Violent Extremism: Muslim Democrats as Part of Solution

Violent Extremism: Muslim Democrats as Part of Solution

Sunday, February 19, 2017

By: Linda Bishai;  Ambassador William B. Taylor

The White House account of President Donald Trump’s first phone call with Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi is a good sign that the U.S. might continue to work cooperatively with moderate Muslim political leaders who can contribute to global stability and aid in reducing violent extremism.

Type: Analysis

Violent ExtremismGlobal PolicyReligionDemocracy & Governance

Building Regional Border Security Cooperation: Lessons from the Maghreb

Building Regional Border Security Cooperation: Lessons from the Maghreb

Monday, September 19, 2016

By: James Cohen;  Leanne McKay;  Joyce A. Kasee

The Maghreb countries of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia face threats to their borders from transnational illicit networks, such as terrorist groups and criminal organizations. To address these threats, USIP convened operational border officials from the three countries through a series of workshops in spring 2016. This brief highlights the key lessons that emerged from this work: addressing border security requires understanding the underlying drivers of insecurity; border security requires st...

Type: Peace Brief

Justice, Security & Rule of Law

Burns, Flournoy, Lindborg Press Urgency of Fragile States

Burns, Flournoy, Lindborg Press Urgency of Fragile States

Monday, September 12, 2016

By: Viola Gienger

Three former high-ranking officials in the State Department, the Pentagon and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) urged the next presidential administration to commit more attention and resources to preventing the kinds of violent conflicts that are roiling the Middle East and other regions today and spilling over into neighboring countries, Europe and the United States. Former Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns, Under Secretary of Defense Michele Flournoy and USAID Assist...

Type: Analysis

Fragility & ResilienceViolent ExtremismGlobal Policy

For a Victory Amid Crisis, Offer Consistent, Smart Help to Tunisia

For a Victory Amid Crisis, Offer Consistent, Smart Help to Tunisia

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

By: Nancy Lindborg

As the United States and the international community grapple with interlocking crises in the Middle East and nearby parts of Africa and Asia, we must reserve a special priority for helping Tunisia achieve a strategic victory. Its success could model for the region how to build stability and prosperity through inclusive governance and nonviolence.

Type: Analysis

Violent ExtremismEnvironmentGlobal PolicyFragility & ResilienceEconomics

Middle East Security Suffers for Absence of Women

Middle East Security Suffers for Absence of Women

Thursday, May 12, 2016

By: Viola Gienger

In the violent conflict tearing across the Middle East and North Africa, fully half of the pieces needed to complete the security puzzle may be missing almost entirely: women. As extremist groups and military forces parry with the weapons of war and politics, the pivotal role that women could play in restoring peace and security has largely been cast aside, as old-school thinking perpetuates the idea that gender equality is a problem for another day, according to experts and a new study just published by USIP.

Type: Analysis

Conflict Analysis & PreventionViolent ExtremismGenderHuman Rights

Prioritizing Security Sector Reform

Prioritizing Security Sector Reform

Monday, March 21, 2016

By: Querine Hanlon;  Richard H. Shultz;  Jr.;  editors

Prioritizing Security Sector Reform: A New U.S. Approach argues that security sector reform (SSR) should be at the core of a new U.S. policy to strengthen the security sector capacity of countries where U.S. interests are at stake. As the United States withdraws from a more interventionist policy, it cannot wholly ignore the growing disorder in fragile environments around the globe. In place of large, boots-on-the-ground interventions relying on expensive train and equip programs with only fl...

Type: Book

Justice, Security & Rule of Law

Group Leader in Nobel-Winning Quartet: Tunisia Needs Education Review for Jobs

Group Leader in Nobel-Winning Quartet: Tunisia Needs Education Review for Jobs

Thursday, March 10, 2016

By: Viola Gienger

The president of one of the four civil society organizations in the Nobel Prize-winning Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet said her country will need to make changes in its education system to reduce unemployment and adapt to an evolving economy. In a videotaped interview during a visit to USIP, Ouided Bouchamaoui talked about some of the many issues facing Tunisia during its still-precarious transition and about the status of women in society and the economy.

Type: Analysis

Conflict Analysis & PreventionViolent ExtremismEnvironmentEducation & TrainingGenderMediation, Negotiation & DialogueEconomics

Tunisia and Ukraine: Linchpins of U.S. interests

Tunisia and Ukraine: Linchpins of U.S. interests

Friday, February 5, 2016

By: Kristin M. Lord;  Ambassador William B. Taylor

The Obama administration’s announcement this week that it plans to quadruple military resources devoted to deterring Russia in Europe highlights how seriously U.S. and NATO leaders view the threat posed by Russia. Ukraine is struggling to save its young democracy and stave off public disaffection with the new government’s valiant but halting reforms, even as Russia continues its campaign of military and economic goading. 

Type: Analysis

Conflict Analysis & PreventionGlobal PolicyDemocracy & Governance

Tunisia’s Revolution: Five Years On, What Lies Ahead

Tunisia’s Revolution: Five Years On, What Lies Ahead

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

By: Fred Strasser

In the wake of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, Tunisia stands alone. As other countries in the upheaval have splintered into civil war or returned to dictatorship, Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution, on its fifth anniversary, remains on a peaceful, democratic path with an elected parliament and coalition government bound by a constitution. At the same time, the specter of a weakening economy, rising violent extremism and an increasingly disillusioned public tugs at the future.

Type: Analysis

Fragility & ResilienceEnvironmentDemocracy & GovernanceNonviolent ActionEconomics

Regional Security through Inclusive Reform in the Maghreb and the Sahel

Regional Security through Inclusive Reform in the Maghreb and the Sahel

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

By: Querine Hanlon;  Joyce A. Kasee

Throughout the Maghreb and the Sahel, governments are struggling to manage a security environment fundamentally transformed by the Arab Spring. Within this region, the efforts of governments to secure their territories and civil society organizations to create accountable and transparent security institutions have proceeded almost wholly divorced from each other. This Peace Brief shares key insights from the engagement between official and civil society actors both within and across borders t...

Type: Peace Brief

Justice, Security & Rule of LawDemocracy & Governance