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The Security Challenges Facing NigeriaSeptember 26, 2012 | by David R. Smock Peace and security continue to be elusive for Nigeria. The amnesty program for militants in the Niger Delta has reduced violent protests and oil bunkering. But the core of the amnesty program consists of monthly payments to the militants and particularly handsome contracts for the leaders of the armed groups. This is not sustainable, particularly when the basic complaints of the Delta population remain largely unaddressed. There has been some progress with a major road project to link the Niger Delta to the capital city of Lagos, but this will be of limited benefit to most Delta residents. Violence could flare again if residents don’t see more improvement in their lives. | Read more The Day After Project and the European Union ParliamentSeptember 25, 2012 | by Steven Heydemann
In the weeks since the document was launched in Berlin, members of the executive committee have been actively engaged in disseminating it to key audiences within Syria and among the international community. | Read more
USIP Celebrates International Day of Peace 2012September 21, 2012 | by USIP Staff Each year on September 21, organizations and individuals mark the International Day of Peace by engaging in a range of activities to highlight the importance of peacebuilding at the local, national, and international level. Peacebuilders around the world have celebrated the International Day of Peace each year since it was established by a United Nations resolution in 1981. The United Nations General Assembly declares this to be a day “devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples.” On this day, and every day, the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) works with partners around the world to prevent, manage, and resolve international conflicts without violence. | Read more Libya Will Not be Another IraqSeptember 17, 2012 | by Manal Omar This is the mantra I started repeating last week. It was the only way I could bear the calls, emails, and posts I was receiving from my Libyan friends. The news didn’t only shock me, but it had the potential to devastate me. After a year of traveling across Arab Spring countries, Libya had become my anchor amid the chaos. Despite the many challenges the country faced, I always left feeling hopeful and cautiously optimistic. The attack on the U.S. consulate, and the death of Ambassador Chris Stevens, threatened to stifle all hope within me. I could not bear the idea that Libya could dissolve into conflict led by violent religious extremism. I had spent the past year insisting that Libya would have its happily ever after. I was not blind to the enormous challenges that lay ahead, but I simply believed that Libya had all the right ingredients to overcome them. First and foremost the Libyans despise extremism. | Read more Mixed Blessings: the Power of Religious ProtestSeptember 17, 2012 | by Susan Hayward Last April, when I began planning my trip to Burma to assess the status of the civil society peacebuilding, community-led efforts to advance inter-religious coexistence, and the role of religious leaders in this work, I had no idea how significant the timing of my trip would be. At the time, the images conjured when I thought of Burma’s religious sector’s participation in advancing peace and justice were those from the 2007 “Saffron Revolution:” the mass mobilization of Buddhist monks and nuns throughout the country in protest of the junta’s economic policies and their painful impact on Burma’s civilians. In the aftermath of those extraordinary protests, marked by the images of monks and nuns lining up at the gate of Aung San Suu Kyi’s house, their ritual condemnation of military leaders, as well as the violent response of the government, I reflected on the powerful roles of religious symbols, institutions, and actors in the protests. | Read more U.N. Envoy to Meet with Syria’s AssadSeptember 11, 2012 | by Liz Harper U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday said that the U.N.’s Syria mediator Lakhdar Brahimi will meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad when he travels to the country later this week. Ban also called on the Security Council to take action to halt the deadly conflict that has continued for the past 18 months and has claimed the lives of at least 20,000 people. | Read more Network of Iraqi Facilitators (NIF) and Alliance of Iraqi MinoritiesSeptember 10, 2012 | by Manal Omar The USIP Baghdad Office (BDO) earlier this month hosted a meeting between USIP President- select Jim Marshall, Senior Vice President of the Center for Conflict Management Abiodun Williams, and members from the Network of Iraqi Facilitators (NIF) and Alliance of Iraqi Minorities (AIM). USIP is supporting efforts by NIF and AIM members to defuse escalating conflicts between minority groups residing within the disputed internal boundaries of the Ninawa governorate in northern Iraq. | Read more USIP President-Select Visits PakistanSeptember 6, 2012 | by USIP Staff “I’m excited about the work we are doing and can do in Pakistan,” said USIP’s incoming president, former Congressman Jim Marshall, after two days of meetings in Pakistan with peace activists, women and youth leaders, development workers and political analysts. He expressed appreciation for the dedication of Pakistanis who continue their work to promote positive change in places like Karachi and the provinces of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, despite danger, threats, and growing suspicion of the work of NGOs. “Pakistan is currently facing many serious challenges,” Marshall stated, “but I’m very impressed by the commitment of the USIP partners that I met with who are confronting these challenges and working to promote peace.” One Peshawar-based organization working with religious leaders in Pakistan’s restive tribal agencies adjacent to the Afghan border had a member kidnapped and held in captivity for 14 months. They also told the story of other civil society organizations that had had staff or associates kidnapped, killed and in one case beheaded by a militant group. | Read more USIP Support for Colombia's Path to PeaceSeptember 5, 2012 | by Virginia M. Bouvier
On September 4, President Juan Manuel Santos announced that peace talks would open in October in Oslo and continue in Havana. In the week leading up to the announcement and again on Sept. 4, Santos gave guidelines about what was to come. | Read more South Sudan Appoints Former USIP Fellow as First U.N. AmbassadorSeptember 5, 2012 | by Liz Harper South Sudan recently appointed Francis Deng to be its first ambassador to the United Nations, as the new country seeks to strengthen its diplomatic representation in key posts while negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan resume. | Read more |
Welcome to USIP's Olive Branch blog, a place for timely analysis, views from the field and an exchange of ideas about how to build peace and end or prevent conflict. Through its work in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and beyond, the Institute blends its expert analysis with its field work, a dynamic in which each must always inform the other on parallel tracks. We hope that this blog will reflect that spirit of combining thought with action. And we invite you to browse our posts and then send us your own ideas, comments or reflections. Each blog post and comment posted on the Olive Branch represents the views of the author and not necessarily that of USIP, a non-partisan, congressionally-funded organization that does not advocate for policy positions.
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Late last month, a group of Syrian opposition activists released a major transition planning document: “
Much of USIP's Colombia work for the last four years has focused on generating lessons from past peace processes that might be helpful for future talks..png)
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