Question And Answer
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.
North Korea Conducts Nuclear Blast
North Korea on February 12 conducted a third nuclear test blast, drawing immediate global condemnation. USIP has several recent resources discussing the North's proliferation activities.
Taking the 'Thug' Out of Security Forces: What Women Can Do
The daunting process of transforming police and other security forces after the fall of an authoritarian regime often is missing a key ingredient that would make the endeavor more effective – the perspectives and involvement of women. A new guide aims to change the dynamics.
Use of Terrorist ‘Dropouts’ to Boost Defections: Dangerous Business
A former Singapore intelligence analyst examines government efforts to support terrorist group defectors in campaigns to de-radicalize others. She cautions that most such “dropouts” have merely adjusted their views rather than rejecting violence outright.
Lifting the Pall Over Afghanistan’s 2014 Election: A Fresh Look at 2009
Afghanistan’s 2009 elections are often viewed as extremely fraudulent and as having produced an illegitimate outcome. However, despite many challenges, the 2009 elections were in some ways a success, and produced a legitimate outcome that adhered to the constitution and the country’s electoral laws. There is an opportunity now, before the 2014 elections in Afghanistan, to learn from these elections.
Pakistan Election Victory for Sharif May Spur Change, Experts Say
USIP’s Andrew Wilder and Moeed Yusuf and other experts say broad support for the prime minister, combined with local wins by key opponents, might generate the right combination to force tough decisions that could move Pakistan forward.
Top Afghan Officials Appeal for Sustained Help Against Opium
Top Afghan ministers and the governors of Kandahar, Helmand and Farah provinces appealed for international support of projects to curb the country’s opium poppy trade over the long haul, amid the risk that cultivation will rise in the short term as most U.S.-led military forces withdraw and foreign aid declines.
USIP-Supported Radio Drama Aims to Strengthen Justice, Young People in Afghanistan
Young Afghan villagers Zarlakhta and Jamil would like to marry. But there is a big problem: Zarlakhta’s father is deceased and her uncle Akram is dead-set against the union, fearing that his family will lose good farm land that, in a marriage, would transfer to Jamil’s family. Akram is so opposed to the marriage that he is trying to fix Zarlakhta up with his son Khudaidad to keep the land in his own family, and when that scheme doesn’t work he shoots Jamil. Jamil survives, and Akram flees the...
USIP President Jim Marshall Leads U.S. Delegation to Crisis Avoidance Track 1.5 Dialogues in Beijing
USIP President Jim Marshall recently led a U.S. delegation to two Track 1.5 dialogues in Beijing aimed at moving quickly beyond intractable official government statements and finding ways for de-escalating tensions in East Asia.
U.S. Senators, Officials Urge Speed, Priority for Afghan Elections Preparations
The U.S. Senate this week called for more urgency and accountability in preparations for Afghanistan’s presidential election in 2014, which will be a key marker for a political transition that U.S. Special Representative James Dobbins called “our main priority for the coming year.”
USIP Hosts Round of Northeast Asia Track 1.5 Dialogue
The U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) this week hosted the eighth round of the Trilateral Dialogue in Northeast Asia, a Track 1.5 project involving current and former senior policymakers and military officials from the United States, South Korea and Japan. The discussions delved into a variety of security and diplomatic topics, including historical tensions between South Korea and Japan, and “achieved candor in a relaxed and truly non-defensive environment,” said one of the participants, Stephen...