Keith Mines on Secretary Blinken’s Trip to Colombia

Keith Mines on Secretary Blinken’s Trip to Colombia

Thursday, October 21, 2021

By: Keith Mines

As Secretary of State Antony Blinken travels to Colombia, USIP’s Keith Mines notes there is still work to be done in implementing and expanding the 2016 peace agreement with the FARC insurgency, saying that “consolidating the peace in a place like Colombia was almost as hard as fighting the war itself.”

Type: Podcast

Global Policy

Oge Onubogu on Democratic Concerns in West Africa

Oge Onubogu on Democratic Concerns in West Africa

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

While West African countries present “some of the steepest declines in democracy,” USIP’s Oge Onubogu says there is “still an overwhelming support” for democratic governance among citizens in the region, which “presents a key opportunity for engagement between African leaders and this administration.”

Type: Podcast

Democracy & Governance

Sarhang Hamasaeed on Iraq’s Elections

Sarhang Hamasaeed on Iraq’s Elections

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

By: Sarhang Hamasaeed

“All the energy of the country is focused on October 10” as Iraq prepares for crucial parliamentary elections, says USIP’s Sarhang Hamasaeed. “We’ll see if it will produce a government and a parliament that [is] closer to what the people expect … and restore some of the faith of the voters in the process.”

Type: Podcast

Democracy & Governance

Dan Markey on the Quad Leaders’ Summit

Dan Markey on the Quad Leaders’ Summit

Thursday, September 30, 2021

By: Daniel Markey, Ph.D.

USIP’s Dan Markey says the growth of the Quad — a partnership between the United States, Australia, India and Japan — can be seen as a counter to China, but “instead of being principally a military organization, the Quad … will focus on more positive ventures” such as vaccine diplomacy, climate change and technology.

Type: Podcast

Global Policy

William Byrd on Afghanistan’s Economic Crisis

William Byrd on Afghanistan’s Economic Crisis

Monday, September 13, 2021

By: William Byrd, Ph.D.

Amid the fallout from the Taliban’s sudden takeover, USIP’s William Byrd warns that Afghanistan’s economy faces a catastrophic outlook if action isn’t taken — adding that “the Afghan people and the economy have a lot farther to fall than they did the previous time the Taliban were in charge.”

Type: Podcast

Economics