‘Worrying Fragility' Marks Afghan Nation-Building

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

By: Thomas Omestad

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.

Type: Analysis

Conflict Analysis & PreventionMediation, Negotiation & Dialogue

Triage, Bootstraps and Police Reform

Thursday, November 17, 2011

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.

Type: Analysis

Conflict Analysis & Prevention

Police Corruption

Police Corruption

Thursday, November 3, 2011

By: David Bayley;  Robert Perito

Police corruption is a universal problem, but it is a particular challenge in countries in crisis and emerging from conflict. This report is based on the lessons gleaned from a review of public commissions of inquiry into police misconduct worldwide and their possible application in stability operations, such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Type: Special Report

Money Spent on Peacebuilding is an “Investment”

Friday, October 28, 2011

By: Steven Ruder

Money spent on peace is an “investment” that will eventually “mature,” said Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA) at the U.S. Institute of Peace on Oct. 27, bringing both short- and long-term gains to the United States and countries around the world. Garamendi, who served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ethiopia from 1966 to 1968, offered his remarks at a USIP event marking the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps’ founding.

Type: Analysis

Education & TrainingEducation & Training

Oral Histories: Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Iraq and Afghanistan

Oral Histories: Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Iraq and Afghanistan

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

In 2009, USIP was invited to participate in a U.S. government interagency effort to capture and institutionalize lessons learned and best practices from the U.S. experience with PRTs.  From 2009-2011, USIP interviewed 200 returning government, military, and NGO representatives who had served in PRTs in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Type: Oral History