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.
Syrians Still Hoping for Justice and Accountability for Abuses
New research findings from the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC), a Syrian-led nonprofit organization based in The Hague, indicate that even as Syrians are caught up in a vicious, increasingly sectarian war, they generally want a negotiated peace settlement that will allow coexistence and establish accountability for abuses committed on both sides.
Media That Moves Millions
Three years to the month since protests swept across the Middle East, the new year once again sees peaceful demonstrators facing off against hardened and sometimes violent security forces, this time in the Ukraine. And like in the Arab Spring, social media is being said to play a significant and potentially decisive role in empowering Euromaidan protesters in ways that couldn't have been imagined a decade ago.
Could discussing humanitarian issues lead to disaster at the Geneva II talks?
Could discussing humanitarian issues lead to disaster at the Geneva II talks?
U.N. Refugees Chief Guterres Urges Support for Fleeing Syrians
Calling the Syrian civil war and its spillover into neighboring countries “probably the worst humanitarian crisis in the world since the Rwandan genocide,” António Guterres, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, used a March 12 appearance at the Institute to appeal for greater international support for Syrians who’ve fled their homes because of the conflict and for the neighboring countries that are taking in millions of them.
Syrian Opposition Leader Jarba Appeals for U.S. Understanding, Weapons
Syrian Opposition Coalition leader Ahmad Jarba, giving his first official address in the U.S., appealed for Americans to understand the movement's fight for "dignity," and for the Obama administration to provide the weapons rebels need to thwart the regime's barrel bombs that are "making our lives a nightmare."
Q&A: Lebanese Presidential Elections
Lebanon’s parliament failed to elect a successor within the constitutional timeframe before President Michel Suleiman’s term expired on May 25. Elie Abouaoun, the director of Middle East programs for the U.S. Institute of Peace, explains the dynamics feeding the divisions, the ramifications of the vacancy and possible solutions.
As Hezbollah-Israel Tensions Simmer, Lebanon’s Domestic Crises Drag On
Nearly six months after Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, tensions in two key flashpoints — Lebanon and Syria — continue to rise with significant Israeli airstrikes in both countries, leading to the highest death tolls in each country since October 7. Amid these rising tensions, ongoing clashes between the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) threaten to escalate into a wider war. At the same time, Lebanon continues to reel from a series of crises that have unfolded over the past four and a half years, highlighting Lebanon’s perilous position as the Gaza conflict continues to reverberate throughout the region.