Question And Answer
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.
Waging Battles that Make War
USIP Board member Chet Crocker writes why the House’s recent vote to eliminate the funding for the U.S Institute of Peace is contrary to our national interests.
Afghanistan: Preparing Peacemakers
Inevitably, the intensity of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan will ebb. Looking ahead to that time, the U.S. Institute of Peace has trained a network of Afghan “facilitators” to mediate conflicts—within and between families, localities and communities.
Pakistan: Training the Mediators
With Pakistan’s internal troubles and cross-border issues with Afghanistan key factors in the security outlook for all of South Asia and the United States, the U.S. Institute of Peace has brought its concept of building a network of facilitators to the country
Training U.S. Advisers, Building Afghan Ministries
When the Pentagon decided to deploy senior civilian advisers to Afghanistan's Ministry of Defense last May, it turned to the expertise at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP).
USIP Does "Peace Multiplication" in Nigeria
United States Institute of Peace trainers in March completed a five-day exercise in Nigeria for Nigerian Army peacekeepers who are preparing to deploy across the continent for a host of missions.
Students Learn Conflict Resolution Basics at USIP
On November 18, students from the private Montgomery School in Chester Springs, Pa., participated USIP's educational outreach program.
Getting to the Source: The Importance of Field Research
Travel restrictions and social distancing practices put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have largely ground field research to a halt. Fieldwork plays an essential but often underappreciated role in both understanding violent extremism and developing policy responses to it. It is vital, therefore, that funders and policymakers support the return of such important work in a post-pandemic world.
Human Rights Education as the Solution to Religious Persecution
Persecution on account of religion or belief confronts every community somewhere around the world—and it is an increasing trend. Challenges range from terrorist violence against minorities, such as ISIS’ depravations against Yazidis, to persecution by authoritarian governments, with China’s targeting of all faiths a prime example. To organize a defense of freedom of conscience and belief, the United States convened the Ministerial to Advance Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2018 and 2019, bringing together a virtual congress of nations and civil society activists from around the world. The third ministerial, organized by Poland, was held virtually in mid-November. Discussions identified challenges but also solutions. One consistent answer to the vexing problem of persecution was proffered: educating youth about human rights and pluralism.
Education in North Korea: Playing the Long Game
For the last 30 years, U.S.-North Korea engagement has been erratic. Despite moderate success during the 1990s, the inconsistent nature of official engagement with North Korea over the last two decades has hindered sustained progress in improving bilateral relations and the welfare of North Korean civil society. More recently, the compounding effects of diplomatic and economic isolation caused by the U.S.-led global pressure campaign, an escalating array of multilateral and unilateral sanctions, the COVID pandemic and North Korea’s self-imposed border shutdowns have exacerbated the environment for economic and business engagement. At the people-to-people level, the barriers to engagement have even begun eroding relationships and local know how for many U.S.-based organizations.
Teaching Peace: Nelson Mandela’s Story in a World of Conflicts
A world reeling from the brutal horrors of our current wars will next week mark (or perhaps overlook) the 10th anniversary of the death of a peacemaking icon: South Africa’s liberation leader and former president, Nelson Mandela. Amid continued or escalated wars — Israel-Gaza, Ukraine-Russia, Sudan, Yemen, Afghanistan and others — USIP this month hosted Georgia’s senator, the Reverend Raphael Warnock, in a discussion of Mandela’s legacy and immediate relevance. Another Georgian, Decatur High School history teacher Kristen Embry, introduced Warnock. She spoke about Mandela and her own mission of teaching history and peacebuilding to American students in the 2020s.