Kimberly Ai-Lin Loh | Authors | IPI Global Observatory

A Crisis of Consent in UN Peace Operations

August 2, 2022by Anjali Dayal

Last week, at least 15 people died in protests demanding UN peacekeepers leave the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The week before, the military junta ruling Mali halted troop rotations for the UN mission there and ejected the mission’s deputy spokesperson. These incidents highlight…

The 2022 UN Peacekeeping Budget: Signs of Progress or a Fleeting Moment of Consensus?

July 20, 2022by Daniel Forti

Member states agreed to an overall increase in the peacekeeping budget for the first time in seven years, and they endorsed a resolution that considers a wide range of operational, financial, and personnel issues impacting UN operations around the world. But by digging deeper into the newly…

Human Disruption to Earth’s Freshwater Cycle Has Exceeded Safe Limit

July 18, 2022by Arne Tobian, Lan Wang Erlandsson and Dieter Gerten

Looking at green water, the rainwater available to plants, shows that freshwater’s ability to sustain a stable Earth system is even more threatened than first reported. Explicitly governing green water is necessary.

Peace as the Norm: Sustaining Peace in Africa

July 8, 2022by Youssef Mahmoud and Chimwemwe A. Fabiano

The African continent has a rich and varied repertoire of formal and informal capacities, knowledge, and experiences to decolonize the study and practice of peace and develop an integrated African agenda for sustaining peace.

One Crisis, Multiple Norms: Strengthening Human Protection in Mali and the Sahel

June 17, 2022by Adrian Gallagher, Charles T. Hunt and Blake Lawrinson

The UN Security Council does not have the luxury of choosing between normative imperatives associated with preventing atrocities, protecting civilians, and countering terrorism in Mali, the Sahel, and elsewhere.

Peacebuilding Financing in Guinea-Bissau and Lessons for Overlooked Countries

June 3, 2022by Gustavo de Carvalho

Despite the instability it faces, Guinea-Bissau—alongside countries like Madagascar, Chad, or the Central African Republic—has long been overlooked by donors. There is an urgent need to re-orientate the international community toward supporting and financing conflict prevention and early action.

The Role of Peacekeepers in Protecting Civilians from Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

May 25, 2022by Jenna Russo

There are a number of reasons why it is difficult for peacekeepers to protect civilians from sexual and gender-based violence, particularly those forms that fall outside of conflict-related sexual violence.

Protecting Peace? How the Protection of Civilians Contributes to Peace Processes

May 23, 2022by Jenna Russo

Without a corresponding political process, UN protection activities are an ineffective bandaid in situations of widespread violence.

Russia, NATO, and International Organizations

May 23, 2022by Kseniya Oksamytna

As Finland and Sweden begin the process of applying for NATO membership, misleading narratives about the role of NATO’s so-called eastward expansion in “provoking” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continue to hold sway.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

How Permafrost Thaw Puts the Russian Arctic at Risk

November 22, 2021by Katarina Kertysova and Akash Ramnath

Permafrost thaw presents a major challenge to Arctic communities and ecosystems and has enormous potential to accelerate climate change and its global impacts.

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.

Why International Pressure Is Not Helping End Violence in Ethiopia

July 9, 2021by Zerihun A. Woldeselassie

Neither the Tigray conflict nor other similar ethnic-related armed conflicts will be resolved quickly.

The Prosecution Challenges of Travelers to the Islamic State

June 14, 2021by Ardian Shajkovci and Allison McDowell-Smith

Absent international legal mechanisms and multilateral agreements to support the trial of ISIS detainees in northern Syria—including a resolution to adjudicate international crimes—domestic courts in member states are emerging as promising platforms for administering justice.

Author: Kimberly Ai-Lin Loh

Sustaining Peace Through Unarmed Civilian Protection

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