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Tag: fragile states

  • Strong Rhetoric Belies Flaws in Approaches on Afghanistan

    Afghanistan
    December 8, 2017by Arsla Jawaid

    The repetition by US Defense Secretary James Mattis during his recent visit to Islamabad that Pakistan should “redouble” its efforts against Islamist militants has further strained an already tumultuous relationship. These recent public statements mask the broader disarray in US foreign policy and the flaws in the new approach to Afghanistan and South Asia unveiled earlier this year.

    Analysisafghanistan, central-asia, fragile-states
  • Libya’s New Government Appeals for Weapons Amid Disunity

    May 26, 2016by Andre Colling

    If the arms deal does not proceed, there is a strong possibility that the US and other Western powers may seek to transfer arms to Libya unilaterally.

    Analysisafrica, fragile-states
  • From Kunduz to Kabul, Afghanistan’s Dysfunction Exposed

    October 14, 2015by Scott Smith

    The new Taliban front in the north is a disaster for the “national unity government” in Kabul, which reached its first year anniversary the week that Kunduz fell.

    Analysisasia, fragile-states
  • Fragility the Main Hurdle to Implementing SDGs

    September 17, 2015by Seth D. Kaplan

    The developing world is rapidly diverging into two groups—states robust enough to maintain order and promote development, and states too fragile to do either. Yet, none of the SDGs take into account this growing divide.

    Analysisfragile-states, united-nations
  • Preventing Conflicts is Critical in Addressing State Fragility: Q&A with Charles Call

    June 8, 2015by Nadia Mughal

    Charles Call, associate professor at the School of International Service at American University, explains how the concept of failed states is “paternalistic” and “over-aggregates” problems.

    Interviewsconflict, fragile-states
  • The United Nations Turns to Stabilization

    December 5, 2014by Robert Muggah

    The concept of stabilization is gaining traction within the UN system, but there is still a considerable lack of clarity about what it is, what it is intended to achieve, and when it begins or ends.

    Analysisfragile-states, united-nations
  • For Ukraine and Iraq, the Case for Ethnofederalism

    November 6, 2014by Liam Anderson

    In ethnically heterogeneous countries, the provision of territorial autonomy on an ethnic basis–known as ethnofederalism–would seem a logical long-term solution, but it is one that continues to generate skepticism.

    Analysisfragile-states, statebuilding
  • Is Human Security at Odds with State Security? Q&A with Kristen Wall

    October 10, 2014by Marie O'Reilly

    A new report on human security looks at how the concept can help governments and citizens partner in order to better protect local communities.

    Interviewsfragile-states, peace-and-security, rule-of-law
  • A New Compact Against ISIS

    October 3, 2014by Hardeep S. Puri

    To be truly successful, the US-led coalition against ISIS will have to address some of the deep-seated causes of the group’s rise.

    Opinionfragile-states, middle-east, terrorism
  • Can Afghanistan’s Unity Government Be Built to Govern?

    October 2, 2014by Scott Smith

    After a peaceful handover of power, the question is whether the new Afghan unity government can survive the fractious conditions of its birth.

    Analysiscentral-asia, elections, fragile-states
  • Next →

This week

  • 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

Trending

  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • How Adaptive DDRR Could Help Address Violent Extremism in Cabo Delgado

    February 11, 2022by Gwinyayi Albert Dzinesa

    Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado Province has suffered violent extremism perpetrated by the Ahlu-Sunna Wa-Jama’a (ASWJ) armed group since 2017. One aspect that needs to be addressed is the Disarmament, Demobilization, Rehabilitation, and Reintegration (DDRR) of those ASWJ combatants that choose…

    Analysisafrica, extremism
  • 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
  • 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
  • The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Peace and Conflict

    October 23, 2020by Katariina Mustasilta

    What happened to the pandemic being a catalyst for peaceful processes?

    Analysiscoronavirus, peace-and-security

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