Menu

United States Institute of Peace

Home ▶ Events

Securing Peace in Mindanao: Resolving the Roots of Conflict

Cosponsored by the Asia Society, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and the United States Institute of Peace

Date: Tuesday, September 28, 2004 / Time: 6:30am - 8:30am 

Share This
Print the Page

Going back to the colonial era, one of the longest-running internal conflicts in Asia is the struggle by the Muslims of the southern Philippines for greater autonomy or even independence. This conflict has been given new salience in recent years with allegations of links to international terrorist groups. To explore ongoing efforts to bring peace to Mindanao, the United States Institute of Peace, in cooperation with the Asia Society and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, on September 28 co-hosted a special discussion on "Securing Peace in Mindanao: Resolving the Roots of Conflict." Held at the Woodrow Wilson Center, the event featured a panel of distinguished experts who addressed the complexities underlying the Mindanao conflict, the prospects for a sustainable peace policy, and the constructive engagement of the United States in resolving the crisis.

Richard Solomon, president of the U.S. Institute of Peace and former assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs and ambassador to the Philippines, delivered the opening remarks. Commentators included Michael Mastura, president, Sultan Kudarat Islamic Academy Foundation; Abhoud Syed M. Lingga, chairman, Bangsamoro People's Consultative Assembly; Carolyn Arguillas, chairperson, Mindanao News and Information Cooperative Center; and Steven Muncy, executive director, Community and Family Services International. The session was moderated by Eugene Martin, executive director of the Philippine Facilitation Project at the United States Institute of Peace.

Speakers

Opening Remarks

  • Richard Solomon
    President, United States Institute of Peace; former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs; and former Ambassador to the Philippines

Commentators

  • Carolyn Arguillas
    Chairperson, Mindanao News and Information Cooperative Center
  • Abhoud Syed M. Lingga
    Chairman, Bangsamoro People's Consultative Assembly
  • Michael Mastura
    President, Sultan Kudarat Islamic Academy Foundation
  • Steven Muncy
    Executive Director, Community and Family Services International

Moderator

  • G. Eugene Martin
    Executive Director, Philippine Facilitation Project, United States Institute of Peace

Media Inquiries

Please contact Office of Public Affairs and Communications, 202.429.3832

Related Publications

Transnational Crime in Southeast Asia: A Growing Threat to Global Peace and Security

Transnational Crime in Southeast Asia: A Growing Threat to Global Peace and Security

Monday, May 13, 2024

By: USIP Senior Study Group on Transnational Organized Crime in Southeast Asia

Organized crime is a significant driver of conflict globally. It preys on weak governance, slack law enforcement, and inadequate regulation. It tears at the fabric of societies by empowering and enriching armed actors and fueling violent conflict. In Asia, criminal groups prop up corrupt and dangerous regimes from Myanmar to North Korea, posing a direct threat to regional stability.

Type: Report

Democracy & Governance;  Economics;  Global Policy;  Human Rights

A Rising Philippines Faces a Crucial Year Ahead

A Rising Philippines Faces a Crucial Year Ahead

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

By: Haroro Ingram; Andrew Mines

By virtue of its geography alone, the Philippines is arguably Southeast Asia’s most strategically important country. Yet its actual influence has tended to lag its potential due to decades of socioeconomic struggle and internal instability, especially in its restive southern island of Mindanao. In recent years, however, the Philippines has rapidly emerged as one of the most consequential countries in the Indo-Pacific, driven in large part by President Ferdinand Marcos’ transformative policies on national security, defense and foreign relations.

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

The Indo-Pacific’s Newest Minilateral Emerges

The Indo-Pacific’s Newest Minilateral Emerges

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

By: Brian Harding; Haroro Ingram

Last week, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stepped foot in the Oval Office for the second time in a year. Joining Marcos this time was Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the leader of the United States’ most important ally in Asia and, arguably, the world. The Philippines has long been among a second rung of regional allies, so this first-ever trilateral summit marks Manila’s entrance as a leading U.S. ally working to maintain order and prevent Chinese revisionism in East Asia.

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

Vikram Singh on the U.S.-Japan-Philippines Trilateral Summit

Vikram Singh on the U.S.-Japan-Philippines Trilateral Summit

Tuesday, April 9, 2024

By: Vikram J. Singh

The United States, Japan and the Philippines are holding their first-ever trilateral summit this week. China’s “unprecedented” pressure and aggression over maritime claims will top the agenda. “There’s a fairly clear resolve … to not just let China bully its way to changing the status quo in the region,” says USIP’s Vikram Singh.

Type: Podcast

View All Publications