PrintWilliam B. Taylor
Senior Vice President, Center for Conflict Management
Contact
Please submit all media inquiries to interviews@usip.org or call 202.429.3869.
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Multimedia
Issue Areas: Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities
William B. Taylor, Jr. joined USIP in October 2009 as Vice President, Center for Post-Conflict Peace and Stability Operations. (In September 2011, Taylor was detailed to the Department of State to the newly created post of special coordinator for Middle East transitions.)
A graduate of West Point and Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, he has served in posts in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Middle East and the former Soviet Union. Most recently, Bill Taylor was U.S. ambassador to Ukraine from 2006 to 2009.
Prior to that assignment, he was the U.S. government's representative to the Mideast Quartet, which facilitated the Israeli disengagement from Gaza and parts of the West Bank. He served in Baghdad as director of the Iraq Reconstruction Management Office from 2004 to 2005, and in Kabul as coordinator of international and U.S. assistance to Afghanistan from 2002 to 2003. Ambassador Taylor was also a coordinator of U.S. assistance to the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.
As an infantry platoon leader and company commander in the U.S. Army, he served in Vietnam and Germany.
Publications & Tools
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U.S. officials will need to show both humility and patience for years to come as they try to assist the nations of the Middle East and North Africa that have cast off decades-old authoritarian governments and are only beginning a rough and uncertain transition in their political systems and economies, a Capitol Hill audience was told at a February 16 briefing organized by the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP). Countries: Egypt, Libya, Tunisia
| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis and Prevention, Political Reform, Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities
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The July deadline for the beginning of a drawdown of American troops from Afghanistan is looming, and the debate in Washington is increasingly focused now on how reconciliation and reintegration efforts will affect the long-term peace process. Experts from Capitol Hill, Kabul and Washington think tanks gathered at USIP on June 13 to discuss how to build a “durable peace” in Afghanistan. Countries: Afghanistan
| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis and Prevention, Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities, Rule of Law
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Iraq’s leaders are beginning a public debate on whether to ask the American military to leave a contingent of forces there past the end of this year in a test of the country’s leaders to resolve the contentious issue through political debate – or violence. Countries: Iraq
| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis and Prevention, Political Reform, Religion and Peacemaking, Rule of Law, Security Sector Reform/Governance
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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. Countries: Iraq
| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis and Prevention, Mediation and Facilitation, Political Reform, Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities
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Ambassador William Taylor shares his review of the relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2010 and provides a glimpse into what we can expect from these two countries in 2011. Countries: Afghanistan, Pakistan
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President Barack Obama’s policy of a conditions-based redeployment in Afghanistan starting in July 2011 leaves him a lot of flexibility. The administration will likely decide to maintain the troop numbers in Afghanistan near the surge level next year, pending another review. |
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After a seven-year military presence, the U.S. shifts to a civilian-led effort in Iraq, with some 50,000 U.S. troops remaining in the country. Retiring U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Christopher Hill spoke at the United States Institute of Peace on August 18, 2010 about this major transition, the current situation in Iraq and relations with the U.S. going forward. |
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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Afghan President Hamid Karzai sat down for a conversation with USIP’s William Taylor about the current effort in Afghanistan, and concerns about the strength of the U.S.-Afghan relationship. Countries: Afghanistan
| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis and Prevention, Mediation and Facilitation, Negotiation and Diplomacy, Rule of Law
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The next seven months leading up to the December policy review will be crucial for Afghanistan’s future; at that time the Obama administration—and the citizens of Afghanistan, the United States and ISAF nations—will make a judgment about progress towards stability there. Afghans and Americans need to set a course for success, and reach an agreement of what realistic, achievable progress means, and how to accomplish it. |
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As the U.S. prepares to leave Iraq, USIP examines the impact of Iraq’s emerging civil society on politics, and what the U.S. can and should do to ensure continued progress. |
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USIP's Alex Thier and Bill Taylor argue why leadership of civilian assistance is necessary for success in Afghanistan, and lay out the best options to move forward. Countries: Afghanistan
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Events
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June 13, 2011
USIP has been conducting innovative research on the ground in Afghanistan and Pakistan about the challenges and opportunities in a peace process for Afghanistan. On June 13, 2011, USIP hosted a discussion about what the key research findings suggest about how to move toward a durable peace.
