Events at USIP

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...

In support of the White House’s Summit for Democracy, USIP hosted a conversation with civil-society leaders from five democracies that are affected by diverse and challenging conflicts — Colombia, Iraq, Nigeria, the Philippines and Ukraine. The discussion examined the prospects for democracy and peace in these countries, how the goals of greater democracy and greater peace are linked, what lessons...

In the three months since the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan’s numerous economic and humanitarian challenges have reached a catastrophic tipping point. On December 3, USIP hosted a discussion with leading international experts and aid workers on the current economic and humanitarian challenges in Afghanistan, as well as how the U.S and international community can better assist Afghans at this time...

USIP is hosting a series of public discussions with Libyan leaders connected to the elections scheduled in the coming months. The third discussion, on November 18, featured Dr. Aref Ali Nayed, who is the chairman of Ihya Libya (Reviving Libya) — a registered political party — and has served as the former ambassador of Libya to the United Arab Emirates and is also the chairman of both Kalam Researc...

Accounting for missing personnel is an essential component of postwar reconciliation and building a secure peace. With support from Congress, USIP launched the Vietnam War Legacies and Reconciliation Initiative in August 2021. The initiative supports reconciliation between the U.S. and Vietnamese governments and peoples, as well as among Vietnamese inside and outside the country, and aims to docum...

The Biden administration has focused considerable attention on the Indo-Pacific region, declaring it central to advancing a range of U.S. economic, political and security interests. The Quad grouping held its first ever in-person Leaders’ Summit in September. And that same month, the Australia-United Kingdom-United States agreement opened the door to sharing sensitive defense technologies with Aus...

On November 2, USIP held the second in a series of public discussions  with Libyan leaders connected to the elections scheduled in the coming months. These events will dive into complex questions regarding efforts to prevent electoral violence, the electoral process itself and leaders’ visions for restoring peace and stability in Libya. This second event featured Fadel Lamen, who most recently ser...

Twenty-one years ago, the United Nations unanimously adopted U.N. Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, which requires parties to a conflict to ensure the protection of women and girls as well as the full and meaningful participation of women and girls in conflict resolution. On November 9, USIP and the State Department’s Office of Global Women’s Issues co-hosted a...

For the Taliban, it seems that defeating the Afghan military and overthrowing the elected government as U.S. troops departed was the easy part. Now, the insurgency faces the daunting challenge of governing a weak and divided country. On November 4, USIP hosted a discussion with Afghanistan experts on how the Taliban are likely to respond to internal and external pressure to govern more inclusively...

On October 27, USIP held the first in a series of public discussions with Libyan leaders connected to the elections scheduled in the coming months. These events will dive into complex questions regarding efforts to prevent electoral violence, the electoral process itself and leaders’ visions for restoring peace and stability in Libya. This first discussion featured Fathi Bashagha, who has held sev...

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has signaled plans to launch a national dialogue and there are other efforts to build a national consensus on the political structure of Ethiopia. However, the country’s polarization — further deepened by the war — has created significant challenges in putting together an inclusive, genuine dialogue. On November 2, USIP hosted Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman, U.S. Sp...

As part of this year’s World Mental Health Day, the U.S. Institute of Peace and the U.S. Department of State’s Office of International Religious Freedom’s Strategic Religious Engagement Unit hosted a discussion on religion, MHPSS and migration. The conversation drew on findings from USIP’s initiative on Religious and Psychosocial Support for Displaced Trauma Survivors , which has identified specif...

The U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) Women Building Peace Award , now in its second year, celebrates extraordinary women from conflict-affected and fragile regions working to build peace. On October 20, we honored these heroic finalists and announced the recipient of the award. In addition to honoring the awardee and all the finalists, this year USIP paid special tribute to all Afghan women. Speaker...

For four years, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has met with youth leaders from conflict-affected regions for an intergenerational exchange at his compound in Dharamsala, India through the Generation Change Fellows Program at the U.S. Institute of Peace. In Session 2 on October 14, they spoke about education for the heart and mind. Speakers Lise Grande, welcoming remarks  President and CEO, U.S. Insti...

For four years, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has met with youth leaders from conflict-affected regions for an intergenerational exchange at his compound in Dharamsala, India through the Generation Change Fellows Program at the U.S. Institute of Peace. In Session 1 on October 13, they spoke about gender equality. Speakers Lise Grande, welcoming remarks  President and CEO, U.S. Institute of Peace His...

October 23 marks 30 years since the Paris Peace Agreements (PPA) formally ended the Cambodian civil war. USIP and the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO) hosted a discussion on October 14 that reflected on the principles of the agreements, the extent to which signatories have adhered to them and the continued relevance of the agreements today. Speakers Ariel Eckblad, remarks  Dep...

As Pakistani leaders meet with the International Monetary Fund, Pakistan continues to make the case for a new era of relations with the United States based on geoeconomics. On October 13, USIP hosted a conversation with Pakistani Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin on the country’s economic future, efforts to pivot to a geoeconomic relationship with the United States, and the impact of Afghanistan’s cr...

On September 23, USIP hosted a conversation with newly-elected Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema and a panel of experts that explored Hichilema’s governing priorities, as well as his approach toward key continent-wide issues such as Africa’s engagement with China, implementation of the African Union Agenda 2063, youth and gender issues, and lessons learned to strengthen democracy across Africa....

Violent conflicts are increasingly defined by overlapping webs of alliances, proxies and other types of “support relationships” between state and non-state belligerents. To help policymakers understand the stakes of these partnerships, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) recently launched its seminal report, “ Allies, Partners and Proxies: Managing Support Relationships in Armed Co...

On September 10, 2021, USIP reflected on how the tragic events of 9/11 have shaped the field of peacebuilding. USIP Board Chair and former National Security Advisor Stephen J. Hadley, USIP Vice Chair Ambassador George Moose and USIP President and CEO Lise Grande discussed how the field of peacebuilding has changed in the last 20 years — and how it should evolve to meet the challenges that will def...

Conflict in northern Nigeria is once again on the rise. On September 9, USIP and Mercy Corps held a discussion about new research and evidence that examine the complex linkages between the political, economic and identity-based conflicts that are driving broader conflict in northern Nigeria — as well as the implications for policy and programmatic interventions. The conversation covered the multip...

With escalating violence in Afghanistan, intensifying competition between the United States and China, limited hopes for rapprochement with India, and the COVID-19 pandemic, Pakistan’s neighborhood is evolving — and Pakistan’s national security approach will have to evolve with it. On August 5, USIP hosted a conversation with Pakistan’s National Security Advisor Moeed Yusuf. The discussion looked...

North Korea’s unwillingness or hesitation to meet with the United States raises questions about North Korea’s motivations, fears and calculus — as well as whether Washington and Seoul’s best course of action is greater outreach, pressure or patience. On August 4, USIP and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea co-hosted a discussion on the current state of diplomacy with North Korea. Speakers Ki-jun...

The U.S. government will soon launch a Vietnamese Wartime Accounting Initiative following decades of Vietnamese cooperation to conduct the fullest possible accounting of missing U.S. personnel. To support this and other bilateral initiatives, USIP has established a new project that will promote greater dialogue both in and between the United States and Vietnam on war legacy issues and reconciliati...