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Amid International Silence, Guinea’s Coup Regime Imperils Transition

Amid International Silence, Guinea’s Coup Regime Imperils Transition

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Over the past three years, the Sahel and West Africa have seen an alarming number of military coups. With the region’s stability and security hanging in the balance, the international community has promoted peaceful democratic transitions (and found early success in Gabon). Meanwhile, coup regimes in countries like Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger — which recently formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) — have sought closer cooperation with China and Russia, prompting concern and dismay from supporters of democracy. Often lost in all this tumult is Guinea, which saw its own coup d’état in September 2021. Unlike some of its counterparts, the Guinean military has managed to avoid the attention, engagement or scrutiny of the West as it continues to entrench itself in power.

Type: Analysis

Democracy & Governance

Where is Afghanistan Three Years into Taliban Rule?

Where is Afghanistan Three Years into Taliban Rule?

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Lacking formal recognition from all member states, the Taliban will not be present at the U.N. General Assembly next week. Their absence speaks volumes about how the international community struggles to constrain a regime that has repeatedly defied U.N. treaties, sanctions and Security Council resolutions. Three years into Taliban rule, the Afghan people are beset by a host of human rights, economic and humanitarian challenges, with women and girls particularly impacted. Meanwhile, the international community still has no clear approach to dealing with the Taliban, with the regime rejecting a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a special envoy to develop a roadmap for normalizing Afghanistan’s relations with the international community.

Type: Question and Answer

EconomicsGenderGlobal PolicyHuman Rights

Why the UN’s Future Summit Matters Amid Today’s Global Crises

Why the UN’s Future Summit Matters Amid Today’s Global Crises

Thursday, September 19, 2024

It is that time of the year again. World leaders are converging in New York for the launch of the 79th U.N. General Assembly. With every passing year, the global trends away from multilateral approaches and structures that ensure peace, security and global stability leave humanity in a growing state of precarity. That, however, should demand a penetrating call for less cynicism, not more.

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

What an ICC Case on Mali Means for Prosecuting Taliban Gender Crimes

What an ICC Case on Mali Means for Prosecuting Taliban Gender Crimes

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Since the Taliban took power in August 2021, the situation for Afghan women and girls has dramatically deteriorated. Yet there has been little international action, as many in the international community lament the lack of legal, and other, avenues to hold the Taliban accountable for these draconian measures. However, a recent case at the International Criminal Court (ICC) may provide a legal roadmap to prosecute the Taliban.

Type: Analysis

GenderHuman RightsJustice, Security & Rule of Law

How Northeast Asian Geopolitics Impact Peace on the Korean Peninsula

How Northeast Asian Geopolitics Impact Peace on the Korean Peninsula

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Amid today’s renewed great power competition, the Korean Peninsula has entered a new Cold War winter without having enjoyed the spring of the previous post-Cold War era. During the post-Cold War period, the South Korean and U.S. governments anticipated that the seismic changes occurring in Europe would be replicated on the Korean Peninsula. However, over the past 30 years, none of their main policy goals regarding North Korea — such as reform and opening, denuclearization, peace settlement and unification — were fulfilled due to several factors in Northeast Asian geopolitics that favored the status quo. The enduring nature of these factors means the United States and South Korea should adjust their North Korea strategy and goals to enhance peace and security on the Korean Peninsula more effectively.

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

Gordon Peake on the Pope in Southeast Asia and the Pacific

Gordon Peake on the Pope in Southeast Asia and the Pacific

Monday, September 16, 2024

During his 10-day trip to the region, the pope used “straight, plain-spoken language” while discussing pressing issues — such as climate change in Indonesia and violence against women in Papua New Guinea — in the hopes of spurring change, said USIP’s Gordon Peake: “No pun intended, he has a bit of a bully pulpit in these matters.”

Type: Podcast

China’s Bid for a Bigger Security Role in Africa

China’s Bid for a Bigger Security Role in Africa

Thursday, September 12, 2024

Last week, China welcomed more than 50 African leaders to Beijing for the ninth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which has met every three years since 2000 to coordinate economic and political relations. FOCAC is China’s main platform for Belt and Road-affiliated projects and Chinese plans for infrastructure development have generally dominated the action plans that come out of the forum. In recent years, exchanges between Chinese and African political parties, legislatures and local governments have also been a focus of the forum. China has also found in FOCAC a source of support for international relations principles it prioritizes, including noninterference and its "one China" principle. While security cooperation has been an element of FOCAC for more than a decade, this year’s forum saw an unprecedented Chinese emphasis on its role in security on the continent.

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

What Does the Emerging China-Africa Minerals Consensus Mean for U.S. Initiatives?

What Does the Emerging China-Africa Minerals Consensus Mean for U.S. Initiatives?

Thursday, September 12, 2024

The recently concluded Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) provided a revealing glimpse into the current state of the Africa-China relationship. On the one hand, the official imagery and language of the summit emphasized constancy — a vision of a stable South-South relationship stretching from the past into the future. On the other hand, the summit also projected a relationship that is being reshaped for a new decade.

Type: Analysis

EconomicsEnvironment