Silencing peace research: Trump’s shutdown of USIP
Now, the congressionally established US Institute of Peace has also become a victim of closure. Employees have been denied access to their offices, the board has been dismissed, the website has been shut down, and the Department of Efficiency has taken over the data network—likely including research data and communications. This raises concerns far beyond the USA.
This comment is written by Arne Strand, senior researcher at CMI, and was first published in Panorama nyheter.
This may seem like an expected development as more and more state institutions are downsized and employees dismissed, often under the argument of saving money.
However, the difference is that the US Institute of Peace (USIP) was established by and is primarily funded by the U.S. Congress. It has a mandate to work for peace and conduct research. It is not a typical government institution.
The closure
It started with a presidential decree on February 19 aimed at reducing federal bureaucracy, cutting waste and abuse, lowering inflation, and promoting American freedom and innovation. USIP was listed alongside three other foundations, with a 14-day deadline to provide feedback on how the order should be implemented.
According to USIP sources, they pointed out that Congress had granted them an independent foundation status and annual funding in 1984, that they owned the land where their office stood. They argued that it was up to Congress, not the president, to decide their future, and USIP’s leadership refused to leave their positions.
The Trump administration did not agree. On March 14, they dismissed USIP’s board except for three members, but USIP’s acting director still refused to step down and also did not allow personnel from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) into the building.
A detailed New York Times article describes how, on Monday, March 19, personnel from the State Department and DOGE entered the USIP building, removed the leadership, installed a new director with experience in shutting down USAID, and locked out the staff.
A private security firm was forced to open the doors—otherwise, all government contracts would be canceled—and local police were called in to remove the staff. An attempt to obtain an emergency court ruling to prevent the takeover was unsuccessful; the judge argued that the dismissed board members could not file a case on behalf of USIP.
As a result, all USIP employees were locked out of their offices, email accounts, and access to their own data. Their website was also blocked, cutting off access to all research reports and articles USIP had produced. On Friday, March 30, over 100 USIP employees in Washington received termination notices via email, but it remains unclear whether USIP as an organization has been permanently shut down.
The Trumpist peace
One can only speculate on why there was such a rush to gain control over USIP. As an institution, it had already aligned itself with the Trump administration’s priorities. Its website emphasized research that could prevent threats to the USA, such as drug trafficking and migration.
At the same time, it is clear that USIP had expertise and could have been a corrective voice against the type of negotiations and peace concepts that President Trump and his administration tried to promote in Ukraine and Gaza, as well as their approach to Greenland, Europe, and the uncertainty created around US support to NATO.
Such reminders and criticism were likely unwelcome, and the closure of USIP sends a strong signal to those considering being critical of Trump’s foreign or peace policies.
An attack on critical voices?
What also concerns me as a researcher is the aspect that has received the least media attention so far: a government department with an unclear mandate has taken control of USIP’s databases, likely including their email and other communications.
This includes years of research data and reports, contact details of researchers from around the world, and possibly also email correspondence with critical viewpoints on the USA and Trump’s policies.
It is a great loss if reports and articles from this important research are no longer accessible. Far more serious is the risk that Musk and his people may use AI tools to search for critical viewpoints and researchers, implementing measures against individuals and perhaps institutions they believe unfairly criticize Trump’s administration.
Less intrusive measures could include denying international researchers visas or turning them away at the border, or expelling those in the country who do not have permanent citizenship. We have already seen attempts to target critical students by alleging connections to terrorist organizations or failing to disclose previous employment with, for example, the UN agency UNRWA.
This points to the serious pressure being placed on academia and American universities—both ideologically and economically—resulting in restrictions on freedom of speech. The fact that the University of Oslo reports that its researchers have received a politically charged questionnaire from U.S. authorities indicates that the scrutiny extends beyond American borders.
For reflection
One can view the closure and takeover of USIP as an overly enthusiastic attempt to cut bureaucracy and expenses, or as a targeted measure to silence research and critical opinions on current policies.
During his campaign and since taking office, Trump emphasized that he would, within hours and days, bring peace to the world and prevent senseless killings.
This has proven not to be so simple. Warring parties do not act according to Trump’s wishes, and many are critical of an approach that excludes certain parties from negotiations. The promised peace has yet to materialize, and there are few guarantees that the proposed agreements will bring lasting peace.
The Trump administration’s short-term response has been to shut down the institution that possesses knowledge about peace and peace negotiations, but according to a White House spokesperson, it had "failed to deliver peace." It is easy to argue that this is unwise, but there is no reason to believe that viewpoint will change anything.
Nevertheless, we can at least highlight this on behalf of our American colleagues.
This is an AI generated translation of the original comment by senior researcher Arne Strand, written for Panorama nyheter. The title has been changed for readability in English and the text has been edited to include that more than a hundred USIP employees’ contracts were terminated on 30 March.