Peace building is a global imperative and the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) works with the international community to prevent, manage, and resolve conflicts in conflict-affected states (CAS). The USIP is an independent, nonpartisan, national institution established and funded by Congress. Its goals are to help prevent and resolve violent international conflicts, promote post-conflict stability and development, and increase conflict management capacity and intellectual capital worldwide. By law, the USIP is governed by a bipartisan Board of Directors. The Board is composed of 12 members from outside federal services who are appointed by the President of the U.S. and confirmed by the Senate, and four ex-officio members: the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the President of the National Defense University, and the President of the Institute (nonvoting). The board is prohibited from having more than eight voting members of the same political party.
The first cornerstone in the creation of United States Institute of Peace (USIP) was in 1976 when Senator Vance Hartke of Indiana and Senator Mark Hatfield of Oregon introduced a bill to create the George Washington Peace Academy. After a hearing in the Senate it was decided that further research was needed in order to effectively address the needs of the world. President Jimmy Carter established a commission that was chaired by Senator Spark Matsunaga (1916–90) and was referred to as the Matsunaga Commission. The commission researched for over a year and a half and conducted a wide variety of surveys and studied different theories, techniques, and institutions involved in the resolution of international conflicts. The commission met with military and government officials, leading educators, conflict resolution professionals, and representatives from various religious, ethnic, and scientific communities. In addition, the commission met with thousands of citizens through a series of public meetings held across the nation. In 1981, the Matsunaga Commission issued a final report recommending the creation of a national peace academy. After considerable debate regarding the formation of a new institution, the U.S. Institute of Peace Act (pdf) was finally signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1984.
- Works toward its initiatives through several different activities. Operation on the ground in zones of conflict, most recently in Afghanistan, Colombia, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, the Korean Peninsula, Lebanon, Pakistan, the Palestinian Territories, Nigeria, Sudan, and Israel. Projects include: mediating and facilitating dialogue among parties in conflict, promoting the rule of law, reforming and strengthening education systems, strengthening civil society, and state-building. The institute also educates the public through events, films, radio programs, and an array of outreach activates.
- Performs research that has resulted in more than 400 publications that are beneficial for negotiators, policymakers, and academia. The books cover a wide variety of topics, such as, negotiating across cultures, conflict management, and sustainable reconciliation in divided societies. Through this research, the institute also develops innovative peace-building tools.
- Organizes training on conflict management and educates government and military personnel, civil society leaders and staff of non-governmental and international organizations on topics like mediation and negotiation skills.
- Educates high school and college students about international conflicts with the goal of increasing the peace building capabilities of future leaders. The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) holds a National Peace Essay Contest that encourages high school students to learn about international issues and about how countries can best preserve security and world peace. There are a total of 53 winners and the person awarded 1st place receives $10,000.
- Supports policymakers by providing analysis, policy options, advice, as well as providing a wide range of country-oriented working groups.
- Establishes various resources and strategic centers organized around preventing armed conflict, working toward resolutions when they occur and promoting strategic plans for post-conflict stabilization. These include:
Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention
Center for Meditation and Conflict Resolution
Center for Post-Conflict Peace and Stability Operations
The USIP supports peace-building projects managed by non-profit organizations, including educational institutions, research institutions, civil society organizations, and NGOs. The institute has awarded funding to grantees in 46 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, and in 81 foreign countries. Most USIP grants are one to two years in duration. Most awards fall in the range of $50,000 to $120,000.
Apply to the Annual Grant Competition
Progress in Peacebuilding: Achievements in Conflict Management
Online Training: Certificate Course in Conflict Analysis
Kosovo/Serbia (by Daniel P. Serwer, USIP)
Afghanistan/Pakistan (J. Alexander Thier, USIP)
Syria and Political Change (by Scott Lasensky and Mona Yacoubian, USIPeace Briefing)
From the Web Site of the United States Institute of Peace
Congressional Briefings and Testimonies
Stakeholders include the countries United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is involved with, and the United States government, such as the U.S. Department of State, the Department of Defense, and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Almost 90% of USIP’s projects (including grants projects) are in partnership with the U.S. government, non-governmental organizations, academia, and in collaboration with local partners on the ground in conflict areas.
House Votes to Revoke USIP Charter
Lawmakers in the U.S. House tried in 2011 to eliminate the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP), claiming the agency was a waste of federal funding.
Created during the Reagan administration, the USIP is the only government body devoted exclusively to international peace building. Its annual budget is about $40 million, which is quite small compared to most federal offices.
Supporters pointed out that officials from the USIP have worked in war zones, including Iraq and Afghanistan, to help mitigate deadly conflicts.
A former U.S. general, Anthony Zinni, credited the USIP with helping in Mahmudiya, Iraq, which was situated in the so-called “triangle of death.”
Nevertheless, Republicans and Democrats tried to deauthorize the USIP, voting 226-194 to kill it. The Senate did not agree and the institute was spared for 2011, though its funding came under scrutiny again in 2012.
Why Did Congress Cut Funds For Peace In A Time Of War? (by Wesley Kanne Clark, Christian Science Monitor)
Prevent War: Save the U.S. Institute of Peace (Friends Committee on National Legislation)
U.S. Institute of Peace Is Target in Spending War (by Norman Ornstein, Roll Call)
The Daniel Pipes Appointment
Daniel Pipes, a conservative Middle East analyst and columnist who had angered many Muslims, was nominated by President George W. Bush to be on the board of the U.S. Institute of Peace on April 1, 2003. After a vote on the nomination was stalled in Congress, President Bush installed Pipes with a recess appointment on August 23. In response to his appointment, a number of Islamic and Arab organizations, Democrats and civil rights activists protested. Pipes’ brief, controversial tenure ended in December, and he was not re-nominated to the board.
Daniel Pipes and the U.S. Institute of Peace (Daniel Pipes Website)
Pipes-Schemes (by Michael Scherer, Mother Jones)
Bush Appointee is a Bigot Disguised as a Scholar (by Fedwa Wazwaz, St. Paul Pioneer Press)
Chester A. Crocker (1992-2004)
Elspeth Davies Rostow (1991-1992)
John Norton Moore (1986-1991)
- Table of Contents
- Overview
- History
- What it Does
- Where Does the Money Go
- Controversies
- Suggested Reforms
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