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.
USIP’s Lawrence Woocher on the New Steps to Prevent Genocide
USIP’s Lawrence Woocher discusses President Barack Obama’s major announcement Thursday on new steps to prevent mass atrocities, including the creation of an interagency Atrocities Prevention Board and other initiatives.
Mass Atrocities in Syria: the International Response
USIP’s Scott Lasensky and Lawrence Woocher discuss the growing concerns over crimes against humanity being committed in Syria.
At USIP Event, U.S. Calls on Sudan to Halt Violence, Keep Its Promises
The government of Sudan should halt its military attacks in border regions adjacent to newly independent South Sudan and meet all of its obligations under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), Johnnie Carson, the assistant secretary of state for African affairs, said during a conference at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) on July 14.
Human Rights in Syria
USIP Middle East Senior Program Officer, Mona Yacoubian, testified before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission at the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, DC. The views expressed are those of the author and are not at the U.S. Institute of Peace, which does not take policy positions.
Counting the Dead and Wounded: Improving Capacity to Measure the Casualties of Armed Conflict
Tallying the fatalities and injuries resulting from armed conflict is an enormous challenge, with major political implications. Comprehensive, accurate information may be hard to collect, and conflict protagonists are prone to distort casualty figures. Meanwhile, the means of gathering data and evaluating competing claims have emerged in an ad hoc fashion. As a result, casualty statistics can be highly controversial and subject to misuse, exacerbating the risks of both further hostilities an...
The Challenge of Keeping Haitians Safe
Robert Maguire, Chairman of USIP's Haiti Working Group, analyzes the various aspects of security – political, economic, personal and criminal – in Haiti.
Libyan Forces Use Rape as Weapon of War, Experts Say
While opposition fighters struggle to tip the balance against Libyan leader Col. Muammar al-Qaddafi’s forces, a growing number of women living in rebel strongholds are allegedly being raped by members of the Libyan military.
Toward a New Republic of Sudan
The exclusionary governance that led South Sudan to secede from the rest of Sudan continues to bedevil the government of the new Republic of Sudan to the north. Both the July secession and the Arab Spring could provide the impetus the ruling party needs to lead national governance reforms and to engage its diverse citizenry in making a new constitution.
Laws of War
An American Red Cross survey released this spring shows that 59 percent of American youth believe there are times when it is “acceptable” to torture the enemy. And only one in five American youth is familiar with the Geneva Conventions, last revised in 1949, that define the way civilians and military personnel are to be treated in war.
Humanitarianism in Crisis
The militarization and politicization of humanitarian efforts have led to diminishing effectiveness on the ground and greater dangers for humanitarian workers, leaving humanitarian action in a state of crisis.