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.
Colombian President Says 51-Year War May End Next Month
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said his government and the country’s biggest guerrilla group likely will be able to sign a final peace accord close to their self-imposed deadline of March 23, ending more than half a century of internal conflict. Speaking today in Washington at an event co-hosted by the U.S. Institute of Peace, Santos said his government will return to the ongoing negotiations in Havana with new procedures aimed at expediting the final phase.
Q&A: Colombia’s President Santos in Washington
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos meets President Barack Obama on Feb. 4 in Washington to commemorate the 15th anniversary of “Plan Colombia,” a U.S.-led effort that has provided about $10 billion to help the South American country’s security forces fight leftist guerrillas and drug traffickers. Virginia Bouvier, a senior advisor for peace processes at the U.S. Institute of Peace, who has led the Institute’s work on Colombia for the past decade, talks about Santos’s visit and the fast-mo...
Q&A: Colombia, Guerrillas Reach Accord on Rights for Victims of War
Making a peace deal that accommodates the needs of the millions of civilians hurt by Colombia’s 50-year-old conflict has challenged negotiators since talks between the government and the nation’s largest guerrilla group began three years ago. This week, negotiators announced an agreement on victims, completing the fourth item on a six-point agenda that’s aimed at ending hostilities. USIP’s Virginia Bouvier, who was in Havana for the declaration on victims, said the latest accord is another hi...
The Basque Conflict and ETA: The Difficulties of an Ending
Violence at the hands of the Basque separatist organization ETA was for many years an anomalous feature of Spain’s transition to democracy. This report, which draws on the author’s book Endgame for ETA: Elusive Peace in the Basque Country (Hurst and Oxford University Press, 2014), explains why this was the case, examines both the factors that contributed to ETA’s October 2011 announcement of an end to violence and the obstacles encountered in moving forward from that announcement to disarmame...
Assessing the President’s Strategy in Afghanistan
Andrew Wilder, vice president of the Asia center at USIP, testimony before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Middle East and North Africa. More from Dr. Wilder following his testimony, "Why the U.S. Needs to Remain Engaged in Afghanistan."
Can Anything Save the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process?
As the decades-long struggle threatens to boil over, there are four concrete steps the international community can take to help the peace along.
Colombia Considers War and Memory
A breakthrough in peace talks last month between Colombia’s government and the country’s biggest guerrilla group cements the role of victims in the process and has been hailed as a possible model for resolving conflicts elsewhere. Yet after 50 years of violence, a political accord on how to deal with the millions victimized by the war is just the first step. Hardened, bitter memories will risk rekindling conflict. Colombian peacebuilders say the way forward depends on an effective justice sys...
Q&A: Colombia Breakthrough a World Model for Peace Talks
Yesterday’s breakthrough in peace talks between Colombia’s government and rebels reveals the outlines of a final deal and puts the grueling process firmly back on track, says USIP’s Virginia Bouvier. The agreement may serve as a model for resolving conflicts elsewhere in the world, according to Bouvier, who heads the Institute’s Latin America programs.
Episode 30 - Hamidullah Natiq
In this episode we speak with Hamidullah Natiq – Senior Training Officer working for the United States Institute of Peace in Afghanistan. In our conversation Natiq takes us through his journey towards becoming a self-identified peacebuilding trainer.
Episode 24 - Julia Roig
In this episode we talk with Julia Roig, President of Partners for Democratic Change. She discusses the work of Partners and how they conduct evaluations of their 20 affiliate offices around the world. How does Partners ensure quality of standards across offices? Does working across various geographical areas and context affect monitoring and evaluation? How has social media affected the work among Partner offices?