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South Asia: Rising Extremism Opens Way for ISIS

South Asia: Rising Extremism Opens Way for ISIS

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Across South Asia, complex strains of extremism are opening the way for the Islamic State and destabilizing governments. From elements in the Afghan Taliban to the ascent of Hindu nationalism in India, extremists are drawing the region deeper into volatile internal and external conflicts, according to experts on religion and extremism speaking recently at the U.S. Institute of Peace. There are no quick ways to reverse the trend, they said. But steps that could slow radicalization include bolstering free speech, attacking terrorists’ financial networks and undermining the myth that a long-ago caliphate ruled over a perfect society.

Type: Analysis

Violent ExtremismGlobal Policy

Analysts Laud U.S. Commitment to Asia

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

The Obama administration’s reaffirmation of American engagement in the Asia-Pacific region for strategic and economic reasons is welcome, but describing it as a “pivot” toward the region in the wake of U.S.-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan neglects the continuity through decades of U.S. involvement in the region, three senior foreign policy figures from the United States, Japan and South Korea said at a forum sponsored by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) on December 15.

Type: Analysis

Conflict Analysis & PreventionMediation, Negotiation & DialogueGlobal Policy

U.S.-North Korea Agreement: A Breakthrough?

Thursday, March 1, 2012

John Park, a senior program officer who directs USIP’s Korea Working Group, analyzes the U.S.-North Korea agreement announced on February 29. The North Koreans will suspend nuclear activities at its Yongbyon complex and long-range missile tests, and the U.S. will provide 240,000 tons of nutritional assistance to North Korea. While it may not be a breakthrough, this agreement does constitute a modest initial step forward in dealing with North Korea.

Type: Analysis

Conflict Analysis & PreventionMediation, Negotiation & DialogueGlobal Policy

Examining the Prospects for Iran Nuclear Talks

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Talks between Iran and a group known as the P5 plus 1 (the five United Nations Security Council permanent members plus Germany) on Iran’s nuclear programs are expected to begin on April 14 in Istanbul, Turkey. The resumption of negotiations might represent an important juncture in the long saga of international efforts to restrain and verify the nature of Iran’s nuclear efforts, which Tehran contends is intended to develop energy sources and conduct research but which the United States and ot...

Type: Analysis

Conflict Analysis & PreventionMediation, Negotiation & DialogueGlobal Policy

Blood Oil in the Niger Delta

Blood Oil in the Niger Delta

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

The trade of stolen oil, or “blood oil,” in Nigeria is fueling a long-running insurgency in the resource-rich Niger Delta region that has claimed many lives. Oil “bunkering” – or theft – has fomented the armed conflict in the region, providing militant groups with funds to purchase weapons, and has increased instability in oil prices on world energy markets. Nigerian President Umaru Yar’Adua in July 2008 asked the Group of Eight nations for help in dealing with the problem, but no concrete ac...

Type: Special Report

EnvironmentGlobal PolicyEconomics