The U.S. civilian and military surge in Afghanistan aimed at transforming local governance, but it fell short because the strategy assumed that progress on security and governance would go hand in hand and that bottom-up progress would be reinforced by… Read more
This paper builds on remarks on mutual accountability at the July 18 U.S. Institute of Peace panel discussion “From Transition to the Transformation Decade: Afghanistan’s Economic and Governance Agenda after Tokyo” (second session on “Filling the trust… Read more
Preparing high-level advisers to support reform of postconflict states requires specific training in how to transfer knowledge in a complex, alien environment, how to operate without formal authority, and how to cultivate local ownership. Summary As part… Read more
This report reflects the authors' research interests and several publications on security sector reform from a financial and development perspective. It is intended to lay out key issues and trade-offs in this area, and brings in concepts and tools of… Read more
The authors have worked for many years in the Kabul office of the United States Institute of Peace in Afghanistan on local governance and rule of law projects. Shahmahmood Miakhel is USIP's Country Director in Afghanistan. From 2003-2005 he was deputy… Read more
This report is based on the panel presentation and the views expressed at a public forum hosted by USIP’s Haiti Program on February 15, 2012 discussing justice in Haiti and the path forward for judicial reform.SummaryIn spite of the Haitian government’s… Read more
Over the past several decades, dozens of countries have established truth commissions and other bodies to investigate mass atrocities or systematic human rights abuse. Lessons learned from past truth-finding processes are invaluable to help address the… Read more
Since Haiti’s devastating January 2010 earthquake, women have played a vital role in their country’s response to the catastrophe. This Peace Brief, by USIP's Robert Maguire, discusses the pivotal roles women are playing in matters of family, education,… Read more
Civilian health, health care workers, and health facilities disproportionately suffer in countries experiencing severe instability, but global health donors have yet to make developing health systems in such states a priority. Doing so could both make… Read more
This brief is based on recent discussions USIP held in Kabul on traditional dispute resolution (TDR) and women’s rights. Based on these discussions and USIP’s research, it outlines recommendations on how to increase access to justice for women. Sylvana Q… Read more
Consolidating the legitimate use of force in the hands of the state is a vital first step in post-conflict peacebuilding. This USIP Peace Brief analyzes two processes that are vital to securing a monopoly of force: disarmament, demobilization, and… Read more
The brief examines the interests, connections and dimensions of Syria's popular uprising in the Arab Gulf states. Emile Hokayem is the Senior Fellow for Regional Security at the International Institute for Strategic Studies-Middle East based out of… Read more