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.
Q&A: Drone Strike's Impact on Afghanistan, Pakistan
The death of Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Akhtar Mansour, who reportedly was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan on May 21, raises a host of questions about the Taliban’s future, U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and American relations with Pakistan. The strike, which Pakistani officials have protested, was the first publicly-disclosed military action by the U.S. inside Pakistan’s southwestern Baluchistan province, and the first to directly target senior Taliban leaders sheltering o...
Q&A: Obama’s Troop Decision and Afghanistan’s Stability
Today, President Obama announced that he would extend the presence of roughly 8,400 U.S. troops in Afghanistan through the end of his term in January 2017, revising previous plans to cut force levels to around 5,500 soldiers at the end of the year. Afghanistan will be among the top issues for the NATO Summit of leaders in Warsaw, taking place later this week on July 8-9. USIP Vice President for Asia Programs Andrew Wilder, who recently returned from Afghanistan, discusses the issue of troop n...
Q&A: Afghan Elections
On April 5 Aghanistan will hold presidential and provincial council elections and they mark an important point in history for the country. USIP’s Scott Smith provides a background on the elections.
Next Steps for Afghanistan
“The Afghan people voted for change. Change in life, in educational and employment opportunities, in better governance,” Shahmahmood Miakhel, USIP’s Afghanistan country director and former Afghan Deputy Minister of Interior, said at a USIP event First Impressions of the Afghan Elections on April 9.
Let Afghan Voters Finish the Job
Kabul has been full of rumors about an attempt to reach a "political deal" in order to avoid a second round of voting required by the constitution. Strangely, most of the commentary in the western press has treated such a deal as if it would be desirable. We believe it would be a huge mistake.
Karzai Calls for Meeting to Discuss U.S.-Afghan Relationship
USIP's Tim Luccaro and Sanaulla Tasal, both stationed in Kabul, discuss Afghan President Hamid Karzai's call for a "consultative loya jirga."
Former National Security Adviser Hadley visits the Hill, Briefs on USIP missions in Afghanistan, Pakistan
Former U.S. national security adviser Stephen Hadley and other top USIP staff briefed Hill members about a trip they took to Afghanistan and Pakistan this fall.
Triage, Bootstraps and Police Reform
USIP hosted an expert panel Nov. 16 to discuss police reform and the need to try new ways that fit the task. USIP also published a new Special Report, "Police Corruption: What Past Scandals Teach About Current Challenges," by David Bayley and USIP's Bob Perito.
Pakistan’s Future: Uncertainty and Hope
Former Pakistani Ambassador to the United States Maleeha Lodhi spoke candidly about the future of Pakistan and what’s next for the country at an event Nov. 18 at USIP headquarters in Washington.
‘Worrying Fragility' Marks Afghan Nation-Building
Afghanistan has benefited from some “amazing” social and economic advances in recent years, but “at the same time, there is a very worrying fragility” as military forces and aid from the United States and other countries wind down, J. Alexander Thier, director of the Office of Afghanistan and Pakistan Affairs at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), told an audience at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) on November 17.