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.
Zaire: Predicament and Prospects
For more than five years, the people of Zaire have struggled to survive in a state on the brink of utter collapse. Amid growing economic disarray and infrastructural breakdown, standards of living have plummeted, moral and ethical standards have withered, and violence has risen. Political authority is almost hopelessly fragmented and discredited.
State and Soldier in Latin America: Redefining the Military's Role in Argentia, Brazil, and Chile
Recent years have given rise to an intense debate about appropriate roles for Latin America's armed forces: Should they remain the guardians of political stability, or should they restrict themselves mainly to external defense?
Peace Operations and Common Sense: Replacing Rhetoric with Realism
The shortcomings of several recent peace operations have led many people to conclude that the whole concept is flawed and has little bearing on U.S. interests. The record, however, suggests that peace operations have not only reduced instability in many parts of the globe but have also been something of a minor boon to U.S. foreign policy.
Peace Operations and Common Sense
The shortcomings of several recent peace operations have led many people to conclude that the whole concept is flawed and has little bearing on U.S. interests. The record, however, suggests that peace operations have not only reduced instability in many parts of the globe but have also been something of a minor boon to U.S. foreign policy. It is necessary to confront this strange gulf between Washington perceptions and reality. Denis McLean, a New Zealander, is currently Warburg Professor ...
Pakistan's Energy Crisis
Pakistan faces an acute energy crisis that it cannot fix by domestic policy alone. Instead, it will need to rely on regional cooperation. How Pakistan pursues its regional options will either increase competition among its neighbors or strengthen regional ties.
Blogs and Bullets II: New Media and Conflict after the Arab Spring
Based on Twitter and Facebook data gathered during the 2011 Arab revolutions, the authors of this Peaceworks report find that new media informed international audiences and mainstream media reporting, but they find less evidence that it played a direct role in organizing protests or allowing local audiences to share self-generated news directly with one another.
Democratic Breakthroughs: The Ingredients of Successful Revolts
Although each revolution is different, each successful case of democratic breakthrough shares common domestic and international influences. This report examines 11 cases of past successes at removing autocratic regimes and establishing elections. It then applies its findings to the emerging revolutions of the Arab Spring.
Conflict Dynamics in Karachi
Ethnopolitical, sectarian, militant, and criminal violence plagues Pakistan’s largest city and commercial center. Failure of the major political parties to agree to a solution for Karachi threatens to destabilize all of Pakistan.
Traditional Authorities’ Peacemaking Role in Darfur
As broader peace efforts have faltered, the international community has increasingly focused on the capacity of local communities in Darfur to regulate conflict in their midst. This report examines the traditional justice system in Darfur and points to challenges facing traditional authorities, as well as how the system has adapted and evolved during the years of violent conflict.