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.
Oral Histories: Afghanistan Provincial Reconstruction Teams (2004-2005)
The experiences of Americans who served in Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) in Afghanistan provide important lessons for current and future peace and stability operations. Provincial Reconstruction Teams are small, joint, civil-military organizations whose mission is to promote good governance, improved security and reconstruction. In November 2005, there were 22 PRTs in Afghanistan: nine were directed by the U.S. and countries belonging to the NATO-led International Security Assistance...
Oral Histories: The Iraq Experience Project
The Iraq Experience Project is designed to collect, distill, and disseminate lessons learned from U.S. government officials, military officers, and contractors who served in the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq. Using a combination of tools from printed reports to interactive DVDs and interviews collected in 2004, the Iraq Experience Project seeks to help U.S. civilian and military personnel by providing the training and skills needed for Americans serving in Iraq and beyond.
Oral Histories: The Sudan Experience Project
The Sudan Experience Project Oral History Library contains the transcripts of nearly 100 interviews with those who negotiated and who are implementing the CPA. These first person accounts and the lessons learned from their experience are a substantial contribution to our understanding of the challenges of negotiating and implementing complex peace agreements.
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.
Conducting Elections in Darfur: Looking ahead to Sudan’s 2009 Elections
With elections planned in Sudan in 2009, the question of how residents of the Darfur region should participate points to a number of challenges that remain unanswered. Is the security situation in Darfur adequate to permit elections?
Resolving the Crisis over Constitutional Interpretation in Afghanistan
It is essential for political and legal stability in Afghanistan that the current inter-branch stalemate over constitutional dispute resolution be resolved. Any solution must include a determination of which entity will have jurisdiction to undertake constitutional interpretation and in which circumstances. Most importantly, the solution must be achieved through an Afghan-owned process of dialogue and compromise; otherwise the outcome is unlikely to be implemented.
Reconstructing Gaza – Lessons from Lebanon
As the international community continues to debate humanitarian assistance to Gaza, USIP examines “Reconstructing Gaza – Lessons from Lebanon” by Beirut-based Alistair Harris, a Deployable Civilian Expert for the British Government’s Stabilisation Unit. Harris argues that donors should avoid the temptation to adopt a mechanistic, one size fits all solution. “In the rush to rebuild what was destroyed, it should be remembered,” writes Harris, “that the major catalysts for this conflict were pol...
The Private Sector in Security Sector Reform: Essential But Not Yet Optimized
While the U.S. and world economies are slowing markedly, Security Sector Reform (SSR) is a growth industry for the private sector. U.S. government employees may set SSR policy and design projects, but implementation is extensively outsourced to private contractors.
Dr. Ali Al-Dabbagh's Iraq-based Formula for Regional Cooperation
USIP recently hosted Dr. Ali Al-Dabbagh, official spokesman for the Iraqi government, He unveiled a far-reaching regional initiative to increase economic and strategic cooperation in the Middle East. The initiative represents a new level of consciousness and independence in Iraqi foreign policy.
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.