On February 3, 2009, USIP's Center of Innovation for Media, Conflict and Peacebuilding joined the Independent Television Service (ITVS) to convene Media as Global Diplomat, a day-long conference that brought together many of the top thinkers in U.S. public diplomacy and strategic communication with independent film and media producers to identify innovative paths forward in the increasingly important effort to improve mutual understanding between the United States and other countries through ...

USIP's Lessons Learned program captures the experiences of US military and civilian officials returning from work in Sudan, Iraq, and Afghanistan. 

USIP was directed by Congress in December 2004 to create a Task Force on the United Nations. The task force assessed the extent to which the United Nations is fulfilling the purposes stated in its Charter and recommended an actionable agenda for the United States on the UN. While not an official U.S. government effort, the Task Force was obligated to provide its report to Congress.

On January 8, 2009, the United States Institute of Peace convened Passing the Baton 2009, a remarkable full-day public conference that convened high-level, bipartisan US foreign policy leaders to speak on crucial foreign policy and security issues facing the Obama administration as it transitions into power.

USIP's Current Projects on Religion, Conflict, and Education Curricular Material for Madrassas In Indonesia, USIP is working with local Islamic scholars and clergy to develop curricular materials that provide contemporary interpretations of Islamic texts on peace, violence, interfaith relations, human rights, the status of women, and the environment. Materials developed in Aceh have been piloted and embraced by local ulama. The materials are currently being translated into English and...

Education & Training; Religion

Rule of Law is examining the evolving legal and institutional arrangements for addressing violations of international humanitarian law (IHL). As part of this ongoing effort, USIP has just produced a guide to training programs in IHL for military personnel around the world.

This initiative, which brings together leading figures from Iraq and its six neighbors, and produced the March 2007 Marmara Declaration, is the only initiative of its kind.

Conflict Analysis & Prevention

What are the key elements of terrorism? Acts of terrorism are premeditated, politically motivated, and directed at civilians and are perpetrated by subnational groups rather than by the army of a state. Terrorism is a form of psychological warfare that seeks to spread fear, mistrust, and helplessness among the ordinary citizens of a society. Modern terrorists rely heavily on the mass media and use a constant stream of broadcasting (radio, television, video, and the Internet) to achieve the f...

Type: Analysis and Commentary