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Author: Arthur Boutellis

by Arthur Boutellis

Arthur Boutellis is a Non-resident Senior Adviser at the International Peace Institute, where he was previously Director of the Brian Urquhart Center for Peace Operations.
More articles by this author →

  • Mali: Signing Peace Now, Making Peace Later

    June 9, 2015by Arthur Boutellis

    The CMA signing the peace agreement represents an important and necessary step towards stabilization of Mali through a political and security agreement dealing with some of the root causes of the conflict.

    Analysis
  • Chad, Once Forgotten by the UN, is Back, Front and Center

    June 26, 2013by Arthur Boutellis

    In the span of a few years, Chad has become a new regional power and a credible African voice.

    Analysispeacekeeping, sahel, united-nations
  • Disagreements Over Mali Could Sour More Than the Upcoming African Union Celebration

    May 15, 2013by Arthur Boutellis and Paul D. Williams

    The crisis in Mali has exposed tensions between the AU and the UN.

    Analysisafrica, mali, united-nations
  • Mali’s Peacekeeping Mission: Full-Fledged Behemoth, or Have Lessons Been Learned?

    March 12, 2013by Arthur Boutellis

    With a peacekeeping mission in Mali almost certain, opportunities abound for the UN to do things differently.

    Analysisafrica, mali, peace-and-security, peacekeeping, sahel
  • No More Talking of Rebels in Burundi

    January 11, 2013by Arthur Boutellis

    The fact that neither the government nor the extra-parliamentary opposition wants to talk of a rebellion does not mean that there is no more violence in the country.

    Analysisafrica, rebel-groups
  • Will MONUSCO Fall With Goma?

    December 3, 2012by Arthur Boutellis

    Examining the role of MONUSCO in the fall of Goma is an opportunity for a radical change in the UN mission’s presence.

    Analysisafrica, democratic-republic-of-the-congo, peacekeeping, rebel-groups
  • Côte d’Ivoire: State Security Versus Security Sector Reform

    October 11, 2012by Arthur Boutellis

    A series of attacks during the summer risks has changed the security climate and could send security sector reform down the wrong path.

    Analysisafrica
  • Where is the Haitian National Police Headed?

    September 21, 2012by Arthur Boutellis

    A transition in the Haitian National Police in a tense political and security context risks the politicization of the HNP.

    Analysisamericas, statebuilding
  • In the DRC Communications War, Rebels Learn PoC Language

    July 12, 2012by Arthur Boutellis

    The M23 rebel group has been using Protection of Civilians (PoC) language as an integral part of a well-calculated communication strategy.

    Analysisafrica, democratic-republic-of-the-congo, rebel-groups
  • MONUSCO’s New Mandate: Same But Different

    June 28, 2012by Arthur Boutellis

    Recent events have shed light on the shortcomings of MONUSCO and the recent renewal left it the same with some enhancements.

    Analysisafrica, democratic-republic-of-the-congo, fragile-states, peacekeeping, united-nations
  • ← Previous
  • Next →

This week

  • Sanctions and the Costs of Russia’s War in Ukraine

    May 12, 2022by Erica Moret

    The sanctions imposed against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine mark a new page in global sanctions practice yet lessons from earlier cases could help increase efficacy and minimize costs.

    Analysisconflict, europe, ukraine
  • A4P+ and Uniformed Women’s Participation in Peacekeeping

    April 26, 2022by Gretchen Baldwin and Jake Sherman

    The UN, in its implementation of A4P+, must address the heavily masculine, exclusionary, and militarized structures which often preclude women (and anyone outside of a very particular gendered profile) from deploying.

    Analysisa4p, peacekeeping, women-peace-and-security

Trending

  • Despite Constraints, MINUSMA Remains the Legitimate International Partner to Mali

    April 21, 2022by Rida Lyammouri

    Facing its most difficult period since its inception in April 2013, MINUSMA, and the Security Council, now need to acknowledge that their biggest problems in Mali are political.

    Analysisafrica, mali, peacekeeping
  • While Afghans Wait, States and Banks Decrypt the Humanitarian Exception in the Taliban Sanctions Regime

    April 14, 2022by Agathe Sarfati

    Amid mounting pressure to alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan, the United Nations Security Council took the rare step of creating a humanitarian exception for the 1988 Taliban sanctions regime.

    Analysisafghanistan, humanitarian
  • What Are the International Military Options for the Sahel?

    April 12, 2022by Nina Wilén and Paul D. Williams

    The complex, and not always coordinated, ecosystem of military operations across the Sahel has been aptly labeled a security traffic jam. Why are external forces in the Sahel? Can they help resolve any of the region’s crises? And, if so, what configuration of external forces makes the most sense?

    Analysismali, peacekeeping, sahel
  • NATO, the EU, and the War in Ukraine: Interview with Paul Poast 

    April 8, 2022by Eimer Curtin

    It has been six weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine and the conflict is devolving into a stalemate. Paul Poast discusses the responses of NATO, the shifts in EU defense policies, and how this war might end.

