Publications
Articles, publications, books, tools and multimedia features from the U.S. Institute of Peace provide the latest news, analysis, research findings, practitioner guides and reports, all related to the conflict zones and issues that are at the center of the Institute’s work to prevent and reduce violent conflict.
Future U.S. Engagement in Africa Opportunities and Obstacles for Conflict Management
Africa's marginalization in U.S. foreign policy has increasingly become a reality; this disengagement by the United States from African affairs presumably weakens its interests as well as its ability to help prevent and end armed conflicts on the continent.
Managing Communications: Lessons from Interventions in Africa
"Managing Communications: Lessons from Interventions in Africa," the conference was jointly sponsored by the United States Institute of Peace and the National Defense University. It examined the effectiveness of communications and information-sharing practices (including organizational structures and technologies) among humanitarian and peacekeeping organizations in recent complex emergency operations in Somalia, Rwanda, and Liberia.
From Militants to Policemen: Three Lessons from U.S. Experience with DDR and SSR
Consolidating the legitimate use of force in the hands of the state is a vital first step in post-conflict peacebuilding. This USIP Peace Brief analyzes two processes that are vital to securing a monopoly of force: disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) and security sector reform (SSR).
Universities for Ushahidi
The U4U training program brings young people from conflict zones around the world to train them in the use of crowdsourced mapping tools like Ushahidi as well as in the skills of conflict management, helping them address community needs in-country, train others, and join a growing community of global crisis mappers and technology-enabled peacebuilders.
Health in Post-Conflict and Fragile States
Civilian health, health care workers, and health facilities disproportionately suffer in countries experiencing severe instability, but global health donors have yet to make developing health systems in such states a priority. Doing so could both make populations healthier and contribute to state legitimacy.
Truth Commission: Liberia
Truth Commission: Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Liberia Duration: 2006 - 2009 Charter: Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act Commissioners: 9 Report: Vol. I (“preliminary report”) issued in December 2008, Vol. II (final but “unedited” report) issued in June 2009. In December 2009, an edited version of Vol. II was re-released together with Vol.III (appendices and specialized reports).
Negotiating Peace and Confronting Corruption
In Negotiating Peace and Confronting Corruption, Bertram Spector argues that the peace negotiation table is the best place to lay the groundwork for good governance.
Customary Justice and the Rule of Law in War-Torn Societies
Customary Justice and the Rule of Law in War-Torn Societies presents seven in-depth case studies that take a broad interdisciplinary approach to the study of the justice system. Moving beyond the narrow lens of legal analysis, the cases—Mozambique, Guatemala, East Timor, Afghanistan, Liberia, Iraq, Sudan—examine the larger historical, political, and social factors that shape the character and role of customary justice systems and their place in the overall justice sector.
Looking for Justice: Liberian Experiences with and Perceptions of Local Justice Options
This report presents the research findings and analysis of ten months of field study as part of the United States Institute of Peace and George Washington University project titled "From Current Practices of Justice to Rule of Law: Policy Options for Liberia's First Post-Conflict Decade."
Truth Commission Digital Collection
The United States Institute of Peace’s Truth Commissions Digital Collection is part of the Margarita S. Studemeister Digital Library in International Conflict Management. The collection contains profiles of truth commissions and substantive bodies of inquiry from nations worldwide - offering general background information on the composition of each body, links to the official legislative texts establishing such commissions, and each commission's final reports and findings.