Events at USIP

USIP is hosting a series of Twitter Spaces between USIP experts and peacebuilding practitioners working in Afghanistan, Colombia, Myanmar, the Sahel and Ukraine to underscore the importance of protecting and facilitating women’s meaningful inclusion in peacebuilding. On February 25, our panel focused on peaceful masculinities. Speakers: Andrés Martinez Garcia @andmartg Program Manager, U.S. Instit...

Eight military coup attempts across the greater Sahel — five of them successful — have made this African region the epicenter of a global crisis: military putsches in countries struggling with poor governance, extremism, violence and related ills. On February 23, USIP hosted a discussion with experts from across the foreign policy community on ways to counter this trend toward authoritarianism and...

Since the Afghan Taliban’s return to power, Pakistan continues to back them while not officially recognizing the Taliban government. Yet major issues have emerged between the two sides. The anti-Pakistan insurgency Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has been emboldened by the Afghan Taliban’s rise to power and has stepped up violence against Pakistani security forces. On February 17, USIP held a dis...

February 15 marks six months since the Taliban's takeover of Kabul. The changes over that time have fundamentally altered the U.S. approach to Afghanistan, although the goals of countering terrorism, maintaining regional stability and protecting Afghans' human rights remain. On February 15, 2022, USIP hosted a discussion with Special Representativefor Afghanistan Tom West on the State Department's...

Over the past few years, terrorist activity has declined in Southeast Asia, including in both Malaysia and the Philippines. However, despite this decline, many of the same dynamics that have historically given rise to terrorism and violent extremism remain the same. As part of RESOLVE’s sixth annual Global Forum Series, the RESOLVE Network on February 11 hosted a conversation about recent trends r...

Relations between China and India took a violent turn in the summer of 2020, when soldiers patrolling their contested Himalayan land border engaged in a deadly hand-to-hand melee for the first time in over four decades. Despite 14 rounds of military-led talks, new frictions have emerged and the potential for renewed violence is real. On February 10, USIP hosted the first virtual discussion in our...

Yemen is the world’s worst humanitarian and development crisis. The United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) recent report “ Assessing the Impact of War in Yemen: Pathways for Recovery ” projects that, should the conflict continue through 2030, 1.3 million people will die as a result. On February 8, USIP and UNDP held a discussion on how this timely UNDP report can serve as a guide for Yemen...

Last February, the Burmese army launched a coup and began reversing a decade of democratic and economic progress. In March 2021, USIP organized the Myanmar Study Group in response to the country’s evolving crisis. On the one-year anniversary of the military’s coup, on February 1, the Myanmar Study Group released its final report and USIP hosted a discussion on the study group’s findings and recomm...

In February 2020, the State Department published  a public version of the U.S strategy for Central Asia , which placed particular emphasis on supporting Afghanistan and democracy in the region, in addition to economic goals. On January 27, USIP hosted a discussion on what a strategy for Central Asia could look like going forward given the significant change and uncertainty in the region. Speakers...

PeaceCon@10: COVID, Climate, and Conflict: Rising to the Challenges of a Disrupted World, explored how the peacebuilding field can address these pressing short and long-term challenges to achieve a more peaceful and secure world. On January 26, following a series of breakout sessions hosted by the Alliance for Peacebuilding, participants re-joined USIP for a fireside chat with closing keynote spea...

On January 26, USIP and the Alliance for Peacebuilding hosted a plenary panel discussion to address the relationship among climate change, conflict and fragility, and consider strategies for the international community to address the peace and security implications of these issues as well as the ongoing pandemic. Speakers Ambassador Frederic Gateretse-Ngoga, introductory remarks Head of Conflict P...

The United States sprayed Agent Orange and related herbicides on 10,160 square miles of South Vietnam from 1961-1971, exposing millions of Vietnamese citizens and U.S. soldiers to dangerous dioxins and seriously affecting at least 150,000 Vietnamese children born after the war. On January 25, USIP hosted a discussion on its Vietnam War Legacies and Reconciliation Initiative -- the first in a serie...

