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.
Searching for COVID-19 Ceasefires: Conflict Zone Impacts, Needs, and Opportunities
On March 23, 2020, as COVID-19 was first appearing in many conflict-affected areas, UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a call for warring parties to cease hostilities and instead wage battle against the pandemic. Drawing on an examination of conflicts in Afghanistan, Colombia, Cameroon, Israel and Palestine, Libya, the Philippines, Syria, Ukraine, and elsewhere—this report looks at how COVID-19 has affected conflict parties’ interests, positions, and capacities, and provides recommendation for how the international community leverage the pandemic to promote peace.
Neil Kritz on Hamas and Fatah Pending Agreement
Neil Kritz previews the pending agreement to heal a decade of division between Hamas and Fatah, and explains what effects the reconciliation might have on the larger Middle East Peace Process.
The Israeli-Palestinian Standoff: More Risks Emerging
The hobbled Palestinian economy, the weakness of the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority that governs much of the West Bank and the dormancy of the peace process together may be increasing the risk of a deterioration of the conflict and an rise in violence on the West Bank in 2013. USIP’s continuing series on “sleeper risks” takes a closer look at this potentially explosive dynamic.
Getting Past the Palestinian Bid for U.N. Membership
USIP convened a group of distinguished experts to discuss the way ahead after the Palestinian Authority moved forward with its application for U.N. membership. Progress has been made in recent years in Palestinian state-building, but how or if the two sides approach the negotiating table now remains far from clear.
Q&A: Shimon Peres Visits Washington
Two USIP Middle East experts assess Israeli President Shimon Peres’s visit to Washington, DC, and the status of the peace process.
Eye on Egypt and the Middle East
The U.S. Institute of Peace continues to follow the developments in Egypt and the Middle East. Read about USIP's work on Christian-Muslim relations in the Middle East, work on national security issues, democratization, and more.
Transitional Justice
The Rule of Law Center has shaped the field of "transitional justice" through research that examines these issues in comparative perspective, publications, grant-funded work, and substantive policy advice.
Recruitment of Rule of Law Specialists for the Civilian Response Corps
For more than a decade, experienced international practitioners and peace scholars have recognized that multilateral interventions in societies ravaged by internal conflict cannot succeed unless they come prepared to deal with the inevitable void in public security and inability of the legal system to function effectively. In 1998, two core components of any solution to this crucial deficiency were highlighted in Policing the New World Disorder.
From Gridlock to Compromise: How Three Laws Could Begin to Transform Iraqi Politics
Iraqi lawmakers, breaking a prolonged stalemate, recently passed key legislation on regional powers, amnesty and the national budget. Five years after the U.S.-led invasion, is rule of law starting to take hold?
The Justice Dilemma in Uganda
Uganda has just agreed to a peace agreement between the government and the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army after more than two decades of brutal conflict. Yet complex issues of transitional justice remain and must be resolved to facilitate national reconciliation.