Policy Papers - June 21, 2010
Power, Politics, and Change: How International Actors Assess Local Context
The International Peace Institute (IPI) has undertaken a project called Understanding Local Context, which aims to enhance our understanding of how international actors grapple with local context and political dynamics in partner countries.
Under the first phase of the project, IPI conducted an informal analysis of conflict, governance, and fragility/stability assessment tools developed by bilateral and multilateral actors, in order to investigate whether and how assessments actually affect decision making, planning, and programming.
This policy report represents the culmination of the first phase of the project. It analyzes the assumptions and motivations underpinning the use of various assessment frameworks and tools developed by bilateral and multilateral actors to assess governance, conflict and fragility. The report argues that these tools and frameworks have produced mixed results in terms of their impact on planning, decision-making, and programming. How they are used appears to be determined by five important factors: 1) clarity of purpose, 2) timing and timeframes, 3) interests and incentives, 4) people and competencies, and 5) linkages between assessment and planning.
The report concludes by cautioning that external actors must temper their expectations about what assessment tools and frameworks can accomplish. It further recommends that efforts should be made to link political analysis more consistently to overarching planning cycles and that multilateral and bilateral bureaucracies should work more assiduously to instill a culture of analysis rather than relying on technical instruments to capture complex political dynamics in conflict-affected and fragile states.
The Global Observatory
New Book by “Ground Zero” Imam: Moderation in the Face of Extremism
While promoting interfaith understanding, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf was attacked by extremists who used the issue to fan the flames of Islamophobia.
Key Global Events to Watch in May
A list of key upcoming meetings and events with implications for global affairs.
The Global Observatory is a new website by IPI, providing timely analysis on peace and security issues, interviews with leading policymakers, interactive maps, and more.
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May 10, 2012
Arbour: What the Rule of Law Means
“In my understanding of the rule of law, fundamentally, what the rule of law means is that it embraces the principle of equality before the law,” Louise Arbour, president of the International Crisis Group (ICG), told an IPI audience on May 10, 2012. Ms. Arbour outlined that this means that no one is above the law and everyone has both equal protection and equal benefit of the law. 
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Shachtman: Cyber Threats Akin to South Bronx, Not Pearl Harbor
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An April 27th roundtable discussion at IPI titled “Preventing Conflicts in Africa: The Role of Early Warning and Response Systems” examined the progress, prospects and challenges of regional and international early warning and response mechanisms to monitor, anticipate, and mitigate potential conflict situations in Africa.