This January marks the 30th anniversary of El Salvador’s peace accords between the government and left-wing guerrillas, which ended a decade-long civil war that claimed at least 75,000 lives. On January 20, USIP and the Due Process of Law Foundation held a discussion that examined what the 1992 peace agreement achieved, where and why it fell short, and what both domestic and international actors c...

Chinese and African political leaders met last year in Senegal for the eighth ministerial meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). On January 19, USIP hosted a discussion on the key takeaways from FOCAC 2021, China's long-term strategy in Africa's peace and security landscape, how China's bilateral relationships in Africa affect conflict dynamics — for example, in Ethiopia, where...

Rivets Learning, with support from USIP, has recently published a book of seven essays, “Pakistan Here and Now: Insights into Society, Culture, Identity and Diaspora”, that attempts to decipher the interplay of external discourse and local narratives of diversity and inclusion to help reshape the discussion around combating violent extremism in Pakistan. On January 18, USIP as hosted the book’s ed...

On January 12, USIP hosted a discussion with leading experts on the Taliban’s approach to governing Afghanistan so far — as well as how the United States and international community can assist the Afghan people despite the challenges the Taliban pose as the country’s sole authority. Speakers Scott Worden, moderator  Director, Afghanistan & Central Asia, U.S Institute of Peace Rahmatullah Amiri...

The  #Faith4Rights Toolkit from the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) offers a way for religious actors, policymakers and practitioners to explore the links between human rights and peacebuilding, serving as a practical guide for engaging in human rights promotion in a variety of environments. On December 16, USIP and OHCHR hosted a conversation about religious actors’...

On December 15, USIP held a discussion with leading experts that explored the current efforts to develop national action plans on Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) in Southeast Asia and identified key lessons for implementing the YPS agenda in the region. Speakers Theophilus Ekpon Executive Director, Centre for Sustainable Development and Education in Africa  Bill Flens Director of Multilateral Affa...

The Evidence in Governance and Politics (EGAP) network has released the findings from its latest  Metaketa research study, which examines the question: Does community policing build trust in police and reduce crime? It combines the results of field studies on locally-appropriate community policing practices in Brazil, Colombia, Liberia, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Uganda. On December 14, USIP h...

Bolivia’s October 2019 national elections convulsed the country as fraud allegations triggered widespread protests and social conflict. On December 13, USIP and WOLA held an in-depth discussion of the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts’ findings and an examination of how the GIEI’s recommendations can promote the kind of accountability, healing and common understanding across Bolivia’s...

On December 10, USIP hosted Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA) and Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI), both members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, for a conversation on how they are elevating the role of conflict prevention in U.S. foreign policy and ensuring that lessons from past U.S. stabilization missions are incorporated into future planning. They also discussed how their past international experiences a...

On December 9, USIP held the fourth in a series of public discussions with Libyan leaders connected to the elections scheduled in the coming months. This fourth event featured Abdul Majeed Saif Al-Nasr. Born in Sebha in 1957, he is former member of the National Transitional Council and former Libyan ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco (2014-2018). He was recently endorsed by the House of Represen...

As the Biden administration commits to revitalizing global democracy, the shocking rise in the number of recent coups demands an urgent response from the United States and its allies and partners. On December 7 and 8, ahead of the Biden administration’s Summit for Democracy, USIP held a two-part event that examined the dynamics driving four of the seven coups and coup attempts that we’ve seen over...

As the Biden administration commits to revitalizing global democracy, the shocking rise in the number of recent coups demands an urgent response from the United States and its allies and partners. On December 7 and 8, ahead of the Biden administration’s Summit for Democracy, USIP held a two-part event that examined the dynamics driving four of the seven coups and coup attempts that we’ve seen over...

On December 7, USIP and the National Endowment for Democracy held a virtual discussion on safeguarding democracy in West Africa through youth-led movements. Youth activists from Nigeria, Togo and Guinea shared their thoughts on the frustrations driving protests and new models for democratic activism. Speakers DJ Switch (Obianuju Catherine Udeh) Award-Winning Nigerian Musician and Activist; Reagan-...