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.
Food Insecurity’s Impact on Conflict Merits a Closer Look
A new report from the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars illuminates the connections between conflict and food insecurity admirably, even as it recognizes that considerable work remains to be done on how food-related problems actually promote or alter conflict.
Voting in Fear
In Voting in Fear, nine contributors offer pioneering work on the scope and nature of electoral violence in Africa; investigate the forms electoral violence takes; and analyze the factors that precipitate, reduce, and prevent violence. The book breaks new ground with findings from the only known dataset of electoral violence in sub-Saharan Africa, spanning 1990 to 2008. Specific case studies of electoral violence in countries such as Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria provide the context to further un...
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi Dies after Illness
On August 20, Ethiopia’s long-time prime minister, Meles Zenawi, died from an illness. USIP’s Jon Temin examines what it means for Ethiopia, the two Sudans and U.S. interests in the region.
USIP: Teaching African Peacekeepers How to Keep the Peace
USIP trained hundreds of African peacekeepers in seven nations this year in how to negotiate and mediate the peace.
State Official to Discuss U.S. Responses to Humanitarian Crises
In the humanitarian crisis hitting the Horn of Africa, the international community faces a complex set of factors that extend beyond the need to relieve the region’s vast famine and human dislocation.
Political Violence and Democratic Uncertainty in Ethiopia
Ethiopia’s domestic politics have produced violence and continuing tension over the past two years. The deep shortcomings in the country’s democratization and state-building processes may remain unresolved as the worsening instability of the region takes precedence.
On the Issues: Somalia
David Smock is interviewed on Ethiopia's invasion of Somalia, and event that thrusted Somalia back into the international spotlight.
Getting In
This penetrating study of successful mediation in a half-dozen violent conflicts across the African continent focuses on a hitherto neglected dimension of mediation and the motivations of the parties in conflict—and of the mediators themselves—in initiating the mediation option.
Political Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Need for a New Research and Diplomatic Agenda
Summary An understanding of the multifaceted nature of political Islam on the African subcontinent is a precondition for the formulation of an effective U.S. policy toward the region. Such a formulation would place political Islam in a historical and contemporary context. In East Africa, discrimination against Muslims—which began in colonial mission schools and continued in education and employment following independence—played an important role in the development of political Islam...
Terrorism in the Horn of Africa
Summary For over a decade, the United States has considered the Horn of Africa—Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Eritrea, and Sudan—a major source of terrorism. Following the 9-11 attacks against the United States, the Horn has come under increased scrutiny as a strategic focal point in the war against terrorism. In May 2003, the Kenyan government admitted that a key member of the al Qaeda terror network was plotting an attack on western targets, confirming al Qaeda's firm local ...