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.
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.
President Obama's Speech and Gender
Following President Obama's speech on the Middle East, USIP's Kathleen Kuehnast examines how gender plays an important role in peacemaking and prosperity, and the influential role women are playing in the Arab Spring.
Sen. John McCain: U.S. Must Sustain Momentum of Arab Spring
Senator John McCain sees the Arab Spring as the most consequential event since the fall of the Ottoman Empire and for the U.S., a “moment when we must clearly define what we stand for, and not just what we are against.”
President Obama’s Speech an “Evolution” for U.S. Policy, Says USIP Expert
President Barack Obama’s May 19 speech presents an important evolution rather than a decisive break with U.S. Middle East policy, particularly as it regards the crucial question of democratic reform in the Middle East, says USIP expert Dan Brumberg.
President Obama: U.S. Supports Democratic Movements in the Middle East and North Africa, Pushes for Middle East Peace
President Barack Obama, in a wide-ranging policy address on the Middle East and North Africa, put U.S. support squarely behind the pro-reform, democratic movements reshaping the region and called for continued U.S. efforts to support Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking.
Democratization and Conflict in the Arab World: Challenges, Opportunities and Dangers
The mass protests seeking democracy and rule of law in the Arab world—amid the hope for change—have also produced an array of uncertainties, the likelihood of setbacks and the need for difficult policy choices by U.S. officials, the specialists addressing a United States Institute of Peace (USIP) conference on May 4 said. The event was co-hosted with Georgetown University.
Women and the Arab Spring
Women's participation in the Arab Spring has been significant, but it remains to be seen, however, if their participation will result in increased opportunities for women in the public sphere when the dust settles. USIP’s Mary Hope Schwoebel discusses the opportunities and challenges for women in the Arab Spring.
Constitutional Reform in Transitional States: Challenges and Opportunities Facing Egypt and Tunisia
Countries emerging from authoritarianism frequently face constitutional challenges, among them sequencing constitutional reform with a transition to democracy, designing a constitutional review process that is seen as legitimate, and addressing substantive constitutional concerns.
Israel and the Arab Spring
USIP’s Lucy Kurtzer-Ellenbogen discusses how the Arab Spring could impact Israel.
Youth and the "Arab Spring"
USIP’s Stephanie Schwartz, author of “Youth and Post-Conflict Reconstruction: Agents of Change,” discusses the critical role youth are playing in the “Arab Spring.”