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.
President Obama Calls for Troop Drawdown
President Barack Obama announced he would bring home 33,000 troops from Afghanistan by the end of next summer, thus ending the surge he announced at West Point in 2009.
USIP Reports from Afghanistan
USIP’s Shahmahmood Miakhel, who heads the Institute’s office in Kabul, discusses the state of play in Afghanistan as the U.S. debates its strategy in Afghanistan.
President Obama's Afghanistan Speech
USIP’s Andrew Wilder previews the president’s speech and how it is likely to play out in Afghanistan.
Eye on Afghanistan-Pakistan
Experts from the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) are closely following developments in Afghanistan, Pakistan and U.S. policy. In a series of reports and interviews, they cover a wide range of issues.
Achieving Durable Peace in Afghanistan
The July deadline for the beginning of a drawdown of American troops from Afghanistan is looming, and the debate in Washington is increasingly focused now on how reconciliation and reintegration efforts will affect the long-term peace process. Experts from Capitol Hill, Kabul and Washington think tanks gathered at USIP on June 13 to discuss how to build a “durable peace” in Afghanistan.
Promoting Stability and Resolving Provincial Disputes in Afghanistan
Currently numerous disputes at the local level are unresolved in Afghanistan, leading to local instability, a growing distance between the government and people and encouraging communities to turn to the Taliban. In March 2010, USIP began working with local elders, government officials (particularly governors and officials from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs) and religious figures to address a range of disputes in Nangarhar and Kunar provinces in eastern Afghanistan.
USIP's Afghan Rule of Law at Work: Strengthening Long-Term Security
USIP was among the first organizations to focus on law and justice issues in Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks and the U.S.-led campaign against the Taliban and al-Qaida in 2001. Since 2002, USIP has been studying traditional dispute resolution in the country.
Afghan Perspectives on Achieving Durable Peace
This brief outlines key findings from the first phase of research on Afghan stakeholder views on the conflict. The author worked in Afghanistan for the World Bank and the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit from 2005-2010, and has researched governance and peace processes in Southeast Asia, Central America and Afghanistan.
Humanitarianism in Crisis
The militarization and politicization of humanitarian efforts have led to diminishing effectiveness on the ground and greater dangers for humanitarian workers, leaving humanitarian action in a state of crisis.
Strengthening Local Capacities for Dispute Resolution in Afghanistan
Decades of war in Afghanistan have undermined the legitimacy of the government and have decimated the capacity of local conflict resolution and mediation systems. In the absence of functioning state institutions, generations of young people are largely deprived of educational opportunities and meaningful employment prospects. In rural villages, this is exacerbated by the resettlement of refugees and IDPs, causing a rise in the number of conflicts between individuals and communities over acce...