Can the United States Enable Post-Conflict Stability? When the United States takes military action, how can it help countries go from that military action to prosperity, democracy, and stability?

New analysis from @csis.org unites Global Development Department leaders to examine policy challenges shaping post-conflict recovery.
@humanrights.csis.org Director Andrew Friedman emphasizes that the U.S. must maintain strong civil society ties to ensure stability.

www.csis.org/analysis/can...

Check out HRI Non-Resident Senior Associate
@lauratmurphy.bsky.social 's conversation on the Harvard Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights’ Justice Matters podcast discussing freedom movements, human rights challenges, and sustaining hope amid backlash. Listen here! www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/carr...

Iran War Fueling a New Wave of Repression | Asked & Answered YouTube video by Center for Strategic & International Studies

“Chaos empowers malign actors—and makes the vulnerable more vulnerable.”

In a @csis.org short, @humanrights.csis.org Andrew Friedman breaks down how the war in Iran impacts civil society and why the U.S. must consider how its strategies shape the aftermath.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5bp...

Check out HRI's March Director's Note to find reflections on the implications of US action in Iran and Venezuela for those working for human rights and democracy as well as read about HRI's goings-on. Read it here: bit.ly/4d5Bee7

Sign up here: bit.ly/3PvyooW

A New Landscape for Development | CSIS Events Join the CSIS Global Development Department for the launch of A New Landscape for Development. This event will examine recent U.S. foreign assistance shifts and what they mean for the future of global...

What does a new era of global development look like?

Join the CSIS Global Development Department (GDD) on Tuesday, February 10, from 4–6:30 pm ET for the launch of the department’s inaugural report, A New Landscape for Development.

Register here: bit.ly/4cbfi0z

Getting Critical Minerals Certification and Due Diligence Right In the DRC-Rwanda Accord and Beyond (With a Lesson from a Punk Band?) Concentrating on decision-making, investment, and accountability will lead to more impactful minerals agreements in DRC-Rwanda and others.

As governments race to secure critical minerals, Brad Brooks-Rubin's new Just Security piece cautions against repeating past mistakes. He argues that broad certification regimes often become paper exercises, while minerals from high-risk regions continue to flow. www.justsecurity.org/129008/miner...

Opting Out: United States to Stop Engaging with More UN Entities Prioritizing and refining the coalitions and organizations an administration engages with makes sense, but budget cuts and an anti-multilateralism philosophy come with risks and mean a broader rupture...

Though the United States remains engaged in major UN institutions, it is withdrawing from many smaller bodies. CSIS HRI’s Allison Lombardo examines what this selective disengagement means for the future of U.S. influence and multilateralism. www.csis.org/analysis/opt...

Who Will Stand Up for Human Rights in 2026 – and How? The deterioration in human rights in 2025 heightens the risks for defenders going forward, with fewer resources to combat the threats.

In a new @justsecurity.org analysis, Friedman and Hart analyze how aid shrinkages and closing civic space will increase risk but provide opportunities for human rights defenders in the years ahead.
www.justsecurity.org/128753/who-w...

Why Losing Local Voices in Foreign Aid–Diplomacy Mergers Threatens National Security Merging USAID’s functions with those of the State Department could weaken U.S. foreign policy, potentially reducing local input in the policymaking process and eroding access, context, and long-term r...

As U.S. foreign aid shifts into State, what happens to local input? Friedman and George examine impacts on localization, expertise, and access.
www.csis.org/analysis/why...

Human Rights in 2025: The 75th International Human Rights Day On the 75th International Human Rights Day, Andrew Friedman and Anne Frederick share the history the day, why we observe it, and the state of human rights in the world today. --------------------------------------------- A nonpartisan institution, CSIS is the top national security think tank in the world. Visit www.csis.org to find more of our work as we bring bipartisan solutions to the world's greatest challenges. Want to see more videos and virtual events? Subscribe to this channel and turn on notifications: https://cs.is/2dCfTve Follow CSIS on: • Twitter: https://twitter.com/csis • Facebook: https://facebook.com/CSIS.org • Instagram: https://instagram.com/csis/

Today marks the 75th International Human Rights Day. In a new video, @andrewbfriedman.bsky.social and Anne Frederick from the CSIS Human Rights Initiative share the history of the day, why we observe it, and the state of human rights in the world today. Watch it here: bit.ly/4s4WTrY

Three Years of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act: Assessing the Impact | CSIS Events Join us on Uyghur Genocide Recognition Day for a discussion on the impact of the UFLPA after three years, the future of UFLPA implementation, and the effects of UFLPA on global forced labor legislatio...

Today, Dec. 9 3pm ET, the CSIS HRI and Coalition to End Forced Labor in the Uyghur Region will host Three Years of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act: Assessing the Impact

Please note registration to attend in-person is closed, but please join us virtually.

www.csis.org/events/three...

Examining Impacts, Capabilities, and Opportunities Cuts to foreign assistance have been among the most sweeping changes of the second Trump administration. This compendium dives deep into the impacts on fields across the development ecosystem and pote...

What do foreign assistance cuts mean for human rights, democratic governance, and the sustainability of global development? CSIS’s GDD has released A New Landscape for Development- examining how shifts in foreign assistance are changing U.S. engagement globally. features.csis.org/impacts-capa...

Three Years of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act: Assessing the Impact | CSIS Events Join us on Uyghur Genocide Recognition Day for a discussion on the impact of the UFLPA after three years, the future of UFLPA implementation, and the effects of UFLPA on global forced labor legislatio...

