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    • Arab Spring | 57 articles
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Further Reading

  • Key Global Events to Watch in April

    April 1, 2016by the Global Observatory

    A list of key upcoming meetings and events with implications for global affairs.

    Further Reading
  • Book Review: Life in the World’s Largest Refugee Camp

    March 17, 2016by James Bowen

    New book City of Thorns details the lives of nine individuals in Dadaab, the world’s largest refugee complex.

    Further Readingafrica, refugees
  • Year in Review: Top Five International Peace Institute Reports of 2015

    January 7, 2016by the Global Observatory

    IPI’s top reports from 2015 included a study of women’s roles in peacemaking and a look at why international efforts to stop mass atrocities often fail.

    Further Reading
  • Year in Review: Top 10 Global Observatory Reads of 2015

    January 6, 2016by the Global Observatory

    Analyses of Russia’s intervention in Syria and the outbreak of violence in Burundi were among the most read posts on the Global Observatory in 2015.

    Further Reading
  • What We’re Reading: Recommended Books From 2015

    December 17, 2015by the Global Observatory

    A list of notable books published throughout 2015, recommended by staff at the International Peace Institute.

    Further Reading
  • What We’re Reading: New Books & Reports on Climate Change and Sustainability

    December 3, 2015by Marisa McCrone

    The Global Observatory’s regular series on recommended reading looks at new books and reports on climate change and sustainability.

    Further Readingunited-nations
  • Book Review: Making Sense of the Central African Republic

    October 21, 2015by Lamii Moivi Kromah

    A new book sheds light on the factors that have contributed to the deadly and prolonged conflict in the Central African Republic.

    Further Readingcentral-african-republic, peacekeeping
  • Book Review: Modern Mamluks and the Arab Spring Aftermath

    September 18, 2015by James Bowen

    French scholar Jean-Pierre Filiu’s latest book is a reminder that, no matter the attention paid the brutality of jihadist movements, the state retains greater capacity to inflict pain and suffering on citizens in Arab countries.

    Further Readingarab-spring, middle-east
  • What We’re Reading: New Books & Reports on Peacekeeping

    August 18, 2015by Marisa McCrone

    In the first of a new series of recommended reading from IPI staff, the focus this time is international peacekeeping.

    Further Reading
  • Book Review: Building Leadership in Global Disease Response

    August 5, 2015by Michael R. Snyder

    A new book traces the evolution of global public health norms from the 1990s until 2009 and the outbreak of the N1H1 virus, known as Swine Flu.

    Further Readingafrica, health-and-security
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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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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.

    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
  • Reflecting on the UN’s Role in Counterterrorism Twenty Years After 9/11

    June 1, 2021by Jake Sherman and Agathe Sarfati

    As the 20th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, there is value in assessing the emergence of counterterrorism as the “fourth pillar” of the UN, its effectiveness to date, and the way ahead.

    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
  • Women, Peace, and Victimhood

    October 22, 2020by Roxani Krystalli

    Taking victimhood seriously requires moving away from a view of it as always synonymous with vulnerability or lack of agency, or as entirely reduced to the experience of victimization.

    Analysiswomen-peace-and-security, wpsat20

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About the Global Observatory

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.

About the International Peace Institute

The International Peace Institute is an independent, international think tank located in New York and Manama, dedicated to the settlement and prevention of armed conflict.

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