Research & Analysis
U.S. Institute of Peace’s articles, reports, tools and other features provide policy analysis, research findings, and practitioner guides. These publications examine critical conflict issues at the center of the Institute’s work to prevent and resolve violent conflict.
The views expressed in these publications are those of the author(s).
The Current Situation in Tunisia
Tunisia remains a key regional partner of the United States and NATO and plays an important role in the Mediterranean and the African continent, particularly in its immediate neighborhood where instability and security threats in Libya and the Sahel continue to proliferate. Domestically, it continues to navigate economic, political, environmental and security challenges. These challenges have caused widespread discontent with the state and led to changes in the political system, centralizing power in the executive branch and restructuring subnational governance. USIP works in close partnerships with the government and civil society to support tangible reforms that advance security, human dignity, responsive governance, economic opportunity and regional diplomacy.
The Current Situation in Syria
The collapse of the Assad regime on December 8, 2024, is a watershed moment for Syria, marked by significant opportunities as well as several potential challenges. The end of more than 50 years of Assad family rule could open the way for a new, more inclusive Syria. Yet, the country must contend with the aftermath of nearly 14 years of brutal conflict where it is estimated that least 500,000 people were killed and more than 13 million forcibly displaced.
The Current Situation in Pakistan
Pakistan continues to face multiple sources of internal and external conflict. Extremism and intolerance of diversity and dissent have grown, fuelled by a narrow vision of Pakistan’s national identity, and are threatening the country’s prospects for social cohesion and stability.
A Wake-up Call for West Africa: Addressing the Region’s Rising Violent Extremism
On January 8, the al-Qaida affiliated group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) launched a meticulously planned assault on a fortified military post in northern Benin’s Alibori region, near the country’s borders with Burkina Faso and Niger. The attack claimed the lives of 28 soldiers, injured dozens more and sent shockwaves through a region long considered a fragile but reliable buffer against the violence of the nearby Sahel.
What the Houthis’ Foreign Terrorist Designation Could Mean for Yemen
The Trump administration has begun the process of redesignating Yemen’s Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) over the groups’ firing at U.S. warships; violently overthrowing Yemen’s internationally recognized government; launching attacks against civilian infrastructure in Yemen, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and recently Israel; and attacking commercial shipping. After Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attack, the Houthis fired missiles and drones at Israel and significantly disrupted commercial shipping by attacking ships in the Red Sea. Also known as Ansar Allah, the Iran-backed group says these attacks are done in solidarity with Hamas. They have held fire since the Gaza truce took hold on January 19.
A DRC-Rwanda Truce is Key for African and U.S. Interests — Here’s How to Get There
On January 27, Rwandan-backed rebels known as M23 captured Goma, the largest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), despite the presence of U.N. peacekeeping force, defense forces from other African countries, local militias, and European mercenaries hired to block its advance. Nearly 3,000 people were killed in M23’s advance into Goma, including the provincial military governor. Roughly 500,000 people fled their homes, adding to the more than two million people displaced by the long-standing conflict.
In Nigeria’s Plateau State, Communal Violence Requires a Locally Led Solution
Starting in late December 2023, vicious and indiscriminate violence broke out in the Mangu local government area in Plateau State, Nigeria among the area’s farming and pastoral communities. By the time the attacks stopped in mid-February 2024, reports indicated that 865 people, including 160 children, had been brutally killed.
Andrew Scobell on China’s Approach to Conflict
As the U.S. prepares for “continued stormy weather” in its relations with China, it’s important to remember that while Beijing’s escalatory actions remain below the threshold of outright conflict, Chinese leaders “think about war and peace as being on a continuum,” says USIP’s Andrew Scobell.
Netanyahu Comes to U.S. Amid Potential Inflection Point in the Middle East
On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu becomes the first foreign leader to meet with President Donald Trump since his return to the White House. The visit comes as a fragile but holding cease-fire in Gaza approaches the midway point of its initial six-week phase, and as phase two of the agreement’s prescribed negotiations begin, with critical questions surrounding Gaza’s transitional security and governance to be decided. It also comes against a backdrop of a recently extended cease-fire deal between Israel and Hezbollah, expressed interest by both Trump and Netanyahu in advancing Israeli-Saudi normalization, and international concern over Iran’s nuclear threshold, despite the setbacks dealt to the “Axis of Resistance.”
Peacemaking in Crisis: Amid More Wars, Fewer Peace Agreements
USIP convened an expert panel of scholars and researchers over a four-month period in 2023–2024 to explore lessons learned from the management of conflicts in prior periods of global turbulence. This is the second paper in a three-part series from the convenings and discusses the state of peacemaking globally and for multilateral partnerships and institutions. The series was designed and managed by the Learning, Evaluation, and Research team at USIP’s Center for Thematic Excellence.