Peace Agreements Digital Collection

Afghan Government: ‘Optimistic’ on Opening Talks with Taliban

Friday, August 28, 2020

By: USIP Staff

Afghanistan’s government is optimistic that the delayed peace talks with the Taliban can start soon, acting Foreign Minister Mohammed Haneef Atmar told an online audience. Atmar’s comments are the latest sign that one reason for the five-month delay, disputes over the two sides’ release of prisoners they have been holding, may be nearly resolved. Taliban attacks on government forces have continued, and civilian casualties have remained high, as the two sides have wrestled over conditions for starting the talks as envisioned in a February agreement between the United States and the Taliban.

Type: Analysis and Commentary

Peace Processes

What’s Next for the Peaceful Uprising in Belarus?

Thursday, August 27, 2020

By: Anushka Bose; Jonathan Pinckney

Recent weeks have seen a massive outpouring of peaceful public protest in Belarus after an election widely believed to be fraudulent. Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have taken to the streets to demand that longtime authoritarian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka step down and another democratic election be held.

Type: Analysis and Commentary

Nonviolent Action; Democracy & Governance

Five Things to Know About Mali’s Coup

Thursday, August 27, 2020

By: Emily Fornof; Emily Cole

On August 18, an argument over promotions at a military base outside of Bamako was the final spark that caused rising tensions to boil over into a mutiny. By midnight, President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita announced his resignation on the state-run television network. This dramatic chain of events followed three months of protests. Since June, tens of thousands of Malians have hit the streets to call for Keita’s resignation, and the dissolution of the National Assembly and the Constitutional Court. As the country grapples with an intractable insurgency and eight years of instability, anger over the government’s failure to resolve conflict, respect democratic norms, and provide basic services pushed citizens and the military to their boiling point. Instability in Mali has already led to destabilization in the Sahel, a region in West Africa with a host of interconnected challenges increasingly exploited by terrorist groups like ISIS and al-Qaida. What comes next in Mali over the coming months could have significant implications for the country’s democracy and on the stability of the entire region.

Type: Analysis and Commentary

Justice, Security & Rule of Law; Democracy & Governance; Nonviolent Action

Assessing Afghanistan’s 2019 Presidential Election

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

By: Colin Cookman

Afghanistan’s current electoral system structures Afghan political dynamics, shapes election-day outcomes, and influences competition between organized interest groups in Afghanistan. Drawing on a unique set of results data from the September 2019 presidential election and past elections, this report analyzes where and how prospective Afghan voters were able to participate in the 2019 polls, the decision making behind and adjudication of disputes over which votes would be counted as valid, and how the available results compare with political trends evident in prior elections.

Type: Peaceworks

Democracy & Governance

Susan Stigant on Mali’s Military Coup

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

By: Susan Stigant

After months of public protests, a military coup has toppled Mali’s government. USIP’s Susan Stigant looks at the path forward, saying “there’s a real tension in trying to figure out how to restore that constitutional order without necessarily going back to the status quo prior to the coup.”

Type: Podcast

Democracy & Governance

United States Institute of Peace

Peace Agreements Digital Collection