In the Field

USIP experts are more than analysts—they are practitioners that can often be found far outside Washington, D.C. putting conflict resolution methods into practice and aiding in the rebuilding and stabilization of communities that have experienced conflict. This series summarizes recent examples of USIP efforts to resolve conflicts around the world.

Diyala
NEW May 2009
Lying northeast of Baghdad and stretching towards Iran in the East and Kurdistan to the North, Diyala Province was once the breadbasket of Iraq. But a seemingly never-ending series of conflicts left the province battered and tense: the American invasion, Sunni resistance and strife between Sunni and Shia militias, the fight against al Qaeda, and tension between Iraqi and Kurdistan Regional forces.
 Read more

Afghanistan
April 2009
In provinces suffering from crushing poverty, low literacy, widespread corruption, and broad cultural divides, USIP’s Network of Afghan Facilitators (NAF) is showing significant progress in preventing violence and mediating tribal and community-level conflicts, mending cleavages that if allowed to fester become ripe for exploitation by the Taliban, warlords, and other anti-governmental forces. Formed and trained by program officers from the Institute’s Educational and Training Center/International, the network and the Afghan nationals who comprise it have also resolved family-level disputes involving substantial abuse of women, and have helped set up or been involved in active community organizations, such as the Khost Conflict Resolution Commission, consisting of national leaders, intellectuals, and traditional leaders.
 Read more

Iraq
UPDATED April 4, 2009
As part of the Iraq program, USIP has maintained a small office in the Green Zone in Baghdad since early 2004. This site features dispatches from our Iraqi and American staff based in Baghdad. Expect updates in the near future, featuring first-hand accounts of USIP programs and every day life beyond the International Zone.
 Read more

Pakistan
February 24-26, 2009
USIP, at the request of the Pakistani Institute of Legislative Development And Transparency (PILDAT), held a series of workshops for women parliamentarians and politicians on "Conflict Management and Negotiation Styles" recently in Islamabad and Karachi.
 Read more

Colombia
November 2008
The Religion and Peacemaking program at USIP visited Colombia in November 2008 to support a joint-initiative of the Conferencia de Religiosos y Religiosas de Colombia, the organizing body of Catholic men’s and women’s religious orders, and Justapaz, a Menonite organization, to convene a four-day workshop outside of Bogota for Catholic and Protestant women peacemakers. This workshop provided an opportunity for women doing peace work on the ground through their churches to share best practices, network, and conceive future joint-initiatives.
 Read more

Niger
October 2008
USIP conducted a conflict resolution workshop on behalf of the US Embassy in Niger. The Nigerien High Commissioner for the Restoration of Peace had approached the US Embassy to conduct the workshop for leaders with influence in Nigerien society. USIP trainers Jacqueline Wilson and Nina Sughrue conducted a three-day workshop in mid-October in the remote corner of Niger's Park W national park near their borders with Burkina Faso and Benin for 25 representatives of parliament and ministries, as well as NGOs and other civil society elements.
 Read more

Haiti
September 19, 2008
Haiti's minister of justice and public safety recently invited a USIP-based rule of law team to discuss reforming that country's criminal code—parts of which have not been updated since 1860—do not address the spate of crime the country faces and fail to comply with international human rights law.
 Read more

Afghanistan
September 12, 2008
Senior Program Officers Keith Bowen and Nina Sughrue, in conjunction with a local partner, recently conducted a training workshop in conflict resolution in Kabul for 34 Afghans from across the NGO spectrum. The objective was to synthesize traditional Afghan and USIP-based methods of conflict resolution.
 Read more

Iraq
July 24, 2008
Approximately 20 percent of Iraqis are displaced and not sure how to reclaim their property when they return home. In Jordan, USIP and the World Bank recently convened a workshop for displaced Iraqis to address this issue.
 Read more

Liberia
July 9, 2008
To assist Liberia's recovery after a 14 year civil war, USIP has led an unique program based on both formal institutions and local practices of justice.
 Read more and view photos

Iran
March 17, 2008
Senior Fellow Barbara Slavin has been senior diplomatic reporter for USA Today since 1996. Now on her seventh trip to Iran, Slavin interviewed veteran political figure and newly elected member of parliament, Ali Larijani.
 Read more

Iraq
October 24, 2007
As part of the Iraq program, USIP has maintained a small office in the Green Zone in Baghdad since early 2004. USIP's Chief of Party in Baghdad, Rusty Barber, offers weekly dipatches that capture a lively and sobering insider's view of the promise and peril facing U.S. efforts in Iraq.
 Read more

Sudan
October 3, 2007
USIP staff members are privileged to be able to travel and work in many places that are not on the beaten track. For the first time, USIP shares photos from the field in an organized online exhibition.
 Read more

Uganda
June 8, 2007
Senior Fellow Betty Bigombe is world renowned as one of the lead negotiators in the 20-year conflict between the government of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels in the north of the country. Follow her on her recent trip to northern Uganda in early 2007 as she works to urge the LRA rebels back to the negotiating table.
 Read more