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.
Women and the Arab Spring
Manal Omar, director of Iran, Iraq and North Africa programs at the U.S. Institute of Peace, testified before the Senate Foreign Relations committee on November 2, 2011, on the role of women in the Arab Spring, and more specifically, their role in Libya.
USIP Prevention Newsletter - November 2011
The November 2011 Prevention Newsletter features a spotlight on the Palestinian Quest for Statehood: On September 23, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas submitted an application to admit Palestine as a full-state member of the United Nations. The Palestinian and Israeli leaders should capitalize on their recent boosts in domestic popularity to pursue serious progress towards peace.
From Endearment to Estrangement: Turkey’s Interests and Concerns in Syria
This brief is part of a series examining the regional dimensions of Syria’s popular uprising. The Institute invited leading experts from the U.S. and the Middle East to identify key vectors of influence Syria’s neighbors are bringing to bear on the conflict, to forecast how the situation there will affect the regional balance of power and to examine how the opposition and the Syria regime are responding to these regional dynamics. This study on Turkey was written by Yigal Schleifer, a Washing...
Syrian Uprising: Looking In, Looking Out
Amr al-Azm is an active member of the Syrian opposition and a professor of Middle East history and anthropology at Shawnee State University. This Peace Brief aims to examine the deteriorating relationship between the Syrian regime and its neighbors and the possible emergence of a “Benghazi scenario” involving Turkish military engagement.
Regional Dynamics of the Syrian Uprising: The Impact on Lebanon and Hezbollah
This Peace Brief is part of a series examining the regional dimensions of Syria’s popular uprising. The Institute invited leading experts from the U.S. and across the Middle East to identify key vectors of influence Syria’s neighbors are bringing to bear on the conflict; to forecast how the on-going conflict in Syria will affect the delicate and volatile regional balance of power; and to examine how the Syrian opposition and the Syria regime are factoring in regional and cross-border dynamics...
Baghdad’s Wary Support for the Syrian Status Quo
Iraq’s reaction to the popular uprising in Syria is mostly determined by the chaos its Shiite-led government believes would follow the sudden collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. This Peace Brief outlines how Baghdad possesses limited ability to influence the course of events in Syria, but uses this to provide modest support to the Assad regime. This Peace Brief is part of a series examining the regional dimensions of Syria’s popular uprising.
"The Assad Regime Will Collapse"
Four members of the newly formed Syrian National Council (SNC) appeared at USIP in Washington for “Voices from the Front Lines: an Update on the Syrian Opposition.” The members are determined to create a representative, effective group that is a viable alternative to the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
Syria's Opposition Takes Form
There is little doubt the creation of a unified front among the various dissident groups in Syria is a positive development for their cause. But it remains unclear if it reflects a true "coalescing" of all the different rebel voices, or if the group can grow into an effective political force capable of being seen as a viable alternative to the Assad regime.
USIP Conference Assesses Social Media’s Role in Conflict
The new role of social media in popular revolutions and other political change is not the inevitable force for good some commentators portray it as, but its complicated effects are promoting a wider transfer of geopolitical power from traditional nation-states to individuals and institutions, according to speakers at a conference held at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) on September 16.
Syria's Opposition
The uprisings in Syria that started in March have sparked international condemnation and concern over human rights abuses by the Assad regime. USIP’s Steven Heydemann discusses the state of Syria’s opposition and why the U.S. may be hesitant to recognize an emerging opposition.