Meeting Notes - September 23, 2011

New Meeting Note: Upcoming Elections in Africa

Elections have facilitated the emergence of democratic governments in Africa, and, in some cases, more stable societies have emerged. In some other cases, however, elections have been manipulated to legitimize autocratic regimes or to ensure dynastic successions on the continent.  

Meeting Notes - May 23, 2011

The Future of South Sudan

While this is an exciting period for the people of South Sudan, the future presents them (and their neighbors in the North) with many difficult challenges. The status of Abyei and postreferendum issues between North and South—such as citizenship, oil sharing, border demarcation, currency, and debts, among others—are yet to be resolved.  

Meeting Notes - February 08, 2009

Improving International Responses to Armed Conflict

IPI's twelfth annual New York Seminar, Improving the International Response to Armed Conflict and State Fragility, took place at the Tarrytown Estate, New York, on May 5-8, 2008.  

Policy Papers - September 30, 2008

Eastern Africa: Security and the Legacy of Fragility

The first of a five-part paper series focusing on African subregions, Eastern Africa: Security and the Legacy of Fragility, examines subregional capacity to respond to the multiple challenges facing Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Translation in Arabic

Books - July 13, 2008

Building States to Build Peace

How can legitimate and sustainable states best be established in the aftermath of civil wars? What role should international actors play in supporting these vital processes? Addressing these questions, this IPI volume explores the core challenges involved in institutionalizing postconflict states.  

Policy Papers - November 13, 2007

Managing Contradictions: The Inherent Dilemmas of Postwar Statebuilding

Statebuilding—the construction of legitimate, effective governmental institutions—is a crucial element in any larger effort to create the conditions for a durable peace and human development in countries that are just emerging from war.  

Books - July 13, 2007

Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts

Promoting security, good governance and recovery in weak, failing and war-torn countries requires integrated approaches.  

Policy Papers - September 14, 2006

Development and Security in the Pacific Island Region

Pacific Island states face serious challenges and dilemmas, as a series of crises in the region indicate. Across the region, countries struggle with significant problems of state capacity, including poor leadership, poor governance and weak links between state institutions and community life and values.  

Policy Papers - August 14, 2006

State-building and Constitutional Design after Conflict

This paper examines the strengths and weaknesses of constitutional choices made after conflict, drawing upon comparative studies of six constitutions and peace agreements.  

Books - July 15, 2005

You, the People: The United Nations, Transitional Administration, and State-Building

The governance of post-conflict territories embodies a central contradiction: how does one help a population prepare for democratic governance and the rule of law by imposing a form of benevolent autocracy?