The Importance of USIP’s Independence
The independence of the United States Institute of Peace is based on statute. The 1984 United States Institute of Peace Act, codified in the Defense Authorization Act of 1985 (P.L. 90-525) established:
…an independent, nonprofit, national institute to serve the people and the Government through the widest possible range of education and training, basic and applied research opportunities, and peace information services on the means to promote international peace and the resolution of conflicts among the nations and peoples of the world without recourse to violence. (Emphasis added).
USIP’s independence is essential to its ability to serve as the nation’s leading voice and catalyst for peace, in at least four ways.
Fostering Peace between Parties in Conflict
USIP quietly brings together representatives of parties in conflict around the world, to explore and develop potential steps toward peace. Those who join are taking risks by participating – they could face repression or retaliation from their governments, their communities, or other groups. They choose to take part because they trust in USIP’s independence, discretion, and demonstrated track record as a neutral arbiter. They feel safe, under a USIP umbrella, in leaning forward, ahead of official policies or mandates.
In the southern Philippines, USIP plays a central role in efforts to bring a 50-year-long conflict to a close. The conflict has had a serious negative impact on the ability of the Philippine Armed Forces and senior national security officials to focus fully on the more serious long-term security threat posed by China. USIP facilitates coordination between former rebel combatants and members of government security forces. Those talks have improved relationships and spurred cooperation that puts pressure on ISIS. The credibility and the safety of USIP’s staff and local implementing partner, in such sensitive activities, depend on USIP’s independence.
In the Middle East, USIP leveraged its independent status, its finely honed peacebuilding tools including its Peace Game strategic exercise tool, and its deep networks of trusted local contacts, to bring together trusted Palestinian, Israeli, and regional interlocutors to work together on problem-solving related to post-conflict recovery and stabilization in Gaza. The work yielded valuable insights for U.S. government colleagues.
In Central Asia, USIP sponsored a Track 2 dialogue between influential political figures and former government officials from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to identify options for resolving a 35-year-long border dispute between the two nations. The dialogue could not have been conducted through official channels because the two countries were denying official visas to each other. The dialogue thawed relations and paved the way for a historic official border demarcation deal.
Forging Peace ‘Outside the Wire’
USIP’s independence makes it possible for USIP staff to work “outside the wire” with community leaders in dangerous conflict zones and inaccessible regions, to pursue peace. USIP’s independence and recognized track record of neutrality make it welcome in many settings where the U.S. Government is not.
In Iraq, USIP works in Anbar province – a previous ISIS stronghold. USIP brought together tribal leaders for dialogues aimed at forging tribal compacts to address problems related to post-ISIS stabilization. One key and particularly sensitive focus of the talks has been the return of women and children from Al-Hol Camp in Northeastern Syria to their home communities after being vetted by the Government of Iraq. Official government representatives particularly valued USIP access to the community and helping with removing barriers to return and reintegration.
In Libya, USIP organizes and conducts dialogues on sensitive topics in conflict-besieged areas, bringing local actors together to solve problems collectively.
In Myanmar, USIP enjoys the trust of a full range of pro-democracy actors and broader key stakeholders. That trust gives USIP unparalleled access. It allows USIP to play ‘good offices’ roles by facilitating discussions and negotiations among leaders of these various organizations and associations as they tackle very sensitive issues and work to address instability. That trust depends on USIP’s independent status – these local actors would not welcome official U.S. government representatives into their sensitive discussions. USIP’s trusted status also makes it possible for its research staff to gain access to armed organizations in northern Myanmar, who now dominate Myanmar’s critical minerals sector. Based on its access, USIP researchers produce detailed analysis of those organizations.
In Papua New Guinea, increasingly a site of U.S.-Chinese contestation for influence, USIP has access to networks and communities in strategic locations outside the capital that are inaccessible to U.S. government officials – particularly Hela and Morobe provinces. USIP leverages these networks to work with community leaders to prevent violence at the community level, and to gain insights to share with U.S. Government colleagues to help inform U.S. policy and practice.
Amplifying Leading Voices for Peace
As the nation’s recognized leading voice for peace, USIP highlights and amplifies voices for peace from around the world for impact, in a way that no one else can. USIP’s privately owned HQ building – shaped like a dove and located a stone’s throw from the Lincoln Memorial – magnifies the message. USIP’s independence from government is one key reason leading peace advocates choose the Institute as a platform.
USIP has hosted and offered a platform to Oleksandra Matviichuk, a human rights lawyer and 2022 Nobel Peace Prize winner as part of the Centre for Civil Liberties. At public events hosted and organized by USIP, Matviichuk has called for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. At private round tables, USIP has brought Matviichuk together with leading experts to develop solutions to vexing problems including the safe return of displaced children.
Convening Cutting-Edge Expertise to Solve Problems
USIP convenes the top experts in the nation, and in the world, to develop and propose solutions to the most vexing obstacles to peace. USIP’s independence from government ensures that participants – including current and past officials, and leading researchers whose work is government-funded – can speak freely in their personal capacities.
In the nuclear arena, USIP recently led a year-long, bipartisan senior study group to propose solutions for improving strategic stability amidst growing nuclear proliferation and the absence of purposeful nuclear diplomacy. The options recommended by this USIP study group, if implemented, could markedly decrease the likelihood of nuclear war – the world’s greatest threat to peace.