In this Special Report Noah Coburn analyzes findings from USIP's in-country research projects on dispute resolution in Afghanistan. The report argues that the lines between formal and informal justice systems in Afghanistan are blurred and that this has… Read more
USIP has found the documentary film "The Imam and the Pastor" useful as a resource for workshops and training programs exploring themes of religious peacebuilding and inter-group reconciliation. As such, we commissioned religion and peacebuilding… Read more
USIP is engaged in research and dialogue on India-Pakistan relations. This brief applies a problemsolving lens and draws upon the lessons provided by the Track II dialogue process.SummaryFollowing March 2011’s “cricket diplomacy,” there is reason to be… Read more
Between January 2010 and July 2011, a USIP researcher officer, Zuhal Nesari, observed court proceedings, collected data and conducted interviews in civil and criminal divisions of Kabul’s fourth zone Primary Court in addition to commercial and family… Read more
This brief summarizes the perceptions of Pakistani foreign policy elite about Pakistan’s strategy and interests in Afghanistan, its view of the impending “end game”, and the implications of its policies towards Afghanistan for the U.S.-Pakistan… Read more
The peace brief summarizes key findings of the field research undertaken during five trips to Kabul, Afghanistan and one trip to Pakistan between 2009 and 2011.SummaryA successful, legitimate and sustainable approach to peace in Afghanistan requires the… Read more
Currently numerous disputes at the local level are unresolved in Afghanistan, leading to local instability, a growing distance between the government and people and encouraging communities to turn to the Taliban. In March 2010, USIP began working with… Read more
This brief outlines key findings from the first phase of research on Afghan stakeholder views on the conflict. The author worked in Afghanistan for the World Bank and the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit from 2005-2010, and has researched… Read more
This Peace Brief draws on the authors’ experiences in Iraq and a two-day, off-the-record meeting co-hosted by USIP in February 2011.SummaryWith U.S. military forces scheduled to depart Iraq in December of this year, the State Department and other… Read more
In many peace negotiations International Contact Groups have been a helpful tool in preventing a peace process from stalling or failing. Members, commonly states and international organizations, exert leverage on the parties to the conflict, sustain the… Read more
This volume poses and attempts to answer a series of basic, but complex, questions regarding engagement of proscribed armed groups (PAGs). This handbook is part of the Peacemaker’s Toolkit series, published by the United States Institute of Peace.About… Read more
This report draws on a series of workshops entitled “Anticipating a Political Process in Afghanistan: How Should the International Community Respond?” These workshops brought together some thirty analysts, both Afghans and foreigners, who have spent many… Read more