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: In Review and Looking Forward (Video)
From a campaign for peaceful elections in Afghanistan to a radio program engaging youth in South Sudan, USIP worked with civil society, political leaders and others in 2014 on a range of actions to prevent, mitigate or resolve violent conflict during a particularly chaotic year in global affairs. Top USIP experts discuss highlights of the year and glance ahead at 2015.
Sources of Conflict: Religion or Economic and Political Power?
Religion is cited as the basis for too many conflicts that actually center more on competition over economic advancement and political power, according to David Smock, director of USIP’s Religion and Peacebuilding Center. In a discussion at the Rumi Forum, Smock and USIP colleagues Palwasha Kakar and Susan Hayward explored the role of religion in conflict and the institute’s work to unlock that dynamic.
Ukraine-Russia Conflict Colors View of Civic Roles in Central Asia
Ukraine and the countries of Central Asia wouldn’t seem to have much in common other than their former Soviet past. But post-Soviet Russian ambitions may be linking them in unexpected ways. The outcome of Ukraine’s current effort to consolidate its democracy, against Russia’s resistance, has ramifications for whether the Central Asian countries view civil society and democracy as a driver of instability or a force for reform.
After Attack on Arab-Jewish School, 'I Have to Keep Fighting For It'
Inbar Shaked Vardi and Mouran Ibrahim are 14 years old but speak in a way that many adults in the maelstrom of the Middle East can’t muster – of Arab-Jewish “shared living,” a step even beyond mere co-existence. When their school, the flagship Max Rayne campus of the Hand in Hand Jewish-Arab bilingual school network in Israel, was attacked recently, their outlook on the world was tested once again.
Ukraine: USIP’s Bill Taylor on the Prospects for the New Government (Video)
Bill Taylor, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine who currently serves as USIP’s acting president, just returned from a visit to Kyiv and discusses the prospects for the country’s new reform-oriented government.
Nigeria PeaceGame Highlights Potential for Violence in Upcoming Election
Widening political rifts, increasing militant attacks and plunging oil revenues are escalating the risks of more widespread violence in Nigeria’s upcoming elections, according to experts who played roles ranging from international organizations to the militant group Boko Haram, during a daylong PeaceGame exercise.
What Do We Really Know About Wartime Rape?
There's more will than ever before to fight sexual violence in conflict, but the world can't stop what it doesn't understand.
Ukraine: After a Successful Election, the Urgency of Reform
The victory for pro-Western parties in Ukraine’s recent parliamentary election offers a historic chance for Ukraine to break out of the cycle of poor governance and corruption that has plagued it since independence – and made it vulnerable to Russian aggression. Perhaps the most encouraging result of the balloting is that dedicated young reformers, such as a group I met in Kirovograd in south-central Ukraine, will insist on institutional reform and rapid progress and give the upcoming parliament a very different tone.
Nigeria’s Double-Edged Front-Line
Vigilantes have become vital in the country's fight against Boko Haram. But is there a way to ensure they're not also making things worse?
Integrated Iraq-Syria Strategy Needed to Defeat the Islamic State (Video)
Following his testimony before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Middle East and North Africa last week, USIP’s Steven Heydemann reflected on the reactions of the subcommittee members and a near consensus agreement that only an integrated Iraq-Syria strategy will be successful in defeating ISIS.