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.
How to Meaningfully Address Men in the Women, Peace and Security Agenda
In the years since U.N. Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 and the resulting Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda called for a gender perspective on peace and security, efforts have historically only addressed women and girls. However, feminist and women’s peace organizations have long recognized that for engagement on this issue to be meaningful, it cannot treat gender as a synonym for women.
The ‘Russia Factor’ in NATO-Japan Relations
Russia’s illegal and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine has changed Japan’s assessment of Russia, as well as Tokyo’s policy toward Moscow. In doing so, it has also brought NATO and Japan closer together in their views of Russia and led to broader NATO-Japan engagement. Whereas Russia was once a complicating factor in the NATO-Japan relationship, it is now a factor promoting relations.
There is a Path Forward in Haiti — But It’s Not the One We Are On
There are few international crises where the tension between international assistance and locally led solutions is in greater conflict than Haiti. Failure to get that balance right goes a long way toward explaining the failure to solve the crisis for the two long years since the assassination of Haiti’s president. The country has a long list of needs, including on pressing, immediate issues like food security, health care, rampant gang violence and education. Ultimately, Haiti needs a credible and transparent election to reset its political system. But the functioning transitional government it requires is something that can best be achieved through an assertive political process that blends outside assistance with independent local actors, bringing together all key stakeholders under international facilitation.
Security Council Gridlock Isn’t the End of the Diplomacy — It’s the Start
Gridlock at the U.N. Security Council draws headlines, but it never truly grinds diplomatic and humanitarian work to a halt. Instead, concerned parties approach the threat of the veto as the beginning of diplomatic creativity. They deploy procedural, negotiated and informal tools at the U.N. General Assembly, in the Security Council and via the U.N. Secretariat when faced with explicit obstruction from the five permanent members of the Security Council, seeking out alternative pathways for action when a permanent member blocks multilateral conflict resolution, humanitarian assistance or decision making.
New Zealand Draws Closer to NATO with a Wary Eye
Until recently, if New Zealanders thought about their country’s links to NATO, it was likely the two-decade long deployment to Afghanistan that came to mind. But if there might have been some sense those ties lay in the past, Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has brought them squarely back to public attention. New Zealand’s links as a non-member partner of NATO have been central to its response to the war, including channeling aid to Kyiv. Last June, Jacinda Ardern became the first New Zealand prime minister to attend a NATO summit, joining three other leaders from Australia, Japan and South Korea as NATO’s four Indo-Pacific partners (IP4).
Chad’s Political Transition Might Be Its Last Shot for Democracy and Peace
The state of Chad’s political transition is not reassuring. Despite some signs of progress during the National Inclusive and Sovereign Dialogue (DNIS) last October, security forces engaged in violent crackdowns of protests shortly afterward — killing dozens of civilians. Meanwhile, now-President Mahamat Idriss Déby has moved to consolidate power ahead of elections planned for October 2024, leaving opposition and civic groups worried that Déby may not turn power over to a civilian government.
What’s Behind NATO’s Tightening Ties with its Indo-Pacific Partners?
NATO’s summit in Madrid, Spain, in June 2022 marked the first time the four leaders of NATO’s Indo-Pacific partner countries — Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea (ROK) — joined NATO counterparts for a meeting at the heads of state and government level. July 2023, at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, will mark the second. The high level of media attention paid to the attendance in Madrid of the Indo-Pacific partners, known informally as the Indo-Pacific Four or IP4, is likely to be repeated in Vilnius. Beyond this, what should Indo-Pacific watchers expect from the Vilnius Summit in terms of NATO-IP4 developments?
La transition politique au Tchad pourrait être la dernière chance pour la démocratie et la paix
L'état de la transition politique au Tchad n'est pas rassurant. Malgré quelques signes de progrès lors du Dialogue national inclusif et souverain (DNIS) d'octobre dernier, les forces de sécurité se sont engagées dans une violente répression des manifestations peu après - tuant des dizaines de civils. Entre-temps, l'actuel président Mahamat Idriss Déby a pris des mesures pour consolider le pouvoir avant les élections prévues pour octobre 2024, laissant l'opposition et les groupes de la société civile préoccupés par le fait que Déby pourrait ne pas remettre le pouvoir à un gouvernement civil.
What’s at Stake in Guatemala’s Election Pause?
Guatemalan voters defied predictions on June 25 by sending an anti-corruption crusader to runoff elections for the country’s presidency. Bernardo Arévalo, a professorial lawmaker and former diplomat, placed second in a crowded field, earning a place in the final round on August 20 against perennial presidential candidate and former First Lady, Sandra Torres.
¿Qué está en juego luego de la pausa electoral en Guatemala?
El 25 de junio, los votantes guatemaltecos desafiaron las predicciones y enviaron a un líder anticorrupción a la segunda vuelta de las elecciones presidenciales. Bernardo Arévalo, catedrático de derecho y exdiplomático, quedó en segundo lugar en un campo muy competido, ganándose un puesto en la ronda final del 20 de agosto contra la eterna candidata presidencial y ex primera dama, Sandra Torres.