Question And Answer
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.
Training U.S. Army Officers for Peace Operations: Lessons from Bosnia
It's the most difficult leadership experience I have ever had. Nothing quite prepares you for this. -- Gen. Eric Shinseki1 Summary National debates fuelled by the recent U.S. military experience in Bosnia produced a series of lessons that range from force protection to civil-military implementation strategies. These lessons can and should inform U.S. military policy toward its present deployment in Kosovo. One of the most important lessons to emerge from the Bosnian experience is ...
Training to Help Traumatized Populations
Summary Millions of people around the world have experienced psychological distress caused by exposure to armed conflict. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as it is often called, involves a range of normal responses to events outside the realm of normal human experience.
Building Blocks for Citizenship and a Peaceful Transition in Sudan
Sudan’s upcoming elections in 2009 raise hopes and concerns for the country’s future. According to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), signed in 2005 between the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), Sudan is scheduled to hold national and state level elections in 2009.
Securing the Future
Security sector reform (SSR) is essential in the transition from war to peace in conflict zones and is a topic of urgent importance. This report discusses definitions of SSR, the field's emergence, and challenges in current SSR implementation, among other topics.
Sudanese Universities as Sites of Social Transformation
In Sudanese universities, students and faculty have historically served as vital voices for political change and community and international engagement, but recent educational policies have severely limited their voices.
Unite or Divide? The Challenges of Teaching History in Societies Emerging from Violent Conflict
In deeply divided societies, contending groups' historical narratives are intimately connected to their identities and sense of victimization. How can they teach history to avoid future cycles of violence?
Training for Peace and Humanitarian Relief Operations: Advancing Best Practices
While the four communities in peace operations--governmental and non- governmental organizations (NGOs), the military, and international civilian police--frequently find themselves sharing the same field of operation, their approaches to and structures for training for that interaction and the articulation of training needs are quite different.
Conflict Management Training: Advancing Best Practices
It was evident throughout the course of the symposium that the group also wanted to explore potential problems and alternative solutions, as well as to recognize some things that have both current and lasting value. This report, prepared by the Institute's Training Program staff, summarizes those papers and discussions and offers some insights into the core concerns of the conflict management community and the ability of training practitioners to be successful in the complex environment in wh...
Grappling with Peace Education in Serbia
Since the violent breakup of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia began in 1991, the children of Serbia have suffered the debilitating effects of wartime conditions. These include various forms and degrees of deprivation: social, emotional, moral, and intellectual.
Teaching about the Religious Other
The United States Institute of Peace held a two-day workshop titled "Teaching about the Religious 'Other'" on March 3–4, 2005. The sixteen workshop participants were professors experienced in teaching those of one Abrahamic faith about another Abrahamic faith either in U.S. classrooms or abroad. This report summarizes the presentations of the participants, introduces some promising new programs for teaching about the religious other, and offers lessons drawn from the discussion. It was writte...