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.
The Road to Successful Transition in Afghanistan: From Here to the December 2010 Review
The next seven months leading up to the December policy review will be crucial for Afghanistan’s future; at that time the Obama administration—and the citizens of Afghanistan, the United States and ISAF nations—will make a judgment about progress towards stability there. Afghans and Americans need to set a course for success, and reach an agreement of what realistic, achievable progress means, and how to accomplish it.
Group Inequality and Conflict: Some Insights for Peacebuilding
Political, socioeconomic or cultural inequalities among groups could potentially motivate political violence in societies. Research has shown that political inequalities between groups are most likely to motivate leaders, while socioeconomic inequalities motivate followers.
Terror on the Internet
Terror on the Internet, a USIP Press book by noted scholar Gabriel Weimann, uses data from an eight-year study to conclude that terrorism on the Web has increased dramatically from 1998 to today.
User Guidelines for Preventing Media Incitement to Violence in Iraq - Elections Edition
The guidelines are designed as a self-regulatory tool for media to gain awareness about the dangers of inflammatory language in reporting on elections. This Arabic resource, which includes suggested alternatives to facilitate more conflict-sensitive reporting, has been distributed to Iraqi media outlets and government offices prior to Election Day in Iraq.
Youth and Post-Conflict Reconstruction: Questions and Answers
1. What role do youth play in post-conflict reconstruction? In conflict and post-conflict situations, some young people choose to fight or are forced into a life of violence. They are soldiers, bush wives, terrorists and gang members. Others are able to work to improve their communities, contribute to peacebuilding, reconciliation and reconstruction, and become invested in their countries’ future peace. They are grassroots community leaders, artists, young parliamentarians and students worki...
The International Donors’ Conference and Support for Haiti’s Future
At the March 31, 2010 International Donors’ Conference on Haiti some $10 billion was pledged in support of the government of Haiti’s “Action Plan for National Recovery and Development of Haiti,” with $5.3 billion earmarked for the next two years. A Multi-Donor Trust Fund, managed by the World Bank, will oversee the allocation of international resources toward activities approved by a mixed Haitian/international Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC).
The Link Between DDR and SSR in Conflict-Affected Countries
Summary Disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) and security sector reform (SSR) processes should be interrelated and mutually reinforcing. As DDR and SSR share the same objective--consolidation of the state’s monopoly of force to uphold the rule of law--they succeed or fail together and should be planned, resourced, implemented, and evaluated in a coordinated manner. The natural point of intersection for DDR and SSR is in the reintegration phase, as many ex-combatants find...
Why Youth Join al-Qaeda
Interviews and personal histories of 2,032 "foreign fighters" show that rather than be recruited, young men actively seek out al-Qaeda and its associated movements. Al-Qaeda is more than just an organization; it is an ideology and a popular global brand that spins a heroic narrative with an idealized version of Islamic jihad.
Is Nigeria a Hotbed of Islamic Extremism?
Recent incidences of ethno-religious violence in northern Nigeria have alarmed the international community to the point where Nigeria is now perceived as a potential breeding ground for transnational terrorism and violent religious extremism. According to Nigeria expert John Paden, this characterization is false. If anything, Nigeria is a hotbed of Islamic moderation.
The Diplomat's Dictionary
With its first edition in 1994, The Diplomat’s Dictionary quickly became a classic reference book, offering professionals and enthusiasts practical information, witty insights, and words of wisdom on the art and practice of diplomacy. The expanded second edition contains 476 new entries, including definitions for selected up-to-date terminology and hundreds of additional quotations from across cultures and centuries.