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.
USIP Meeting Examines Iran’s Post-Election Politics
Iran’s June 14 presidential election, with its surprise, first-round win for the most moderate candidate in the officially approved field, demonstrates that Iranian politics and support for reform remain vibrant despite the right wing’s hold on power in recent years, a panel of experts said at a July 15 meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP).
Kosovar Albanian Women Want to See an End to the Divide in Their Communities
A group of eight Kosovar Albanian women visiting the U.S. for six weeks said reconciliation is progressing in parts of Kosovo, and they expressed hope that a historic agreement this year to normalize relations with neighboring Serbia might ease tensions in majority Serb North Kosovska Mitrovica, Leposavić, Zvečan and Zubin Potok.
U.S. Senators, Officials Urge Speed, Priority for Afghan Elections Preparations
The U.S. Senate this week called for more urgency and accountability in preparations for Afghanistan’s presidential election in 2014, which will be a key marker for a political transition that U.S. Special Representative James Dobbins called “our main priority for the coming year.”
USIP President Jim Marshall Leads U.S. Delegation to Crisis Avoidance Track 1.5 Dialogues in Beijing
USIP President Jim Marshall recently led a U.S. delegation to two Track 1.5 dialogues in Beijing aimed at moving quickly beyond intractable official government statements and finding ways for de-escalating tensions in East Asia.
Afghan and Iraqi Women Offer Lessons Learned to Women of the Arab Spring
Kathleen Kuehnast, director of the Center for Gender and Peacebuilding and Manal Omar, director, of the Iraq, Iran and North Africa Program, discuss a recent meeting in Istanbul with Afghan and Iraqi women leaders to map out practical steps forward for women in their own transitional countries.
The Crackdown on Media in Syria, Egypt and Turkey
With the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi in Egypt, the ongoing civil war in Syria, and the protests in Turkey, a common reaction by governments has been to directly threaten the openness and vibrancy of media in an effort to overpower the messages of activists. But the tactics that these governments employ can differ widely.
Croatia’s EU Entry This Week Raises Questions for the Neighbors
Croatia celebrated across continents on July 1 to mark its official entry into the European Union. But it wasn’t surprising that a panel discussion at USIP to discuss the country’s 18-year path from war to European integration ended up focusing mostly on the countries still left on the fringes.
Morsi Meter in Egypt: 9,427 Protests and Counting
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi marks one-year in power on June 30, 2013. It’s been a contentious year fraught with growing troubles, and to mark the anniversary, the opposition is calling for the biggest demonstrations since the 2011 uprising.
Egypt’s Grand Mufti and Bishop Fear New, Escalating Religious Strife
The anger and hate that led to the brutal beating deaths of four Shia Muslims in a village of the city of Giza southwest of Cairo on June 23 was just the latest sign of an uptick in the kind of sectarian extremism that in the past has been uncommon in Egypt.
USIP-Supported Radio Drama Aims to Strengthen Justice, Young People in Afghanistan
Young Afghan villagers Zarlakhta and Jamil would like to marry. But there is a big problem: Zarlakhta’s father is deceased and her uncle Akram is dead-set against the union, fearing that his family will lose good farm land that, in a marriage, would transfer to Jamil’s family. Akram is so opposed to the marriage that he is trying to fix Zarlakhta up with his son Khudaidad to keep the land in his own family, and when that scheme doesn’t work he shoots Jamil. Jamil survives, and Akram flees the...