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.
Paper Versus Steel: Haiti’s Challenge of Constitutional Reform
Haiti has recently worked to enact the constitution of 1987. However, this document is fraught with ambiguous, perplexing, and legally cumbersome measures.
Dialogue: Calming Hot Spots Calls for Structure and Skill
Dialogue has been around as long as humans faced with a crisis have gathered in circles to talk. It is one of the oldest forms of conflict resolution and is still, when well-conceived and executed, one of the most effective. But the familiarity of dialogue can lead to oversimplification or to the perception that it is easier to do successfully than is actually the case.
'Haiti is Freedom,' My Friend Told Me. That Was News To Me.
Despite common perceptions of Haiti as a place of chaos, violence, and crime, a movement called konbit is looking to spur community-driven change.
Keith Mines on Haiti’s Security and Governance Crises
Haiti’s slow decline has led the country to the brink of collapse. And while the international community has offered to help, “there’s just a lot of pieces … that haven’t come together yet,” says USIP’s Keith Mines, adding: “It probably will take a stronger lead by the United States” to restore security and governance.
Comment sortir de l'impasse en Haïti
Après la série de crises liées à Haïti l'année dernière - un assassinat présidentiel, un tremblement de terre, une urgence migratoire a la frontière entre Mexique et des États-Unis et une consolidation dramatique de la violence des gangs - les décideurs internationaux ont été confrontés à la possibilité qu'Haïti se trouve dans les premières étapes d'une crise humanitaire à grande échelle. La nouvelle détérioration de la politique haïtienne au cours des premiers mois de 2022 n'a fait que confirmer que le pays a franchi cette sombre étape.
Wanted: A Reset of Haiti Policy
Haiti’s governance vacuum triggered by President Jovenel Moïse’s assassination in July 2021 shows few encouraging signs. Violence, notably around Port-au-Prince, has not only grown in lethality, but politically has become the central issue shaping domestic and international discussions. The imminent expiration of acting Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s term in office on February 7 means Haiti’s political crisis is on course to become more intransigent.
How to Break the Stalemate in Haiti
Following last year’s streak of Haiti-related crises — a presidential assassination, earthquake, a migrant emergency at the Mexico-U.S. border and a dramatic consolidation of gang violence — international policymakers were left grappling with the possibility that Haiti was in the initial stages of a full-scale humanitarian crisis. The further deterioration of the Haitian polity in the early months of 2022 has only confirmed that the country has passed that grim milestone.
Haiti's Presidential Elections
USIP’s Bob Perito discusses the recently released preliminary results of Haiti’s presidential election and what it means for Haiti’s recovery.
Former Haiti Prime Minister Says, “Haiti Must Build Back Better”
As Haiti struggles to recover from the devastating January earthquake, former Prime Minister Michèle Pierre-Louis said at an event at the United States Institute of Peace that in order for Haiti to build back better, the process must start within Haiti itself. The USIP event “Is Haiti Building Back Better?” held on October 29, 2010 focused on the challenges that have developed in the nine months since the January 12th earthquake.
On the Issues: Haiti's Youth
Vivienne O'Connor, USIP senior rule of law adviser, describes youth issues in Haiti and the outlook for children one year after the earthquake.