United States Institute of Peace

Historic peace agreement signed at the United States Institute of Peace.

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The Philippines is a critical ally and partner for the United States in the Indo-Pacific. Whether it can emerge as a capable contributor to the alliance and its own defense will depend on whether it can finally achieve sustainable peace in its restive south. Haroro Ingram looks ahead to pivotal October elections in the Bangsamoro region and assesses lessons learned from efforts to combat election-related violence leading up to votes last May.

Philippines: Former Combatants Help Keep the Peace During Recent Polls For decades, the struggle for peace in the Philippines’ southernmost island of Mindanao has been characterized by armed conflict between the Philippines government and Moro separatist groups, like the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (M**F), and cycles of failed peace processes. The historic 2014 pea...

Last Friday, the foreign ministers of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo met in Washington to sign an agreement to end 30 years of conflict in Africa’s Great Lakes region. We explore what brought them to the negotiating table, the long-term outlook for peace in the region, and how control over critical minerals factors into the situation.

What DRC-Rwanda Peace Deal Means for the U.S. and Africa’s Mineral-Rich Great Lakes Region Last Friday, the foreign ministers of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) met in Washington to sign an agreement to end 30 years of conflict in Africa’s Great Lakes region. The peace deal was accompanied by commitments to build a “regional economic integration framework” and ...

Now that Iran and Israel have tested each other’s abilities and resolve, with huge cost, will they de-escalate or go back to covert operations and upgrade their capabilities for the next round? Sarhang Hamasaeed explores what could come next in the rivalry and the region:

With Cease-fire Holding, Can Israel and Iran Move Toward De-escalation? Israel’s stunning and sophisticated June 13 attack on Iran set off a worrying 12-day escalatory spiral. Iran responded in short order with ballistic missile and drone strikes, which led to a series of tit-for-tat exchanges between the two sides. A cease-fire is now in place -- but will it hold?

The war in Iran is a direct threat to vital Chinese interests. But it also gives Beijing opportunities, particularly in relation to its strategic rivalry with the United States.

What’s at Stake for China in the Iran War? China has major energy and economic interests that are threatened by an escalating conflict. But Beijing may also see some strategic opportunities with the U.S. focused on the war. Ultimately, China is likely unwilling, and unable, to make a serious effort to broker peace.

🇨🇳🇮🇳 As security tensions have risen between China and India in recent years, the economic imbalance between the two has only become more apparant, Sushant Singh writes. Why it would advance U.S. interests to help India de-risk:

How Vulnerable Is India to Chinese Economic Coercion? While India has taken a strong security stance against China, its economic posture has been cooperative. But India's reliance on Chinese imports may undermine its role as a counterbalance to China. The U.S. can help India serve as a counterweight to China by supporting Delhi’s de-risking efforts.

👋 We’ve missed you! We are very happy to announce that our website, www.usip.org, is back online! It currently includes new and archival research and analysis, as well as our suite of free online courses available through our Gandhi-King Global Academy. We look forward to once again bringing you useful content, resources and opportunities for peacebuilders around the world.

China is expected to vastly expand its nuclear arsenal by decade’s end, and India is weighing what these developments mean for its own security.

In a new analysis, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan looks at how interviews with former senior Indian officials and other members of the Indian strategic community provide some indication about how New Delhi may react to China’s nuclear developments.

What Do Changes in China’s Nuclear Program Mean for India? At the end of 2024, the annual U.S. Department of Defense report on military and security developments in China reinforced evolving assessments of China’s rapid nuclear expansion with an alarming projection: The U.S. expects China to have 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030 despite having maintained a ...

As part of Washington’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, the U.S. recently allowed a waiver to expire that permitted Iraq to buy Iranian electricity. In a new Q&A, our Sarhang Hamasaeed and Garrett Nada discuss the implications of the waiver’s expiration for Iraq, Iran and their relationships with the United States. Read more:

What Does ‘Maximum Pressure’ on Iran Mean for Iraq? On March 8, the United States allowed a waiver to expire that had permitted Iraq to buy Iranian electricity. The move was the latest in the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign to cut off Iran’s revenue streams and push Tehran to negotiate over its controversial nuclear program...

The direct threat that China poses to Taiwan continues to rise and is far more severe and serious today than ever before. In a new analysis, our Andrew Scobell and Naiyu Kuo write that Taiwan must ramp up defense resilience through whole-of-government and whole-of-society initiatives. Read more:

Taiwan Stronger: Ramping Up Defense Resilience to Counter China The direct threat that China poses to Taiwan continues to rise and is far more severe and serious today than ever before. In addition to the increasing daily tempo of gray-zone coercion and armed provocations all around Taiwan, the specter of an outright attack or naval blockade by China looms large...

Haiti’s gangs are evolving into transnational criminal organizations, threatening U.S. and regional security. But the U.S. could lead a coordinated regional effort to choke off the resources sustaining gang power, write our Kirk Randolph, Nicolás Devia-Valbuena and Louiceus Ozias in a new analysis. Read more:

How to Break Gangs’ Grip on Haiti Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, Haiti has spiraled into chaos, with gangs tightening their grip on nearly every aspect of daily life. Once a fragile but functioning state, the country now finds its capital, Port-au-Prince, almost entirely controlled by gangs — and thei...