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.
Middle East in 2013: Promise and (Lots of) Peril
A new peace brief by Robin Wright and Garrett Nada provides an overview of four “Arab Spring” uprisings and a look ahead to the challenges of 2013.
Challenges and Opportunities for Women in Transition: An Expert Dialogue with Afghan, Iraqi, Libyan and Tunisian Women
On December 7-9, 2012, USIP’s Center for Gender and Peacebuilding brought together a group of Afghan, Iraqi, Libyan and Tunisian women to build on the findings from a June 2012 Dialogue and to identify common challenges and opportunities across the countries.
USIP Specialists Call Security Sector Reform in North Africa Difficult but Essential
On November 5, USIP convened a panel of experts to discuss the array of difficulties in restructuring military, police and intelligence agencies that persist after the initial optimism with demise of previous regimes.
Security Sector Reform in Tunisia (Arabic Version)
The long-term success of Tunisia’s new democracy hinges on efforts to reform its security sector. Most in need of reform are the police, gendarme, and interior ministry.
USIP Prevention Newsletter - November 2012
The November 2012 Prevention Newsletter features a spotlight on the Network of Iraqi Facilitators (NIF) in Ninewa, Iraq: A team of three conflict resolution professionals from the NIF took the initiative to bring sectarian leaders to the table to negotiate a peaceful end to the cycle of violence plaguing Ninewa.
Security Sector Transformation in the Arab Awakening
Countries transitioning to democracy must change old models of organizing the police, armed services, and intelligence services, which typically were characterized by mistreatment of the public, for models that stress transparency, accountability, and citizen involvement. Yet each new government in the Middle East and North Africa must tailor its reforms carefully and patiently in order to avoid backlash among security services.
Blogs and Bullets II: New Media and Conflict after the Arab Spring
Based on Twitter and Facebook data gathered during the 2011 Arab revolutions, the authors of this Peaceworks report find that new media informed international audiences and mainstream media reporting, but they find less evidence that it played a direct role in organizing protests or allowing local audiences to share self-generated news directly with one another.
USIP Examines Security Sector Transformation in North Africa, Middle East
The U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) held its third annual conference on security sector governance on May 10, drawing in activists from North Africa and the Middle East as well as former U.S. ambassadors to the region to assess the political and security-sector challenges arising from the “Arab Awakening.”
Labor Strikes Plague New Islamist Governments
The fledgling new governments in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco are now facing persistent challenges from a different kind of unrest - labor strikes. In all three countries, hundreds of strikes have repeatedly disrupted government services and private industries since the Arab uprisings erupted in January 2011.
Fellow Robin Wright Recognized by the Overseas Press Club
On April 25, Robin Wright, noted author, journalist, and joint USIP-Woodrow Wilson Center fellow, was recognized by the Overseas Press Club (OPC) for her recent book Rock the Casbah: Rage and Rebellion Across the Middle East. Wright received the OPC’s Cornelius Ryan Award, which recognizes the best non-fiction book on international affairs.