Past Events

On May 10, 2012, the USIP Center of Innovation for Security Sector Governance held its third annual conference. For the second year running, the conference focused on the pressing question of security sector reform in North Africa and the Middle East.  

Extremist violence and growing radicalization continue to present a serious challenge to Pakistan’s stability. As efforts to counter violent extremism grow in prominence, the drivers of radicalization and extremism and the means to undercut these drivers remain inadequately understood. On May 9, USIP convened a panel of experts on radicalization for a discussion examining what drives radicalization, and how to address these drivers through strategies to counter violent extremism.

This Workshop brought together experts in peacebuilding, agricultural extension, and information technology to determine how peacebuilding activities could be delivered as components of existing extension services in conflict and post-conflict zones.

Participants investigated how conflict manifests in rural communities and the specific ways in which extension and advisory services could be used to affect such problems. In three breakout sessions, participants brainstormed what new skills, organization, and technologies might be required to integrate peacebuilding into extension activities.

"Mapping Energy Infrastructure Vulnerabilities in Conflict-Affected Regions," an focused on the results from the new Energy Infrastructure Attack Database, pioneered by researchers at the Zurich-based Center for Security Studies. The discussion was led by Jennifer Giroux, a lead researcher at the Center for Security Studies.

The Islamists Are Coming is the first book to survey the rise of Islamist groups in the wake of the Arab Spring. Often lumped together, the more than 50 Islamist parties with millions of followers now constitute a whole new spectrum-separate from either militants or secular parties. They will shape the new order in the world's most volatile region, more than any other political bloc, yet they have diverse goals and different constituencies. Sometimes they are even rivals.

On April 10, USIP hosted a conversation on “Prospects for Peace in Afghanistan,” moderated by former National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, currently senior adviser for International Affairs at USIP. Key individuals involved in the peace process and independent experts on Afghanistan discussed opportunities and obstacles to peace, what a credible election and an inclusive peace process would look like, and the policy priorities required to increase the prospects for durable peace in Afghanistan.

On April 6, USIP convened a panel of regional experts to discuss how Afghanistan’s immediate neighbors – Pakistan, Iran, and the bordering Central Asian Republics – view the present situation and impending security transition in Afghanistan, and what their role and policies are likely to be between now and 2014, and beyond.

On April 4, 2012, USIP hosted a public event on Security Sector Transformation in Post-Conflict Liberia featuring the Liberian Defense Minister, Hon. Brownie Samukai.  He outlined plans to have the nation’s security forces and institutions fully operational by 2014, and discussed implications of the transition for Liberia and the sub-region. 

On March 28 USIP hosted a presentation by Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman who recently concluded visits to five key African states. Wendy Sherman shared her observations about the importance of a holistic approach to sustained political and social development, as well as economic growth.

With ongoing violence and mounting tensions between them, both Sudan and the newly independent South Sudan face a defining task in the near future: writing new constitutions.  Panelists in this event explored the state of constitutional development in each country and the role the constitution making processes can play in addressing on-going conflicts, and make recommendations for how the processes can reach their full potential.

Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) and Peace Brigades International (PBI), two of the leaders in unarmed civilian protection, will present how peacekeeping works without guns, what lessons are being learned, and how this practice can now be brought to scale.

Jay Solomon, foreign affairs correspondent of the Wall Street Journal, and Daniel Brumberg, USIP’s senior adviser in the Center for Conflict Management, examined two of the most significant challenges for the Middle East, Iran and Syria, and the ramifications their interplay has for U.S. regional strategy.

As the Syrian uprising enters its second year, uncertainty about the challenges confronting women and minorities looms especially large.  Women have played a critical role throughout the uprising, with activists like Suhair al-Attasi, Razan Zaitouneh, and others emerging as leaders of protest and resistance to the Assad regime.  Yet their contributions have often been overshadowed. Questions persist about whether women’s concerns and perspectives will be fully addressed, either in the current uprising or in a potential post-Assad Syria. How can Syrian women ensure that their voices are heard as the revolution unfolds and a new Syria takes shape? 

On March 7th, USIP and the Richard Nixon Foundation hosted a day-long symposium marking the 40th Anniversary of President Nixon’s extraordinary meetings with leaders of the People’s Republic of China. President Nixon’s trip was a watershed moment for the Sino-American relationship and its effects are still being felt today. The conference focused primarily on examining the origins of the trip, the current status of Sino-American relations and the outlook for the future of this critical bilateral relationship.

On February 29, 2012, the United States Institute of Peace and the Institute for the Study of War co-hosted a panel of distinguished experts who discussed the history of the Iraqi police and the U.S. police assistance program in Iraq.