News & Analysis
Our latest analysis, op-eds, event recaps, and peacebuilders spotlights.
The Taliban’s New Criminal Regulation Legalizes Slavery, Violence, and Repression of Women
On January 7, 2026, the Taliban’s emir issued a two-point decree formally…
Iranians are Making History
Iran is one month into historic protests, the most widespread since the…
Women, Peace and Security Conflict Tracker: January Updates
Our Women, Peace and Security Conflict Tracker combines real-time data points and…
The Taliban’s New Criminal Regulation Legalizes Slavery, Violence, and Repression of Women
On January 7, 2026, the Taliban’s emir issued a two-point decree formally endorsing a new Criminal Procedural Regulations for Courts (119 articles, 3 chapters, 10 sections) and announcing that it would take effect immediately upon signing. The regulation was not publicly announced, debated, or widely circulated by the authorities; instead, its existence came to light…
Iranians are Making History
Iran is one month into historic protests, the most widespread since the overthrow of the Shah. These multigenerational protests have been brutally suppressed by the Iranian regime. Iranian officials report a death toll of over 5,000 people, but witnesses inside Iran are reporting that the death toll is far greater, likely upwards of 35,000. In addition, thousands of detained protesters face the…
Women, Peace and Security Conflict Tracker: January Updates
Our Women, Peace and Security Conflict Tracker combines real-time data points and original analysis to offer gender-sensitive insight into conflict dynamics across 27 countries. To see the complete analysis across all 27 countries monitored, please visit the WPS Conflict Tracker website and explore by country. As of January 2026, two new countries—Venezuela and Pakistan—have been added to the WPS…
A Message from Our Executive Director: Threats to Democracy and Rule of Law in America
We at the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) are dedicated to promoting women’s leadership in peace and security globally, advancing women’s rights, tackling threats to the rule of law, warning about authoritarian pushbacks, and safeguarding democracy around the world. Today, we cannot be silent about what is happening in our own country: the assault on peace and security…
Acclaimed Journalist Anne Applebaum and Women Human Rights Defenders Discuss Implications of US Actions in Venezuela
The people of Venezuela are uncertain about their political, social, and economic future following the United States’ military operation on January 3rd, which resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife on charges of drug trafficking and narco-terrorism. Meanwhile, much of the world is concerned that the consequences of President Trump’s…
GIWPS Analysis: The US is Pulling Back from Multilateralism
This week, the White House issued a presidential memorandum announcing that the United States will no longer participate in 66 critical international organizations, including most UN organizations related to advancing and protecting women and girls, from the lead agency, UN Women, to the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in…
GIWPS Analysis: Iran’s Escalating Political Repression and the Arrest of Narges Mohammadi
Iranian authorities detained 2023 Nobel Peace Prize awardee Narges Mohammadi during a memorial for a human rights lawyer, which she attended while on temporary medical leave from a prior prison sentence tied to her activism against the death penalty and mandatory hijab laws. Her family reported that she was severely beaten and hospitalized twice since…
End of Year Reflections
This year has been particularly challenging for peace around the world, with more deadly conflicts raging now compared to any time in the last 80 years. However, in the spirit of the season, we recall the biblical injunction to be “prisoners of hope.” Despite the state of the world, women peacebuilders continue their courageous work—and…
“No Amnesty, No Silence:” Ukrainian Women Urge Accountability for War-Time Sexual Violence
Last week, the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) brought a delegation of four Ukrainian women leaders to London to advocate for justice, accountability, and sustained international support for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence that has been perpetrated as a tactic of war by the Russian army in Ukraine. Against the backdrop of…
One Year After the Transition: Syrian Women Reflect on a Fragile Opening and an Uncertain Road Ahead
One year after the fall of the Assad regime, the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) hosted members of the Syrian Women’s Political Movement (SWPM), Mariam Jalabi, Nour Salam, and Muzna Dureid for a virtual discussion on how this historic shift is reshaping daily life, political participation, and the future of women’s rights…
The Future of Women, Peace and Security Belongs to America’s Allies
For international partners sustaining the global WPS agenda amid shifting U.S. priorities Introduction The international community marked the 25th anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 during a year that has altered the geo-political landscape for Women, Peace and Security (WPS). According to the 2025 UN Secretary-General’s report on WPS, women now live closer…
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