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April 14, 2011
On April 14, 2011, USIP hosted Dr. Abdullah Abdullah for a discussion on the security and political transitions in Afghanistan.
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February 25, 2011
A panel featuring Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak and Afghan Interior Minister Bismillah Khan Mohammadi discussed the challenges facing the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and the role the ANSF will play as security responsibilities transition from international to Afghan forces. Countries: Afghanistan
| Issue Areas: Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities, Security Sector Reform/Governance
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January 5, 2011
Please join us as Iraqi representatives and USIP experts assess the success of efforts to establish a genuine national partnership and discuss priorities for Iraq’s new government in 2011. |
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December 6, 2010
USIP is conducting a workshop to discuss lessons from use of the MPICE Metrics Framework to assess the Haiti Stabilization Initiative (HSI) and to draw more general lessons for the practice of measurement and evaluation. |
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October 6, 2010
Join USIP and Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) Director Kristian Berg Harpviken for a discussion of top candidates and themes for this year's Nobel Peace Prize. Countries: Afghanistan, Myanmar/Burma, Norway, Sierra Leone
| Issue Areas: Arts and Peacebuilding, Education, Media, Conflict, and Peacebuilding, Religion and Peacemaking
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September 23, 2010
This event examines the historical patterns of international engagement in Afghanistan through the lens of the new production, "The Great Game: Afghanistan." Join USIP and the British Council for an engaging discussion about the relationship between cultural relations and conflict transformation in Afghanistan. Countries: Afghanistan
| Issue Areas: Arts and Peacebuilding, Conflict Analysis and Prevention, Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities
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August 18, 2010
After more than seven years, the U.S. combat mission in Iraq ended on August 31. The nature of the U.S. commitment to Iraq is now transforming from a military mission to a civilian effort led by American diplomats. Ambassador Christopher Hill, having just completed his tour serving as America’s top diplomat in Iraq, reflected on Iraq’s transition, politics, current situation and future prospects. Countries: Iraq
| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis and Prevention, Negotiation and Diplomacy, Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities, Rule of Law
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July 15, 2010
Join Richard Teuten, senior visiting fellow at the UK’s Royal United Services Institute and former head of the UK Stabilisation Unit, as he discusses his completed assessment of how the United Kingdom has sought to stabilize conflict-affected countries over the last 13 years. Issue Areas: Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities
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July 9, 2010
The published version of the MPICE Metrics Framework was released on July 9, 2010 at USIP. The three editors of the MPICE Framework, Col John Agoglia, Michael Dziedzic and Barbara Sotirin, along with John McNamara from S/CRS, discussed the design and use of MPICE. Read a summary of the event. |
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July 6, 2010
In an attempt to end one of the longest wars in U.S. history, the United States and its NATO allies in Afghanistan view counternarcotics initiatives as vital to counterinsurgency efforts by cutting off revenue to insurgents. A new Center for International Cooperation (CIC) report by Jonathan Caulkins, Mark Kleiman, and Jonathan Kulick challenges this assumption. Countries: Afghanistan
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June 16, 2010
The hold and build phases of the ISAF offensive in Marjah and the impending effort in Kandahar underscore the salience of development activities undertaken in the presence of an armed opposition—“opposed development.” This conference explored the challenges inherent in opposed development.
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May 27, 2010
In recent years, the United Nations has emerged as an indispensible actor in Iraq, implementing a broad mandate which includes political dialogue and national reconciliation, electoral support, regional dialogue and humanitarian relief and reconstruction. As the U.S. role in Iraq diminishes, the U.N. and other international partners will be looked at to take on even greater responsibility. USIP hosted a stimulating discussion on the U.N.’s role in Iraq, Iraq’s political process and ongoing government formation efforts, and what comes next.
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May 14, 2010
Panelists at this workshop discussed Congolese perspectives and recommendations to improve economic and political policies in the Congo with members of U.S. agencies, development organizations, think tanks, non-profits and other stakeholders. |
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December 9, 2009
Major General Robert Caslen, recently returned from Iraq, where he served as commanding general of Multinational Division - North, discussed the strategic relationship between the U.S. and Iraq post-2011. |
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December 7, 2009
What is the way forward for the U.S. and its Afghan and international partners? Countries: Afghanistan
| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis and Prevention, Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities
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