Publications & Tools
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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 the national government. Going forward, the international community should focus on a few key governance issues to address and use the Strategic Partnership Agreement as a vehicle for long-term planning. |
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Contrary to some views, Afghanistan has been and can be governed effectively and be politically stable. But history indicates that overly ambitious and rushed modernization efforts are likely to face sharp domestic reactions that can set development back, sometimes for decades. Countries: Afghanistan
| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis and Prevention, Political Reform, Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities
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The Day After project brought together a group of Syrians representing a large spectrum of the Syrian opposition—including senior representatives of the Syrian National Council (SNC), members of the Local Coordination Committees in Syria (LCC), and unaffiliated opposition figures from inside Syria and the Diaspora representing all major political trends and components of Syrian society—to participate in an independent transition planning process. |
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Afghanistan’s Presidential Decree of July 21 has been billed as an “anti-corruption decree,” setting forth the Afghan government’s concrete plans for fighting corruption. But even a cursory reading reveals the decree is about far more than just anti-corruption. In fact, it appears to be a detailed short-term work program for 32 government ministries and agencies, also including suggestions for actions by the National Assembly and the Supreme Court. Countries: Afghanistan
| Issue Areas: Political Reform, Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities, Rule of Law
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Manal Omar, director of USIP’s Iraq, Iran and North Africa programs, talks about the transfer of power and challenges facing Libya. |
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Eight months after the popular uprisings in Yemen and five months after President Abdo Rabo Mansour Hadi took the presidency, Yemenis are eager to embark on the justice and security reforms that they demanded during their 11-month long revolution. To support the transition process, USIP has begun to conduct research on local-level justice issues in Yemen and provide information on comparative experiences of other transitional countries on both “top down” and “bottom up” rule of law and legal empowerment initiatives. Countries: Yemen
| Issue Areas: Political Reform, Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities, Rule of Law
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International leaders are increasingly speculating that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's days are numbered, as calls for his peaceful departure grow louder. But, in the case he is toppled, what happens in the aftermath of regime collapse? |
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USIP's senior adviser for Middle East initiatives, Steven Heydemann, discusses “The Day After” project, a Syrian-led effort to plan for a post-Assad transition. |
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The U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) is providing start-up funding and advisory support for the Sudd Institute, a new, independent policy research organization based in the South Sudanese capital of Juba. Countries: Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, The Two Sudans
| Issue Areas: Mediation and Facilitation, Political Reform, Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities
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In some countries, the unexpected death of a president sets off a chaotic scramble for power, with constitutional guidelines for succession largely ignored. But faced with just that predicament, Ghana went the opposite route. Countries: Ghana
| Issue Areas: Mediation and Facilitation, Political Reform, Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities
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