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.
Religion and Peacemaking Web Links
Below are links to resources primarily in English that provide substantive content on religion and peacemaking activities of various faiths, with a particular focus on specific topics: the work of Catholic groups, faith-based NGOs, Islamic perspectives on peace, and "just war" doctrine. Faith-Based Non-Governmental Organizations Islamic Area Studies Religious Peace Organizations University-based Centers for the study of Religio...
Engaging Islamists and Promoting Democracy: A Preliminary Assessment
While U.S. engagement of moderate Islamists remains a hotly debated question, U.S. democracy promoters have been working with legal Islamist parties and their leaders over the past decade. This Special Report examines the experiences of U.S. democracy promoters at the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the International Republican Institute (IRI) working with Islamist parties in three countries: Morocco, Jordan, and Yemen.
Double Alienation and Muslim Youth in Europe
From the controversy raging in London over Muslim women wearing the niqab to the upsurge in violent crime in Paris, Muslims in Europe are at the center of a storm of disagreement. Although many Muslim youth are comfortable as Muslim and European, others feel estranged from society.
Unity in Diversity
Nowhere are the stakes of sectarian conflict as high as in the Middle East, and nowhere is the practice of interfaith dialogue (IFD) more fraught with difficulty. The questions, then, naturally arise: What sort of person tries something as audacious as interfaith dialogue in such a polarized climate? And what do they hope to gain? The answers to both questions are surprisingly diverse.
Suicide Bombers in Iraq
USIP grantee Mohammed Hafez briefed staff on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on his recently USIP-published book Suicide Bombers in Iraq: The Strategy and Ideology of Martyrdom. Hafez is a visiting professor at the University of Missouri, Kansas City.
Public Opinion in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: From Geneva to Disengagement to Kadima and Hamas
Israeli analysts and pundits enjoy quoting Henry Kissinger’s assertion that "Israel has no foreign policy, only domestic policy." Kissinger’s comment, while stressed too strongly, captures well the common understanding among political scientists and international relations specialists that domestic considerations have a significant effect on foreign policy. This monograph focuses on one particular domestic imperative of utmost importance in periods of conflict and its resolution: public opini...
Ayatollah Sistani and the Democratization of Post-Ba'athist Iraq
Based on historical analysis and personal interviews with a number of aides and representatives of the grand ayatollah in Iran and Iraq since 2005, this report examines the role of Ayatollah Ali Hussaini Sistani in the democratization of post-Ba‘athist Iraq.
Correlates of Public Support for Terrorism in the Muslim World
This report was commissioned by USIP's Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention. Consistent with the center’s commitment to conflict prevention, this report aims to inform the center’s ongoing work to expand the understanding of the determinants of terrorism and its support base.
The Crisis in Interfaith Relations in the Middle East
The interfaith peace movement in the Middle East has foundered recently, a casualty of major geo-political events, among them the war in Iraq, the increase in hostility between Iran and the West, the Israel-Hezbollah war, and the failure of efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. These and related factors have contributed to undermine interfaith efforts and limit opportunities for meaningful dialogue and common action.
The Rise of Islamist Militancy in Bangladesh
Governance, rule of law, and provision of justice are in short supply in Bangladesh. A campaign of terror, unleashed by Islamist militants in 1999, has gone virtually unchecked, threatening South Asian security. How should the U.S. respond to the situation in Bangladesh?