Priscilla A. Clapp, senior advisor to the U.S. Institute of Peace, testifies before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission on China’s Relations with Southeast Asia.

Type: Congressional Testimony

Economics & Environment

Many countries have attempted to transition from authoritarian governments to democracies, with many false starts. The political transition that began in Myanmar with the elections of 2010 was heavily planned by military leaders to gradually move toward democratization while retaining many of the authoritarian structures of the previous government during the transition. As Myanmar’s success has attracted great interest and support from the international community, this study analyzes the elem...

Type: Special Report

Conflict Analysis & Prevention; Religion; Reconciliation; Democracy & Governance

Myanmar continues to experience intermittent violence and power struggles that threaten its progress toward sustainable peace, even as the country has made progress in its democratic transition. To help address the tensions, the U.S. Institute of Peace recently linked technologists with civic activists to bolster efforts aimed at countering the kind of dangerous speech fueling the flames of inter-religious conflict.

Type: In the Field

Nonviolent Action

In the midst of a political shift where power is moving from central institutions to smaller, more distributed units in the international system, the approaches to and methodologies for peacemaking are changing. "Managing Conflict in a World Adrift" provides a sobering panorama of contemporary conflict, along with innovative thinking about how to respond now that new forces and dynamics are at play.

Type: Book

Education & Training

Cascades of violent conflict in Syria, Iraq, South Sudan, Ukraine and elsewhere convulsed 2014, raising anxiety about how the world will fare this year. In this series, experts from the U.S. Institute of Peace explore some of the biggest tests coming up for 2015 in the struggle to prevent or resolve violent conflict. Topics will include Myanmar/Burma’s planned parliamentary elections, Iran’s nuclear program, Nigeria’s impending national elections, Afghanistan’s new government, Pakistan’s stru...

Type: Analysis and Commentary

Conflict Analysis & Prevention; Electoral Violence; Democracy & Governance

New media freedoms in Myanmar present an opportunity to encourage the development of local media that can help resolve ethnic, intercommunal, and state-citizen conflicts. This assessment of the evolving conflict and media landscape in the country identifies types of media initiatives the government and NGOs can take that are likely to foster peace.  This report is also available in Burmese.

Type: Peaceworks

“Rule of law reform” is an abstract concept for most people, understood to be important, but hard to explain. This is especially true in Burma, where government officials and citizens alike are trying to grasp a relatively rapid transition from decades of authoritarian rule to democratic governance.

Type: In the Field

Justice, Security & Rule of Law

As Buddhist-Muslim violence ignites, a monk’s message reflects the pain on both sides and his journey demonstrates efforts to heal the rifts and staunch the spread of unrest.

Conflict Analysis & Prevention