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.
Ukraine: USIP’s Bill Taylor on the Prospects for the New Government (Video)
Bill Taylor, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine who currently serves as USIP’s acting president, just returned from a visit to Kyiv and discusses the prospects for the country’s new reform-oriented government.
Ukraine: After a Successful Election, the Urgency of Reform
The victory for pro-Western parties in Ukraine’s recent parliamentary election offers a historic chance for Ukraine to break out of the cycle of poor governance and corruption that has plagued it since independence – and made it vulnerable to Russian aggression. Perhaps the most encouraging result of the balloting is that dedicated young reformers, such as a group I met in Kirovograd in south-central Ukraine, will insist on institutional reform and rapid progress and give the upcoming parliament a very different tone.
Why the U.S. Foreign Aid and Disaster Relief Process is Broken
Changing how peacebuilding organizations measure success could save aid projects that are stuck trying to meet rigid, dated, and increasingly arbitrary goals in conflict zones.
The Shootdown of Malaysian Flight 17 and the Escalating Crisis in Ukraine
William B. Taylor, vice president for Middle East and Africa, testifies before a joint subcommittee hearing: Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia and Emerging Threats and the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade U.S. House of Representatives
The Crowd Who Would Be King
Technology is connecting people all over the world, giving them new power and a stronger voice. But is it making government any better?
Corruption: Sleeper Threat to International Security
In non-violent uprisings and more full scale revolutions ranging from the Arab spring to the overthrow of the President in Ukraine, one common underlying propellant was rebellion against government corruption. The same fuel has fed continuing turmoil in post-revolutionary Libya and undercut Nigeria's fight against Boko Haram. Yet the role of acute corruption in fomenting protests and violence is underappreciated and makes Western efforts to combat it insufficient.
Blue-and-Yellow Shoe Laces: Ukrainian Unity in an Unlikely Spot
Petro Poroshenko takes office on June 7 as Ukraine’s new president. Despite challenges, I think he has the opportunity to bring Ukraine out of crisis to make a new start.
Russia's Putin 'Could Solve' Ukraine Crisis, Ex-U.S. Ambassador Says
Stacks of red coffins being transported from Ukraine back to Russia after deadly fighting at an airport in eastern Ukraine last week are among the telltale signs of Russia’s responsibility for the crisis gripping its neighbor, said William B. Taylor, a vice president at the U.S. Institute of Peace and a former ambassador to Ukraine.
The Strategy Killer
The White House and State Department are hard at work on two major new documents that will lay the foundation for America's national security policy for the remainder of the Obama administration and possibly beyond: the National Security Strategy, rumored for release this summer, and the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR), slated for release later this year. The usual bureaucratic tussles will ensue about what should and should not be included in these documents, and the admi...
The Constitutional Process in Ukraine
The Ukrainian government should promote an inclusive, participatory and transparent constitutional process. Such a process could help de-escalate the current conflict and build confidence in the central government and its willingness to integrate all constituencies into Ukraine’s political system.