On Dec. 9, CSIS HRI hosts Dr. Laura Murphy, Jewher Ilham, and Anasuya Syam to explore how three years of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) have transformed the future of global supply chains and forced labor accountability. Register Here. www.csis.org/events/three...

The Brewing Egypt-Ethiopia Nile River Conflict is Ripe for “Solving” An agreement to resolve the dam conflict has long been drafted. Trump could be the "closer" engaging Presidents Abiy and el-Sisi for a deal.

Can the United States help defuse one of Africa’s most consequential resource conflicts, and what would a lasting deal mean for regional stability?

CSIS HRI Senior Associate @Allomby and Peter Quaranto explore these questions in Just Security: bit.ly/47WIEMH

Shifting Power: The Next Phase of U.S. Foreign Assistance This moment of tremendous flux creates an existential question for development practitioners. That is, will the same model move forward, content to do “less with less,” or will a new model take hold t...

In this moment of flux, will the same model of development move forward, content to do “less with less,” or will a model emerge with a new approach to maximize resources? Either effort requires considerable consultation and input from those most impacted by foreign assistance. bit.ly/42vmgbh

What Is the U.S. Posture Toward the United Nations? President Trump delivered withering criticism of the United Nations at UNGA this week, but the future of U.S. contributions to the United Nations remains unclear. What will the future hold for U.S. su...

This week, President Trump spoke before the UN General Assembly for the first time in six years and delivered withering criticism of the world body, sparking questions about US posture toward the UN. HRI Senior Associate Allison Lombardo provides clarity on the state of US engagement: bit.ly/4gHGtR0

What Are the U.S. Department of State Human Rights Reports? The U.S. Department of State is anticipated to release its annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. As many expect the Trump administration to modify this year’s reports, this CQ unpacks the ...

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of State published the 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. For historical context and the significance of the reports, read our Critical Questions on what the reports are and how they've changed over the years: bit.ly/3GpExyt

Commercial Diplomacy Needs Good Governance Can commercial diplomacy work without corresponding good governance efforts? Corruption, labor rights violations, and general poor governance impede business operations. Who will help improve governan...

Why does good governance matter for successful private sector operations, and how should the U.S. ensure stable commercial diplomacy in countries with an uncertain enabling environment?

HRI's @andrewbfriedman.bsky.social answers these questions here: www.csis.org/analysis/com...

Ocean Security and Human Rights Forum | CSIS Events Join to learn about the changing nature of US ocean policy between the Trump and Biden Administrations and how these changes will affect regional security relationships and our ability to secure domes...

Join this Thursday, June 5 for the Ocean Security and Human Rights Forum, with the Stephenson Ocean Security Project and US IUU Fishing & Labor Rights Coalition.

This event will be held in-person at CSIS. Register here: www.csis.org/events/ocean...

USAID Cuts Weaken U.S. Influence at the United Nations Recent cuts to U.S. foreign assistance made by the Trump administration include major pullbacks on U.S. contributions to the United Nationas. This jeopardizes U.S. leadership on humanitarian aid, glob...

The Trump administration terminated an estimated 211 awards to UN agencies. These cuts jeopardize U.S. leadership in the UN system and influence in the Global South. Read the latest from HRI’s Senior Associate, Allison Lombardo: www.csis.org/analysis/usa...

Support Civil Society, Counter Autocracy The United States should provide robust and long-term support for civil society. Ending this support cedes the space to dictators looking to build a more authoritarian world.

Global civic space is closing and authoritarianism is on the rise. @andrewbfriedman.bsky.social argues the U.S. should focus on promoting democracy by empowering civil society organizations. Read HRI's latest commentary: www.csis.org/analysis/sup...

Cementing Junta Rule: A Missed Opportunity for Human Rights and Democracy Allowing junta leaders to stand for president misses an important opportunity to stand up for human rights and the rule of law.

April 12th marks a pivotal moment for Gabon, but can entrenching junta leaders improve human rights and democracy? HRI Senior Fellow, Andrew Friedman, discusses the future of post-coup West African elections.

#MilitaryJunta #Democracy #WestAfrica

bit.ly/42nBvSJ

What Are Civil Society Organizations? Civil society organizations are vital partners in U.S. foreign policy, improving security, pushing back on authoritarianism and global adversaries, and providing lifesaving assistance, but too few peo...

How do civil society organizations contribute to U.S. foreign policy goals? @csis.org HRI's @andrewbfriedman.bsky.social answers core questions about civil society organizations amidst the current debate about the role of foreign assistance. Read more here: bit.ly/4icyEC8

The fallout of the U.S. aid freeze in Washington, Abuja, and beyond | The Afropolitan | CSIS Podcasts Catherine Nzuki is joined by Andrew Friedman, Senior Fellow with the CSIS Human Rights Initiative, and Samuel Itodo, Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, to discuss the impacts of the U.S. aid freeze a...

Check out CSIS Africa Program's new podcast where @csis.org HRI's Senior Fellow @andrewbfriedman.bsky.social joined Catherine Nzuki, Associate Fellow with the CSIS Africa Program, to discuss USAID's role as a soft power instrument in U.S. foreign policy. Listen here: bit.ly/3QcmGwE

Freezing Support to Democracy and Human Rights Activists Undermines US Interests Ending aid for democracy and human rights struggles inflicts long-term harm on American security and prosperity.

"Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?" CSIS HRI's Scott Busby explains why "U.S. support to democracy and human rights advocates clearly satisfies each of those criteria." Read more here: bit.ly/41flY7V