Friday, December 8, 2023
Press
Experts from the U.S. Institute of Peace provide the latest analysis and perspective on the world’s critical hot spots, U.S. and global security and issues involved in violent conflict, based on the Institute’s work on the ground and with key individuals, governments and organizations. They give interviews and background briefings to journalists and write for news outlets around the world.
Why Saudi Women Driving Is a Small Step Forward, Not a Great One - The New Yorker
On a scorching day in August, 2006, Wajeha al-Huwaider threw off her abaya, the enveloping black cover worn by Saudi women, and donned a calf-length pink shirt, pink trousers, and a matching pink scarf. She then took a taxi, from Bahrain, to a signpost on the bridge marking the border with Saudi Arabia. She got out and, with a large poster declaring, “Give Women Their Rights,” marched toward her homeland. Within twenty minutes, she was picked up by Saudi security forces, interrogated for a day, and officially warned. An intelligence officer, she recounted to me later, had pointed at her mouth and said, “Control this, and we won’t have a problem.”
Syria: The New Barbarianism - CSIS
Healthcare and humanitarian workers are increasingly in the crosshairs as hospitals and aid centers have become part of the battlefield in today’s wars. So far, there has been little to stop the profound surge of violence seen across several open-ended conflicts which has claimed thousands of lives, destroyed health systems, triggered mass displacement and state collapse, and exposed the crisis facing the norms of international humanitarian law contained in the Geneva Conventions.
The case for waging peace - The Tennessean
Today's conflicts seem equally intractable. But even now, peace efforts are moving forward, often at the local level and through the extraordinary efforts of ordinary people. Not surprisingly, the best approaches usually involve helping citizens and governments solve their own problems.
New aid plan needed for South Sudan - IRIN
“It’s not a binary choice. There are some pretty significant downsides – politically and in terms of delivery itself – with the current approach to humanitarian assistance,” said Payton Knopf, coordinator of the South Sudan Senior Working Group at the US Institute of Peace, and former head of the UN Panel of Experts on South Sudan.
Is Trump making Iran look good? - KCRW
President Trump told world leaders at the UN that the nuclear deal with Iran and other nations was an "embarrassment to the United States." Iran's President Rouhani went home and presided over a parade including new long-range ballistic missiles -- which were not part of the deal. But Trump and US hardliners say they should have been, and should be in the future. So they're calling for re-negotiation. Critics call that so unlikely it puts American diplomats in a bind — especially when North Korea already has nuclear weapons and accuses the US of "declaring war."
Washington events focus on Ukraine and the importance of U.S. support - The Ukrainian Weekly
U.S. relations with and future support for Ukraine was the focus of two important gatherings in the nation’s capital held in recent days. The first, a massive reception held September 12 in the very spacious hall of the U.S. Institute of Peace, was hosted by the Embassy of Ukraine to mark the 26th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence and the upcoming 26th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with the United States.
On India-Pakistan ‘line of fire’, local military factors often provide spark - Indian Express
The last couple of weeks have seen the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) between India and Pakistan light up with more than usual frequency. Starting around September 10, incidents of firing were reported almost every night. On the night of September 14, a few hours after security forces killed two top Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists, Abu Ismail and Chhota Qasim on the outskirts of Srinagar, a BSF constable was killed along the IB in Jammu.
Engaging Religion and Religious Actors in Countering Violent Extremism - • ETH Zurich
What role should religious ideas, actors and institutions play in the formation and implementation of policy to counter violent extremism? To answer this question, Peter Mandaville and Melissa Nozell look at 1) how religion serves as a driver of violent extremism; 2) how this role depends on the relationship between religion and varying local and contextual factors; 3) when engagement with religious actors should take place in policy formation processes; 4) how such engagement should not just focus on religious authorities or in countering extremist interpretations of religion, and much more.
The Misunderstood Roots of Burma's Rohingya Crisis - The Atlantic
“It gets to this notion of ethnicity in the Myanmar mind that I think the West doesn’t quite understand,” Derek Mitchell, who served as U.S. ambassador to Burma from 2012 to 2016, said. “We in the international community see the Rohingya as innocent people who just want to call themselves a name and who are uniquely abused for it. And, of course, it’s true they are largely innocent and uniquely abused. But to people in Myanmar, the name suggests something much more.”
US strikes Libya for first time under Trump - CNN News
The US military conducted airstrikes against ISIS fighters in Libya on Friday, the first time it has struck targets in the North African country since Donald Trump became President.