Question And Answer
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.
Gordon Peake on COP28 and Climate Financing
As COP28 continues, it’s estimated that the world needs to invest $5.9 trillion to stave off climate change. “The big question now is … who’s going to pay for all this,” says USIP’s Gordon Peake, adding that “we also need to tamp down the use of fossil fuels” to prevent the bill for growing even more.
U.S. Approach to COP28 Will Shape How it is Perceived in the Pacific
Pacific Island nations will be attending the 2023 U.N. Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP28) in Dubai this week with their concerns well known. USIP’s Gordon Peake discussed what the island states will expect from the summit, how the U.S.-China strategic competition is playing out in the region and what more the United States can do to build support in the region.
The Unsustainable Exploitation of Solomon Islands’ Natural Resources
The extractive industry in Solomon Islands serves as a crucial catalyst for economic growth and development, tapping into the nation's abundant natural resources like timber, minerals and fisheries for export — mainly to China. But despite its promise for economic prosperity, the extractive industry poses significant challenges, requiring careful management to ensure sustainability and minimize adverse effects on the environment and local communities.
Pacific Island Nations Seek Climate Solutions Outside of COP28
While the Pacific Islands are responsible for less than 1 percent of total global greenhouse gas emissions, they face disproportionate impacts from climate change. These impacts are wide ranging: rising sea levels, salinization and dwindling availability of fresh water, increasing and more intense tropical storms, floods, drought, ocean acidification and coral reef bleaching. Already, NASA finds that sea level rise in Tuvalu is 1.5 times faster than the global average — and is expected to more than double by 2100.
Bougainville Seeks U.S. Support Amid Strategic Rivalry in the Pacific
“In 2019, our people voted — we believe in democracy,” Ishmael Toroama, president of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, said in a speech at Georgetown University in Washington on November 9. Toroama was referring to the 2019 referendum in which 97.7 percent of Bougainvilleans, with 87.4 percent turnout, voted for independence from Papua New Guinea in a powerful confirmation of their long-held desire for self-determination. This desire has been largely ignored by the world, but in order to realize it, Bougainville needs strong international partners.
Ahead of Biden-Xi Meeting, U.S. Administration Keeps Focus on the Indo-Pacific
With the world’s attention on the Middle East, U.S. leaders highlighted a continued focus on the Indo-Pacific over the last two weeks heading into the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco.
Indonesia and the U.S. Strengthen Ties under Cloud of Gaza War
U.S. President Joe Biden and Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced a new comprehensive strategic partnership when the two leaders met at the White House on November 13. The Indonesian leader, popularly known as Jokowi, said he hoped the partnership will “contribute to regional and global peace and prosperity.” The White House meeting took place ahead of Biden’s highly anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco on November 15. However, Jokowi’s call for the United States to do more to end the war in the Gaza Strip dominated the headlines coming out of the meeting.
Climate Change and Conflict in Solomon Islands
Solomon Islanders are used to weather changes — so much so that oral histories of past disasters and environmental changes inform current responses. I remember listening to people in the town of Nea describe how a tsunami roughly 150 years ago showed a similar pattern as one that occurred in 2013, which meant they now knew where, when and how to evacuate based on Indigenous knowledge of history.
How Constituency Development Funds Undermine Solomon Islands’ Democracy
Solomon Islands is a relatively young democracy, with elections often both an exciting and tense occasion. Particularly heated contests occasionally result in violence in the form of brawls and, in one case in 2014, a shooting. The electoral system itself is modelled off the U.K. and appears relatively democratic on the surface. But many Solomon Islanders have voiced criticism that candidates can win with fewer than half the votes, and the lack of a public role in electing the prime minister helped spark riots in 2006.
The Success and Sidelining of Women Peacebuilders in Solomon Islands
During the height of “The Tensions” in Solomon Islands — an armed civil conflict from 1998 to 2003 — women were thrust into the role of peace symbol, negotiator, trauma counsellor and mediator. Women often went in between the two warring sides to negotiate safe trade and movement of people, encouraged militants to give up arms, and led meetings and marches for peace.