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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.
Japan-Pacific Islands Summit: Contending with Nuclear and Colonial Legacies
Last week, Pacific Island leaders flew to Tokyo for the Pacific Alliance Leaders Meeting (PALM), a summit between Japan and the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF). The meeting, which has occurred every three years since 1997, is designed to elevate Japan’s engagement with the forum and address common challenges, including climate change, fisheries and development.
As Russia Builds Influence in Africa, its Church Takes a Role
Vladimir Putin’s campaign to make the world safe for violent authoritarianism visibly exploits conflicts and bolsters military rule in Africa with mercenary armies, internet-borne disinformation and weaponized corruption. A less recognized Russian effort to build influence in Africa is an expansion across the continent of the Russian Orthodox Church. As the Russian church’s overt support for Putin’s war on Ukraine has corroded its influence in the traditionally Orthodox Christian world, the Moscow Patriarchate is opening parishes and hiring priests away from the established African church.
How the U.S. Can Contribute to Resolving the Venezuelan Conflict
The recent announcement of direct negotiations between Venezuela and the United States was welcomed by many Venezuelans as an opportunity to bolster the chances of the July 28 election playing out peacefully and leading to a future of democratic co-existence. The key to this outcome, however, will hinge less on the tactical electoral questions — such as incentives for not annulling the opposition’s electoral ticket — and more on the larger question of ensuring there will be no persecution of the loser and that the two sides can return to the alternation of power rather than single party rule. The U.S. is in key a position to both influence the general ambiance of the election and to take specific actions that will facilitate a democratic outcome, which will play out over an extended post-electoral period.
Cómo Puede Contribuir EE.UU. a la Resolución del Conflicto en Venezuela
El reciente anuncio de negociaciones directas entre Venezuela y Estados Unidos fue recibido con agrado por muchos venezolanos como una oportunidad para aumentar las posibilidades de que las elecciones del 28 de julio se desarrollen pacíficamente y conduzcan a un futuro de coexistencia democrática. Sin embargo, la clave de este resultado dependerá menos de las cuestiones tácticas electorales —como los incentivos para no anular la candidatura de la oposición— y más de la cuestión más amplia de asegurar que no habrá persecución del perdedor y que ambas partes puedan volver a la alternancia del poder en lugar de un régimen de partido único. EE.UU. está en una posición clave tanto para influir en el ambiente general de las elecciones como para tomar acciones específicas que faciliten un resultado democrático, que se desarrollará a lo largo de un período post-electoral extendido.
What’s Behind Bangladesh’s Student Protests?
Bangladesh’s streets have again erupted with political violence. In early July, a university student protest began over Bangladesh's job quota system that disproportionately benefits the descendants of Bangladesh’s 1971 liberation war fighters, which many students view as unfair and outdated. Early last week, peaceful protests turned violent as police and ruling party supporters violently dispersed crowds. At least a half-dozen people died in early violence, including one man apparently shot by police with his hands raised, while pro- and anti-government students clashed around the country.
The Red Sea Crisis Goes Beyond the Houthis
The Red Sea is in crisis. At the center of the storm are Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who have unleashed a wave of attacks on ships traversing one of the world’s most pivotal maritime straits, putatively in support of Hamas’s war against Israel. The Houthi gambit in the Red Sea is imposing serious costs on global trade, as did the problem of Somali piracy, which reached its peak in 2010. The United States and some of its allies have stepped in to militarily suppress the threat, bombing Houthi positions inside Yemen. But although this episode is illustrative of the difficulties of Red Sea security, the crisis extends far beyond the trouble emanating from Yemen.
Ugandans Wield Faith and Youth Against Climate-Fueled Violence
At age five, Muhsin Kaduyu began following his father, a respected imam in southern Uganda, on missions of peace — constant meetings, mediations, consolations and prayers among Muslims and Christians in their town and surrounding farmlands. So years later, Kaduyu felt sickened when Islamist suicide bombers killed 74 soccer fans in a crowd near his university, deforming and defaming his faith. That bombing, and an anti-Muslim backlash, ignited a life’s mission that has made Kaduyu a prominent peacebuilder among millions of Ugandans who struggle for survival, prosperity and peace amid communal conflicts, violent extremism and growing climate disaster.
As Famine Spreads Across Sudan, Protecting Civilians Must be a Priority
Since Sudan’s civil war erupted 15 months ago, civilians have disproportionately borne the brunt of the fighting. The African Union recently referred to the crisis in Sudan as an “unprecedented catastrophic humanitarian situation,” marked by the world’s largest displacement and hunger crises and significant civilian casualties.
What We Know — and Don’t Know — About Religion and Nonviolent Action
Kenya captured the world’s attention last month as thousands of youth took to the street to protest the government’s controversial proposed tax hikes. As these demonstrations reached a boiling point in late June, the predominately Gen-Z activists received support from a somewhat unexpected ally: faith leaders.
Saisir l'Instant : Le Rôle de la Diaspora dans l'Avenir d'Haïti
En début juillet, le Premier ministre haïtien Gary Conille a effectué sa première visite à Washington, où il a cherché à mobiliser la diaspora haïtienne pour qu'elle soit plus active dans la restauration de la gouvernance, de la sécurité et du développement d'Haïti, tout en s'opposant à la « fatigue d'Haïti » qui affecte les autorités officielles de Washington. La diaspora haïtienne est un atout important pour les efforts multinationaux visant à résoudre les crises auxquelles le pays est confronté aujourd'hui et pourrait être un facteur déterminant dans la construction d'un avenir durable et prospère.