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.
Allies Under Attack: The Terrorist Threat to Europe
USIP Director of Countering Violent Extremism Georgia Holmer testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade & Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats.
Inclusive Approaches to Community Policing and CVE
What happens when community policing—a strategy that promotes collaboration between the police and a community to ensure safety and security—is implemented in transitional societies, in marginalized communities, or to prevent violent extremism or to engage women in providing community-level security? To ensure that they are not doing more harm than good, security, gender, and peacebuilding practitioners must both expand their understanding of policing methodologies and related assumptions and...
Returning Foreign Fighters and the Reintegration Imperative
This report aims to help policymakers and practitioners navigate the challenges of developing effective programs to rehabilitate and reintegrate foreign fighters returning from Syria and Iraq into their societies. Ultimately, holistic and comprehensive reintegration efforts designed to transition returnees address not only their needs, but also those of the entire society, and are critical in building more resilient and safer communities.
Measuring Up: Monitoring and Evaluating P/CVE Programs
This report considers the various conceptual and practical challenges in measuring the impact and value of programs designed to prevent and counter violent extremism (P/CVE). It examines potential solutions and emphasizes the significance of efforts to assess changes in attitudes, behaviors, and relationships.
Taking Stock: Analytic Tools for Understanding and Designing P/CVE Programs
This report examines the various analytic tools that have been developed to understand the causes and dynamics of radicalization and violent extremism. The report assesses the strengths and limitations of these tools in informing the design of P/CVE interventions. It considers micro- and macro-level frameworks and models, and the various contexts in which they may be relevant.
Countering Violent Extremism: A Peacebuilding Perspective
A stronger bridge between security policymakers and the peacebuilding community, with coordinated and clearer lines of engagement, could better advance efforts to prevent violent extremism. A USIP expert examines the challenges facing CVE policy and practice and how peacebuilders can help to overcome them.
Creating Spaces for Effective CVE Approaches
Unlike other counterterrorism strategies, countering violent extremism (CVE) focuses on preventing individuals from being recruited into or joining violent extremist groups. CVE is a complex endeavor, largely because the reasons individuals become involved in extremist violence are in themselves complex and the dynamics are unique to each conflict. Using Kenya as an example, and drawing on observations from a recent visit, the author explores how promoting a more nuanced understanding of radi...
What to Do When Foreign Fighters Come Home
Not every Westerner who comes home after joining the Islamic State is a threat. But whether they ultimately live a life of peace or violence can be shaped by what they find when they get back.
Nigeria’s Double-Edged Front-Line
Vigilantes have become vital in the country's fight against Boko Haram. But is there a way to ensure they're not also making things worse?
Dynamics of Radicalization and Violent Extremism in Kosovo
Relying in large part on primary empirical evidence, this report explores the dynamics of violent extremism in Kosovo and the disproportionately high number of radicalized fighters from the region in Syria and Iraq. Examining the historic, cultural, geopolitical, and socioeconomic factors behind the phenomenon, it focuses on the flow as a symptom of a larger religious militancy problem within the country and offers recommendations on countering that challenge.