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Author: Mona Christophersen

  • Development in Myanmar, Building Peace or Generating Conflict?

    Fruit Vendor Myanmar
    December 11, 2017by Mona Christophersen

    Among the many challenges Myanmar faces, issues related to conflict resolution—not the least the Rohingya issue—could, if not handled properly, turn into serious stumbling blocks in their efforts to implement the SDGs.

    Analysisconflict, southeast-asia, sustainable-development
  • Sustainable Institutions Critical for Lebanon’s Sustainable Development

    May 8, 2017by Mona Christophersen

    Recent changes on governance arrangements opened new opportunities for sustainable development, particularly because the new prime minister reconfirmed Lebanon’s commitment to the SDGs.

    Analysismiddle-east, sustainable-development
  • Does Peace Always Produce Development? Guatemala Offers Some Clues

    February 14, 2017by Jimena Leiva Roesch and Mona Christophersen

    As a result of entrenched corruption, on top of weak tax bases, Guatemala has not been able to develop its social services.

    Analysisamericas, sustainable-development
  • Are Young Palestinians Disengaged, or Merely Dissatisfied?

    August 18, 2016by Mona Christophersen

    Qualitative studies confirm that young people are concerned with matters that are essentially “political” in nature but take part in activities they themselves don’t necessarily perceive as political.

    Analysismiddle-east, youth
  • Syria’s Refugees: Toward a Policy of Selective Inclusion

    May 16, 2016by Mona Christophersen

    Understanding concepts of inclusion and exclusion could help provide Syrian refugees a viable alternative to an exhausted humanitarian model.

    Analysisrefugees, syria
  • Syria’s Deadly War is Full of Atrocities

    March 10, 2016by Mona Christophersen

    As the war in Syria enters its fifth year, a new report published in February by the Syrian Center for Policy Research offered new calculations for death tolls from the conflict: a staggering 470,000 at the end of 2015.

    Analysismass-atrocities, syria
  • The Thugs of War in Syria

    February 23, 2016by Mona Christophersen

    The recent battle for Aleppo has the potential to tilt the balance of power between the warring parties in the region.

    Analysisconflict, syria
  • Is Education a Dead End for Syrian Refugees?

    January 5, 2016by Mona Christophersen

    Even if refugee youth are put on a track to secondary and higher education, what’s next in store remains unclear.

    Analysishumanitarian, syria
  • As Divisions Entrench, Is Syria Headed for Permanent Split?

    July 15, 2015by Mona Christophersen

    The optimism of the Assad regime of two years’ ago, when Hezbollah openly started fighting alongside the Syrian army, shows clear signs of fatigue.

    Analysismiddle-east, syria
  • Fleeing Syria, a Girl Seeks a Life Beyond “Refugee”

    June 2, 2015by Mona Christophersen

    A 16-year-old Syrian girl who fled to Jordan tells of the obstacles she faces while seeking education, training, and work.

    Opinionhumanitarian, syria
  • Next →

This week

  • Pakistan’s Flood Problem Is Supercharged by Climate Change. Recovery Means Going Beyond Damage Control

    June 6, 2023by Emil Marc Havstrup and Pieter Pauw

    Pakistan could become a vanguard of climate resilience, but it faces tremendous hurdles.

    Analysisclimate-change
  • Why Congo’s M23 Crisis Lingers On

    May 30, 2023by Judith Verweijen and Christoph Vogel

    The conflict has been propped up by blame games, ineffective diplomacy, recurring geopolitical tensions and proxy warfare in the Great Lakes region, and the Congolese state’s weak commitment to addressing grievances that drive armed group proliferation.

    Analysisafrica, conflict

Trending

  • China’s Small Steps into UN Peacekeeping Are Adding Up

    May 24, 2023by Courtney J. Fung

    China will likely continue to shape peacekeeping along its preferences for a more technical and less overt political foreign policy tool.

    Analysispeacekeeping, unpkat75, united-nations
  • As UN Missions Draw Down, Strengthening Community-Led Approaches to Protection of Civilians

    May 23, 2023by Gay Rosenblum-Kumar

    UN mission transitions still result in gaps in the protection of civilians experiencing violent conflict.

    Analysispeacekeeping, protection-of-civilians
  • Human Survival Depends on Biodiversity: Interview with Brad Cardinale

    May 22, 2023by Jill Stoddard

    Brad Cardinale, an ecologist who focuses on the conservation and restoration of biodiversity in natural systems discusses the scale and irreversibility of the biodiversity crisis.

    Interviewsbiodiversity, climate-change, ecology
  • Mediation in Peacekeeping Contexts: Trends and Challenges for Mission Leadership

    May 19, 2023by Sara Hellmüller and Flavia Keller

    The political role of the UN may not have diminished overall, but shifted.

    Analysispeacekeeping, unpkat75, united-nations
  • How Not to Do UN Peacekeeping

    May 17, 2023by Cedric de Coning

    One of the most enduring lessons learned over the past 75 years of peacekeeping is that peace cannot be imposed.

