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.
Susan Hayward on Religion and Coronavirus
While USIP’s Susan Hayward acknowledges that religion has, at times, hampered public health, she notes religion has also been invoked “in ways that have brought meaning, that have mobilized people to respond to the needs of the vulnerable.”
Susan Hayward on Advancing Religious Freedom
Following last week’s Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom at the U.S. Department of State, Rev. Susan Hayward discusses the worldwide uptick in religious discrimination in recent years—which particularly impacts minority communities—and how religion shapes conflict and peace around the world.
On the Issues: Burma
Susan Hayward discusses how Burma's "saffron revolution" demonstrates the powerful capacity of the religious realm to assist in the creation of global peace.
Q&A: Muslim Scholars Pledge Support for Religious Minorities
Muslim scholars and intellectuals from more than 120 countries issued a new pledge of support last week for the protection and freedom of religious minorities in Muslim-majority communities. Susan Hayward, USIP’s director of religion and inclusive societies and an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, attended the three-day conference in Marrakesh, Morocco, as a supporter, and explains the significance of the pronouncement.
Averting Hell on Earth: Religion and the Prevention of Genocide
This report reflects on historic examples of the role of religious resources in supporting and mitigating the outbreak of genocide and mass atrocity. The main recommendations outline ways to counteract the use of religion to incite mass violence and to engage with religious communities in genocide prevention.
Religion and Peacebuilding
The maturing field of religious peacebuilding faces challenges in integrating with secular peacebuilding efforts, engaging women and youth, and working more effectively with non-Abrahamic religious traditions.
Understanding and Extending the Marrakesh Declaration in Policy and Practice
In January 2016, the Marrakesh Declaration was issued by Muslim scholars and politicians as a concerted response to the persecution of and violence against minorities in Muslin-majority countries. This report, published with the Cambridge Institute on Religion and International Studies, provides background on the Marrakesh Declaration and recommendations to those from both Muslim and non-Muslim majority contexts to ensure the Declaration’s implementation and legitimacy.
Burma: Reaching Out to Heal Religious Ruptures
As Buddhist-Muslim violence ignites, a monk’s message reflects the pain on both sides and his journey demonstrates efforts to heal the rifts and staunch the spread of unrest.
Engaging the Darfur Diaspora for Peace
A group of leaders of the Darfurian diaspora in North America recently convened at USIP to explore solutions for their troubled homeland. Their recommendations will be taken into account in future peace consultations.
How Not to Fight a Fanatic
The United States needs to take a wider view of whom it works with in its war against religious extremists.