available to the public (see the “Resources and Tools” section).  These transcripts and our published reports contribute to U.S. capacity to conduct effective peace and stability operations.

Related Publications

For Sahel Stability, U.S. Needs Broader, Coordinated Policy

For Sahel Stability, U.S. Needs Broader, Coordinated Policy

Thursday, March 21, 2024

By: Kris Inman;  Matthew Reitman

As military coups and violent insurgencies have spread across Africa’s Sahel over the past decade, U.S. policy has professed to recognize and address their interconnections across the region, notably through the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership. Yet this effort remains insufficient to meet the scale and complexity of the violence and the underlying failures of governance.

Type: Analysis

Violent Extremism

The Latest @ USIP: Grassroots Efforts to Address Sudan’s Humanitarian Crisis

The Latest @ USIP: Grassroots Efforts to Address Sudan’s Humanitarian Crisis

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

By: Sara Pantuliano

More than half of Sudan’s population of 46 million is in need of humanitarian assistance -- and less than a quarter of them are actually receiving aid amid the country’s civil conflict. Sara Pantuliano, the chief executive for the Overseas Development Institute, discusses the current crisis in Sudan, why Sudan is important for global peace and how grassroots organizations in the country can help deliver aid to places that international organizations cannot reach.

Type: Blog

Conflict Analysis & Prevention

The Latest @ USIP: How to Address Sudan’s Humanitarian Crisis Amid War

The Latest @ USIP: How to Address Sudan’s Humanitarian Crisis Amid War

Wednesday, January 3, 2024

By: Patrick Youssef

Nearly nine months into Sudan’s civil conflict, the fighting has not only upended daily life across the country, but also disrupted Sudan’s already shaky economic and social services — leaving millions in need of dire humanitarian assistance. Patrick Youssef, regional director for Africa at the International Committee of the Red Cross, discusses how the conflict is affecting Sudan’s civilian population and why some sort of agreement between the warring sides is the only way to safely clear avenues for humanitarian intervention.

Type: Blog

Conflict Analysis & Prevention

Civil War Pushes Sudan to the Brink of Humanitarian Disaster

Civil War Pushes Sudan to the Brink of Humanitarian Disaster

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

By: Ashish Kumar Sen

Away from the headlines dominated by the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, a civil war between Sudan’s military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is pushing the country to the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe. As an allegedly genocidal RSF gains the upper hand, a U.N. official has warned that Sudan is “facing a convergence of a worsening humanitarian calamity and a catastrophic human rights crisis.”

Type: Analysis

Conflict Analysis & PreventionHuman Rights

View All Publications