    Analysispeacekeeping, unpkat75, united-nations
  • 75 Years On, the Uncertain Fate of UN Peacekeeping

    May 16, 2023by Jenna Russo

    This spring marks 75 years since the UN first deployed a peacekeeping mission. Here are some of the challenges peacekeeping is facing, and opportunities for the future.

    Analysispeacekeeping, unpkat75, united-nations
  • Ten Years After Genocide Trial in Guatemala, Justice System Suffering Trust Deficit

    May 10, 2023by Vaclav Masek

    The ten-year anniversary of the historic trial coincides with a process of erosion in judicial independence in the country.

    Analysisamericas, rule-of-law, transitional-justice
  • As Crimes against Peacekeepers Increase, How to Find Accountability

    May 4, 2023by Agathe Sarfati and Jill Stoddard

    Major challenges remain in pursuing justice for peacekeepers who have been victims of attacks.

    Analysispeacekeeping
  • A New Agenda for Peace: Making Peace Plural and Healing Historical Traumas

    April 27, 2023by Youssef Mahmoud

    Left unaddressed, painful legacies of past political violence will continue to infiltrate the institutions, processes, and assumptions that inform definitions of peace and approaches to sustaining peace.

    Analysispeace-and-security, sustaining-peace, united-nations
  • Be a Feminist Everywhere: Interview with Tània Verge Mestre

    April 14, 2023By Jill Stoddard and Eimer Curtin

    The Minister of Equality and Feminisms of the Generalitat de Catalunya shares lessons on implementing equality policies and creating a feminist future from her experiences as a policymaker, political scientist, and activist.

    Interviewswomen-peace-and-security
  • Sharing the Pen in the UN Security Council: A Win for Inclusive Multilateralism?

    April 7, 2023by Julie Gregory

    Greater sharing of the pen within the Security Council could help mend perceptions of partiality and facilitate more inclusivity.

    Analysismultilateralism, security-council
  • Wagner Group Poses Fundamental Challenges for the Protection of Civilians by UN Peacekeeping Operations

    March 20, 2023by Dirk Druet

    The Russian government-affiliated Wagner Group has gained widespread attention for its brutal tactics in the Central African Republic and Mali.

    Analysisafrica, peacekeeping, protection-of-civilians
  • Addressing Gender Bias to Achieve Ethical AI

    March 17, 2023by Ardra Manasi, Subadra Panchanadeswaran, and Emily Sours

    For AI to be ethical and be a vehicle for the common good, it needs to eliminate any explicit and implicit biases, including on the gender front.

    Analysistechnology
  • Future Peace Deal Not Just About Putin, Zelensky: Ukrainian People Get a Voice and a Vote

    March 8, 2023by William Partlett

    A stable peace deal requires the support of the Ukrainian people for both legal and political reasons.

    Analysisconflict, eastern-europe, peace-processes
  • Thinking Globally about the War in Ukraine: Three Takeaways from Munich

    March 3, 2023by Adam Lupel and Jenna Russo

    The war in Ukraine has demonstrated the solidarity of the international community, yet there is real work to be done to strengthen solidarity across regions.

    Analysiseurope, multilateralism, peace-and-security
  • Do People Trust the UN? A Look at the Data

    February 22, 2023by Albert Trithart and Olivia Case

    Survey data does not reveal a major, widespread drop in the UN’s legitimacy over the past few years.

    Analysismultilateralism, united-nations
  • After Agreement in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region, What Stands in the Way of Lasting Peace? 

    February 7, 2023by Hilary Matfess and Anne Lauder

    A peace deal between Tigrayan forces and the Ethiopian government signed in November 2022 raised hopes that the war in northern Ethiopia—one of the world’s deadliest conflicts in recent years—was finally drawing to a close.

    Analysisafrica, conflict, peace-processes
  • The Multilateralism Index: Measuring Transformation in a Time of Crisis and Uncertainty

    January 9, 2023by Adam Lupel

    A better understanding is needed of where the multilateral system is working, where it is not, and where it is headed.

    Analysismultilateralism
  • Milestone in the Security Council: What the New Humanitarian “Carve-out” Means for UN Sanctions Regimes

    December 16, 2022by Naureen Chowdhury Fink and Agathe Sarfati 

    Last week,  the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted Resolution 2664, a cross-cutting humanitarian carve-out for all UN sanctions regimes–including the 1267 ISIL/al-Qaida regime–to safeguard the timely and effective conduct of humanitarian activities.

    Analysishumanitarian, security-council, terrorism
  • The East African Community Steps into the Crisis in the DRC. Will It Help?

    December 12, 2022by Jenna Russo

    While the current crisis is unlikely to be resolved without military force, any hope for success requires that operations remain closely tied to a political process, and that neighboring countries remain accountable to support the security and sovereignty of the DRC.

    Analysisafrica, conflict

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The Global Observatory provides timely analysis on peace and security issues by experts, journalists, and policymakers. It is published by the International Peace Institute. The views expressed here represent those of the contributors and not IPI.

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