Rights up Front and the Protections of Civilians: Towards Ensuring the Core Responsibilities of the UN?
In the wake of the 2012 Internal Review Panel (IRP) findings on UN Action in Sri Lanka, which characterized the failed efforts of the UN as a “systemic failure”, the UN Secretary-General launched the Human Rights up Front (RUF) initiative in late 2013.
Europe's energy future
Ukraine is one of the most important external markets for Russian gas and the most important transit country for Russian gas supplies to Europe. However, gas relations between Russia and Ukraine have not been easy.
Security Sector Reform: A Literature Review
‘Security sector reform’, or SSR, has become a cornerstone of international development, post-conflict peacebuilding and state-building initiatives. The term emerged in the late 1990s in recognition of the changing international security environment and the limitations of peace accords in failing and failed states. Aimed at promoting both effective and legitimate provision of security in countries emerging from conflict or undergoing processes of political transition, SSRrelated activities have growth significantly in scope as well as scale. However, security sector reform remains a contested concept that can have different meanings in different contexts and for different audiences. Various institutions, groups and nations involved in SSR tend to understand the concept on the basis of their own policies, doctrines and practices.1 Experience has also shown that SSR is often conducted in challenging political, socio-economic and security environments. Given the diversity of perceptions and contexts, SSR approaches and implementation vary greatly within the international community. Against that backdrop, this contribution reviews the comprehensive literature on security sector reform. Specifically, it asks: what were the authoritative influences and actors in the development of the SSR concept? What is the current state of theoretical discussion? What challenges and opportunities does adoption of SSR entail? How successfully has the concept been adopted in international peace operations? Are there any particular criticisms of the SSR concept? How might SSR practice be improved?
Strategic Options for the Future of African Peace Operations 2015-2025. Seminar Report
Options Stratégiques pour l’Avenir des Opérations de Paix Africaines 2015-2025. Rapport de Séminaire
State, Secession, and Jihad: The Micropolitical Economy of Conflict in Northern Mali
Dialogue and Conflict resolution - The potential and limits of dialogue as a tool for conflict resolution
Dialogue is typically hailed as a progressive force fostering mutual understanding and resolving conflicts. Can it really carry such a burden? Does dialogue really resolve conflicts? In this unique volume international experts critically assess the political role of dialogue, addressing its potential and limitations. Bringing fascinating insights to bear they examine the theoretical underpinnings and conceptual boundaries of dialogue as a tool for conflict resolution. Major recent crises such as the Russo-Georgian war in 2008, the conflict between Western powers and Gaddafi’s Libya, arguments over Iran’s nuclear programme, religious tensions in Egypt after the Arab Spring, the Afghan case, the Sudanese experience and the recent Russo-Ukraine conflict are all considered and the conflict resolution attempts discussed. Using these cases the contributors explore in depth the nature of the dialogue between the actors, the extent to which it worked and what determined its impact. Table of Contents 1 Introduction: Dialogue and conflict resolution Pernille Rieker 2 Diplomacy and Dialogue Ole Jacob Sending 3 The dysfunctions of non-party conflict diplomacy Henrik Thune and Frida Nome 4 Dialogue in a World of Emotional Politics Paul Saurette and Henrik Thune 5 What makes dialogue and diplomacy work or not? Russia – Georgia and Russia – Ukraine Jakub M. Godzimirski 6 Nuclear Diplomacy: the Case of Iran Sverre Lodgaard 7 Libya: The promise and pitfalls of diplomacy Målfrid Braut-Hegghammer and Pernille Rieker 8 Peace dialogue, the Afghan case 2001–2014 Michael Semple 9 The attempts of dialogue in Sudan John Ashworth 10 Dialogue as tool for addressing religious tensions: containing the violence, or true conflict resolution? George Fahmi 11 Conclusions Pernille Rieker and Henrik Thune