Publications

Special Reports

USIP publishes in-depth reports analyzing various aspects of international conflict and its resolution. The following is a list of the most recent reports. A number of these reports are also available in Arabic.

Latest Releases

Thwarting Afghanistan’s Insurgency: A Pragmatic Approach toward Peace and Reconciliation
September 2008 | Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai
Afghanistan is in a crucial phase of transition. In this report, USIP's first Afghanistan fellow Masoom Stanekzai, who has interviewed a broad spectrum of Afghan senior government officials, members of the international community, and ordinary citizens in the country, shares his recommendations for a pragmatic approach toward peace and reconciliation.

Would You Fight Again?: Understanding Liberian Ex-Combatant Reintegration
September 2008 | Richard Hill, Gwendolyn Taylor, and Jonathan Temin
Stemming from a survey of more than 1,400 ex-combatants in Liberia's 14-year civil war, this report explores the reasons behind renewed fighting, including poverty, unemployment, peer and family pressure, gender and tribal tensions.

Making Borders Irrelevant in Kashmir
September 2008 | P. R. Chari and Hasan Askari Rizvi
In this report, a duo of experts from India and Pakistan explore the prospect of "making borders irrelevant" in Kashmir through increased movement of people, goods and services across the "Line of Control." The findings draw on the results of a survey of stakeholders and public opinion on both sides.

Securing the Future: A Primer on Security Sector Reform in Conflict Countries
September 2008 | Sean McFate
Security sector reform (SSR) is essential in the transition from war to peace in conflict zones and is a topic of urgent importance. This report discusses definitions of SSR, the field's emergence, and challenges in current SSR implementation, among other topics.

Haiti: Confronting the Gangs of Port-au-Prince
September 2008 | Michael Dziedzic and Robert M. Perito
The UN mission in Haiti's successful campaign against the country's gangs set a precedent for future missions. Based on field research, authors Michael Dziedzic and Robert Perito explore the conduct of military and police operations, Haitians' overwhelmingly positive views of the UN intervention and lessons learned.

Integrated Security Assistance: The 1207 Program
July 2008 | Robert M. Perito
This Special Report report details USIP's assessment of the "1207 Program," an example of the U.S. military's growing involvement in integrated "whole-of-government" approaches to U.S. security assistance programs.

Mullahs, Money, and Militias: How Iran Exerts Its Influence in the Middle East
June 2008 | Barbara Slavin
This report focuses on Iran's interactions with groups in Lebanon, Iraq, and to a lesser extent, the Palestinian territories. The intent is to help policymakers understand the real extent of Iranian influence so that they can better motivate Iran and its allies to become more constructive actors in the Middle East.

Why We Should Still Study the Cuban Missile Crisis
June 2008 | Michael Dobbs
Few events have been as studied and analyzed as the Cuban missile crisis. Drawing on previously undiscovered archival materials and interviews with Soviet and American veterans of the crisis, Michael Dobbs has taken a fresh look at the history of those fateful thirteen days.

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