    Interviewsconflict, europe
  • Climate Governance, Reform or Perish—The Future of the UNFCCC

    April 6, 2022Jimena Leiva Roesch and Eimer Curtin

    As the need for stronger commitments toward the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees grows, the voices and interests of the most vulnerable people and countries are not being given precedence in global climate talks.

    Analysisclimate-change, united-nations
  • By Invitation Only: Including Women Briefers at the UN Security Council

    April 1, 2022by Louise Olsson and Anna Marie Obermeier

    While briefing the Security Council has always been a male-dominated affair, more women have been included over the years, a development which came at the same time as an overall increase in the number of briefers.

    Analysissecurity-council, women-peace-and-security
  • The Benefits, Challenges, and Limitations of Criminalizing Ecocide

    March 30, 2022by Rachel Killean

    The campaign to introduce a new international crime of “ecocide” at the International Criminal Court is long-standing but has received increased support over the last couple of years.

    Analysisenvironment
  • How Weapons and Ammunition Management Can Enhance Women, Peace and Security

    March 17, 2022by Hana Salama and Emma Bjertén-Günther

    The proliferation of weapons and ammunition presents a major obstacle in the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda.

    Analysiswomen-peace-and-security
  • Africa, Ukraine, and the New Geopolitics

    March 10, 2022by Rita Abrahamsen

    When the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to oppose Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the African vote split right down the middle. The vote must have sent shivers down the African Union’s spine.

    Analysisconflict, europe, united-nations
  • Putin’s “Peacekeepers”

    February 23, 2022by Paul D. Williams

    Putin has ordered Russian soldiers to conduct what he called “peacekeeping operations” in Donetsk and Luhansk, a clear violation of international law and a perversion of the important international concept of peacekeeping.

    Analysisconflict, europe
  • ECOWAS Sanctions Against Mali Necessary, but May Be Counter-Productive

    February 2, 2022by Festus Kofi Aubyn

    The new sanctions were triggered by months of growing tensions between ECOWAS and the military-dominated transitional government over the timetable for Mali’s return to civilian rule after two successful coups d’état.

    Analysisafrica, sanctions
  • New Name, but Little Sign of Change: The Revised Agreement on the African Union Mission in Somalia

    January 27, 2022by Colin Robinson

    The AU mission’s success relies on the handover of military responsibilities to an effective Somali replacement. But the Somali National Army remains as politicized and clan-divided as it has ever been.

    Analysisafrica, african-union, peacekeeping
  • Ugandan and Congolese Troops Are Conducting Joint Operations: What Could that Mean for MONUSCO?

    December 20, 2021by Daniel Levine-Spound

    The joint operations against the Allied Democratic Forces in the Beni territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo raise critical legal, operational, and reputational challenges for MONUSCO.

    Analysisafrica, peacekeeping
  • New Climate Data Visualizations, 2021

    December 15, 2021by Noemi Florea

    Noemi Florea has compiled some key data visualizations from 2021 for the Global Observatory that highlight progress on climate change, from expanded research on the global environment to emerging developments for climate adaptation.

    Further Readingclimate-change, climate2021
  • Is the Global Climate Governance System Working?

    November 23, 2021by Jimena Leiva Roesch, Julia Almeida Nobre, and Eimer Curtin

    In the wake of COP26, there is a need to examine the current structures and dynamics of global climate governance.

    Analysisclimate-change, climate2021
  • The Pitfalls of UN Peacekeeping in Afghanistan

    September 1, 2021by Paul D. Williams

    Neither local nor international politics are currently right for a UN peacekeeping deployment in Afghanistan.

    Analysisafghanistan, peacekeeping
  • Preventing Violence or Harming Peace and Rights? What the UN Can Learn from Counterterrorism in the Philippines

    June 10, 2021by Aries Arugay, Marc Batac, and Jordan Street

    The roll-out of counterterrorism and P/CVE policies, plans, and projects in the Philippines is having a significant negative impact on peace, security, and the fulfillment of human rights in the country.

    Analysisctat20, terrorism
  • Rising Politicization Risks Splitting Somali National Army

    March 17, 2021by Colin Robinson

    The developing electoral crisis over the past few months has led to greater misuse of forces.

    Analysis
  • Regional Special Forces Pose Threat to Peace and Security in Ethiopia

    February 22, 2021by Bereket Tsegay

    The peace and security arrangement between federal and regional states has allowed special forces to instigate conflicts in unique ways.

    Analysisafrica, peace-and-security
  • How Can Artificial Intelligence Help Curb Deforestation in the Amazon?

    November 23, 2020by Adriana Erthal Abdenur

    Some of the most promising innovations for enhancing the monitoring of forests involve artificial intelligence.

    Analysisclimate-change, climate2020

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