The Institute applied the lessons of its rule-of-law work to the challenge of building a viable justice system in post-war Afghanistan. Here a panel discusses the "Prospects for Justice in Afghanistan."

Since its inception, the Institute has devoted increasing attention to the relationship between types of governments and the prospects for long-term peace or conflict. Research suggests that societies governed by the rule of law are less likely to be international aggressors and more likely to contribute to international peace. To address this issue, the Institute created the Rule of Law Initiative in 1990, and it became a full Institute program in 1999. The Rule of Law Program seeks to build upon and refine principles on the rule of law articulated by various international bodies and to provide practical guidance for their implementation. The program is based on the premise that adherence to the rule of law entails far more than the mechanical application of static legal technicalities; it requires an evolutionary search for those institutions and processes that will best bring about authentic stability through justice.

Ongoing research, consultation, and other work of the Rule of Law Program focuses on such issues as transitional justice and constitution making, justice and reconciliation, war crimes and humanitarian law, and the administration of the international rule of law.

Numerous Institute publications and public events have developed directly from the work of the Rule of Law Program over the years. In addition, the program has responded to requests for legal materials or other assistance on transitional justice from over 20 countries, including South Africa, Russia, Malawi, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Cambodia, Guatemala, and the Czech Republic.

As part of the Rule of Law's ongoing work in the field, the Rule of Law Program is actively working with U.S. policymakers, international organizations, and members of the NGO community to contribute to rebuilding of the rule of law in Afghanistan.