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Author: Richard Ponzio

  • UN, World Bank Reports: Policy Breakthroughs on Sustaining Peace?

    April 23, 2018by Richard Ponzio

    The two can together contribute, potentially, to significant positive change in how the UN and World Bank approach, manage, innovate, and resource their peacebuilding work.

    Analysispeacebuilding, sustaining-peace

This week

  • 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.

    Analysispeacekeeping, sahel
  • 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.

    Analysisafrica, peacebuilding, united-nations

Trending

  • 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.

    Analysispeacekeeping, protection-of-civilians, women-peace-and-security
  • 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.

    Analysispeacekeeping, protection-of-civilians
  • 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.

    Analysisconflict, eastern-europe
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • When Militarism Meets Gender Reform: Fixing the Contradictory Legacy of the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda in Afghanistan

    October 27, 2021by Zinab Attai and Sabrina Karim

    The prevention pillar of the WPS agenda focuses on preventing the root causes of war and violence. Efforts being made under the protection and participation pillars can fundamentally contradict the prevention pillar. Nowhere is this more visible than in Afghanistan.

    Analysiswomen-peace-and-security, wpsat21
  • Does Maritime Security Require a New United Nations Structure?

    August 26, 2021by Christian Bueger

    On the 9th of August, the United Nations Security Council held a high-level open debate on maritime security amid increasing urgency at the Council toward issues such as piracy, maritime terrorism, and other incidents at sea.

    Analysismaritime-security, united-nations
  • Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Counterterrorism and Peacekeeping in the Sahel

    July 20, 2021by Naureen Chowdhury Fink and Arthur Boutellis

    The end of Operation Barkhane will leave MINUSMA with a heavier burden in countering terrorism and violent extremism in the Sahel.

    Analysispeacekeeping, terrorism
  • Identifying and Neutralizing Afghan Peace Spoilers

    March 5, 2021Annie Pforzheimer, Andrew Hyde, and Jason Criss Howk

    Afghanistan’s future is at stake and the vital importance of containing spoilers while encouraging a broad and productive debate on peace cannot be overstated.

    Analysisafghanistan, asia
  • 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
  • How Will Sino-Indian Competition Impact India’s Tenure on the Security Council?

    July 2, 2020by Waheguru Pal Singh Sidhu

    India’s election to the Council was the easy part. It’s tenure, however, will be more challenging.

    Analysissouth-asia
  • How Can African States Become More Influential in the UN Security Council?

    March 12, 2020by Gustavo de Carvalho and Daniel Forti

    If African states want to ensure relevance and influence in 2020 and beyond, they will need to ensure that unified positions are at the core of approaches.

    Analysisafrican-union, security-council

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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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