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.
Taliban Hostages Freed: Can It Ease U.S.-Pakistan Ties?
Today’s announcement that Pakistani troops rescued a U.S.-Canadian family held hostage by a Taliban faction comes as the U.S. and Pakistani governments labor to avert a break in their strained relations. It’s unclear whether the rescue can be parlayed into a broader improvement in their ties.
Contested Waters: Subnational Scale Water Conflict in Pakistan
This report reviews the evidence for, and politics around, water-related conflict at local, provincial, and interprovincial scales in Pakistan.
Technocratic Reforms in Afghanistan: Benefits and Limitations
Afghanistan’s “technocratic” reforms have resulted in impressive progress in areas such as public financial management. However, these reforms alone will not solve the country’s pressing security, political, and economic problems. This brief outlines the benefits and limitations of technocratic reforms and emphasizes that government and international attention should not be diverted from concrete, short-term measures to improve government functioning, strengthen security, and stimulate a mode...
State Strengthening in Afghanistan
Since 2001, Afghanistan’s political and social landscape has changed dramatically. However, international state-strengthening interventions have arguably had mixed results. Unprecedented aid and assistance has helped the country transition to a nascent democracy, attain a greater level of security, rebuild some of its infrastructure, and open more space for civil society participation.
Pakistan After the Lahore Bombing: Shaping the Security Response
Pakistan’s responses to terrorism affect both internal security and the overall balance of power. In light of the attack in Lahore, this brief discusses the implications of the current civil-military relationship and the continuing struggle over who has discretionary power to set and implement relevant policy.
Understanding Afghanistan's 2014 Presidential Election
Afghanistan’s 2014 presidential election did lead to its first peaceful transfer of power. The process, however, was scarcely democratic. This report explores the election and its internationally mediated unity government outcome. Elections—when they can even be held in fragile and conflict-affected situations—tend to be more destabilizing than stabilizing. The overall lesson, as this report makes clear, points to certain critical needs for such countries: a better understanding of inherent i...
Rappers and Roundtables: USIP’s Support for a Successful Afghan Election
Female Afghan rappers, a series of theater performances and a forum where more than 200 women challenged presidential candidates on their platforms have helped engage Afghanistan’s citizens in their country’s crucial electoral season this year as part of USIP’s Peaceful Elections Campaign.
Getting It Right in Afghanistan
As the United States and NATO prepare to withdraw their troops from Afghanistan in 2014, the question remains as to what sort of political settlement the Afghanistan government and the Taliban can reach in order to achieve sustainable peace. If all parties are willing to strike a deal, how might the negotiations be structured, and what might the shape of that deal be? Getting It Right in Afghanistan addresses the real drivers of the insurgency and how Afghanistan's neighbors can contribute to...
USIP & Afghanistan’s Political Transition
Since 2011, USIP has advocated that Afghanistan’s political transition, and the presidential election in particular, will be the most crucial factor in determining the country’s stability post-2014. USIP has conducted research, facilitated discussions, and raised awareness of this issue through publications, projects on the ground, events, and briefings for government officials on the importance of and need to support the political transition. Learn more on USIP’s Support for a Successful Afg...
Questions and Answers with Scott Smith, Moeed Yusuf, and Colin Cookman, editors
The editors answer questions about their new book, Getting It Right in Afghanistan. As the United States and NATO prepare to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, the editors and contributors to this volume consider the possibilities for peace between the Afghanistan government and the Taliban. The introduction stresses the importance of using existing knowledge to improve the prospects of the end game in Afghanistan. Despite the body of analysis that USIP and many others have produced, policy...