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.
Episode 3 - Nadia Gerspacher
In this episode, USIP Academy Director Nadia Gerspacher discusses the fundamentals of community policing. As part of the course on Strategic Peacebuilding, she distinguishes community policing from ha...
Preparing Advisers for Capacity-Building Missions
Preparing high-level advisers to support reform of postconflict states requires specific training in how to transfer knowledge in a complex, alien environment, how to operate without formal authority, and how to cultivate local ownership.
In Afghanistan, Creating Effective Advisers for Times of Crisis
USIP's Nadia Gerspacher explains the value of programs that help build the Afghan ministries in the wake of troubling reports from Afghanistan.
U.S. Advisers Play Vital Roles—and Need Better Preparation
USIP's Nadia Gerspacher explains why U.S. and other NATO advisers are so important in places like Afghanistan and how we can make sure they’re ready to hit the ground running.
Empowering Local Peacebuilders
Peacebuilding operations in conflict and post-conflict societies often undermine local capacity, ownership, and sustainability. The acknowledged remedy is to empower local actors to take the lead in planning and implementing programs, but few empowerment strategies that work in practice have been documented and explained.
The Role of the Ministerial Advisor in Security Sector Reform: Navigating Institutional Terrains
International actors in Security Sector Reform (SSR) are increasingly taking on roles as “advisors” to Ministries of Interior, Defense, and Justice. Rather than directly implement changes necessary for SSR, these advisors must persuasively articulate suggestions to their local counterparts. Advisors’ success depends on their ability to convey recommendations in a manner that makes change acceptable to their advisees.
Training U.S. Advisers, Building Afghan Ministries
When the Pentagon decided to deploy senior civilian advisers to Afghanistan's Ministry of Defense last May, it turned to the expertise at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP).
Strengthening the Civilian-Military Link: USIP and Navy-Marine Corps Coordination
The role of the Navy and Marine Corps is critical to the growing importance of the Asia Pacific region in national security strategy. Recently, conflict management and peacebuilding experts from the U.S. Institute of Peace participated in the Navy’s biggest amphibious exercise in a decade, Bold Alligator, as part of USIP’s expansion of civilian-military cooperation and training.
Virginia: At the Crossroads of Building Peace
The Commonwealth of Virginia continues to expand as a center of innovation for peacebuilding activities to strengthen the capabilities of the U.S. military and civilian corps to work together around the world. Across Virginia, from the Pentagon to the peacebuilding academies, from workshops at universities to grants to practitioners, USIP is working closely to build partnerships.
Getting to ‘Afghan Good Enough’
With the Obama administration poised to transition the bulk of its forces out of Afghanistan by 2014, it’s all the more critical to build credible, accountable and enduring institutions there.