RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Elizabeth Ferris, July 07, 2009, UCLA Conference on Peace and Reconciliation: Embracing the Displaced
Displacement is one of the tragic consequences of conflict. Elizabeth Ferris argues that once a conflict ends, resolving displacement and preventing future displacement is inextricably linked with achieving a lasting peace. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Elizabeth Ferris, July 02, 2009, International Association for the Study of Forced Migration Annual Conference, Nicosia, Cyprus
Recently discussion has turned to the prospects for the large-scale return of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) to Iraq. More than 4 million Iraqis have been displaced, either internally or externally. And while the Iraqi and US governments, policymakers in the region, and humanitarian actors assume that most will return to Iraq in the near future, Elizabeth Ferris points out that experience with other displacement crises indicates that return will be neither automatic nor straightforward. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Jamille Bigio and Jen Scott, June 11, 2009, Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement
With increased levels of security in Iraq in 2008-9, displaced persons have begun to make decisions about their future: whether to return to their place of origin, locally integrate or resettle in a third location. As Jamille Bigio and Jen Scott argue, the time is ripe to assess how the government of Iraq, with the support of international and national actors, can advance the process of achieving durable solutions to displacement. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Justin Vaïsse and Sebastian Gräfe, April 23, 2009, The Brookings Institution
To explore the strategies by which Europe can increase its commitment in Iraq and make a constructive difference, the Center on the U.S. and Europe and the Heinrich Böll Foundation convened a workshop in April 2009. In this paper, Justin Vaisse and Sebastian Gräfe summarize the consolidated advice advocated by the workshop participants. Read More
PAST EVENT
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
9:00 AM to 12:30 PM
Washington, DC
On April 1, the Center on the U.S. and Europe and the Heinrich Böll Foundation convened a workshop to explore the strategies by which Europe can increase its commitment in Iraq and make a constructive difference. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Sermid D. Al-Sarraf, Esq., Yolande Bouka, J. O'Neil G. Pouliot and Andrew Solomon, February 28, 2009, International Network to Promote the Rule of Law, USIP
Post-conflict reconstruction and stabilization requires protecting and assisting internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have been uprooted from their homes and made vulnerable to violence, exploitation, discrimination and other human rights violations. In this paper, Andrew Solomon and others review the international standards and best practices for protecting the housing, land and property rights of IDPs. Read More
PAST EVENT
Friday, February 20, 2009
12:00 PM to 2:30 PM
Washington, DC
The basic principles of humanitarian action are being challenged from all sides. Upholding the neutrality of humanitarian action and protecting humanitarian space is increasingly difficult and perhaps nowhere as much as in Afghanistan and Iraq. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Hady Amr and Elizabeth Ferris, February 16, 2009, Human Development Task Force, U.S.-Islamic World Forum
Throughout the Muslim world, millions of people have been forced to flee their homes and communities for many reasons, including both conflicts and natural disasters. This massive displacement of people affects both national development plans and individual human development, affecting relationships between countries, UN Security Council discussions, and peace processes. In short, as Hady Amr and Elizabeth Ferris argue, understanding—and resolving—displacement is central to development, peace, and security. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Hady Amr, Elizabeth Ferris, Khalid Koser and Susanne Schmeidl, February 16, 2009, The Brookings Instituion
Iraq and Afghanistan face displacement crises of massive proportions. According to best estimates, the number approaches two million refugees and 2.8 million IDPs. Although the pace of displacement has slowed since mid-2007, few IDPs and refugees have been able to return, their resources are running out, and international assistance has been inadequate. The longer displacement lasts, the more complicated it will be to resolve. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Michael E. O'Hanlon and Raid Juhi Hamadi al Saedi, February 09, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Michael O'Hanlon and Raid Juhi Hamadi al Saedi, the judge who presided over Saddam Hussein's trial, write that Iraq's recent progress is fragile and several major unresolved issues could threaten the country's future stability. Nothing is more fundamental, they argue, than the effort to help more than 4 million individuals displaced by violence to return home safely without igniting another round of sectarian killing and cleansing as they do so. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Rhodri C. Williams, January 07, 2009, The American Interest
The recent news from Iraq has been mostly good. Violence is down significantly, sectarian militias are giving ground to Iraqi security forces, and we see signs of a political process that could foster reconciliation, deliver basic services and pave the way for an orderly U.S. withdrawla. However, one major threat to Iraq's hard-won stability has yet to be fully acknowledged, let alone addressed: the problem of displacement. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Roberta Cohen, January 04, 2009, Kurdistani Nwe
One feature of the new Iraq is the presence of disputed territories. In an interview with Peshawa Abdulkhaliq Muhammed from Kurdistani Nwe, Roberta Cohen discusses the issues surrounding the disputed territories in Iraqi Kurdistan, including Kirkuk and propects for the resolution of this dispute. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Roberta Cohen, December 31, 2008, American University International Law Review, Vol. 24, Issue 2
Refugees and internally displaced persons are hardly a new phenomenon for Iraq. Under Saddam Hussein's regime, forced displacement was a tool used to subdue recalcitrant populations and punish political opponents. Roberta Cohen says that the U.S. invasion and the toppling of Saddam Hussein, far from resolving the problem however, made it worse. The ensuing conflicts increased the number of people forced to flee their homes and a combination of national and international steps needs to be taken. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Elizabeth Ferris and Kimberly Stoltz, December 23, 2008, The Brookings Institution
It is no coincidence that many internally displaced persons and refugees are members of minority groups. In every region of the world, minorities have been repressed, killed and displaced by governments and other armed actors seeking to take over their territory, command their loyalty, and control their actions. In this paper, Elizabeth Ferris & Kimberly Stoltz examine the relationship between minorities and displacement, with a particular emphasis on Iraq's smaller minorities. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Elizabeth Ferris, December 19, 2008, Returning Home in Iraq: Housing, Land and Property Issues, USIP Seminar
As violent incidents decrease in Iraq and as US combat troops prepare to withdraw, expectations will grow that Iraqis will return to their communities in growing numbers. In fact, UN Officials and political leaders in Iraq, the region, and the US have always expected that return will be the durable solution for Iraqi IDPs and refugees without giving serious consideration to other options. For returns to be successful, the government of Iraq and the international community need to learn from the lessons of other mass returns of displaced populations and refugees. Read More