Author: Jonas Claes / Publication Year: within 25 Years

Author:: Jonas Claes
Publication Date:: 06-2012
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: United States Institute of Peace
Abstract:: Political missions can be described as multilateral teams of primarily civilian experts that rely largely on political persuasion to find a nonviolent way out of crises. Preventive deployments are defensive military missions primarily aimed at deterring state or non-state actors from initiating undesired actions. Both political missions and preventive deployments are traditionally seen as conflict management tools used by international or regional organizations.
Topic:: Conflict Prevention, Political Violence, Crime, Genocide, and Human Rights

Author:: Lawrence Woocher, Jonas Claes, and Abiodun Williams
Publication Date:: 07-2011
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: United States Institute of Peace
Abstract:: USIP's annual “Preventing Violent Conflict” conference is designed to spotlight the importance of the subject, address specific challenges facing prevention efforts and identify priority areas for USIP's future work on conflict prevention. This brief summarizes the highlights of that conference.
Topic:: Conflict Prevention, Political Violence, Crime, and War

Author:: Jonas Claes
Publication Date:: 05-2011
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: United States Institute of Peace
Abstract:: So far the European Union has not operated as the leading actor on prevention that it aims to be. The recent launch of the European External Action Service (EEAS) in December 2010 could present a breakthrough in this regard. Most of the existing prevention instruments will be relocated to the new Service. A tentative organogram of the EEAS also reveals the establishment of a Directorate for Conflict Prevention and Security Policy. It remains to be seen whether this institutional innovation can address the challenges that have constrained the EU's role in prevention so far, including the EU's coherence, consensus, conceptual clarity and ambition.
Topic:: Conflict Prevention, Security, and Defense Policy
Political Geography:: Europe

Author:: Jonas Claes and Valerie Rosoux
Publication Date:: 02-2011
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: United States Institute of Peace
Abstract:: Since 2007, Belgium has displayed a rather surreal degree of political chaos. Belgian politicians have provoked three cabinet resignations, 24 “royal” mediators, and more than 420 days of coalition formation. With the rise of Flemish nationalism and intercommunal tensions, the country seems to suffer from an intractable ethno-linguistic conflict. The maximum degree of reform Walloon parties can settle with is by far insufficient to Flemish nationalists, whose package of demands is considered unacceptable in Wallonia. One way forward is the creation of a nation-wide electoral district for federal elections in which every Belgian, regardless of residence, can vote for Flemish and Walloon candidates.
Topic:: Conflict Resolution, Economics, Education, Peace Studies, and Peacekeeping
Political Geography:: Europe and Belgium

Author:: Lawrence Woocher, Jonas Claes, and Abiodun Williams
Publication Date:: 08-2010
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: United States Institute of Peace
Abstract:: Conflict prevention is widely endorsed in principle—including in the 2010 U.S. National Security Strategy—but too rarely put into serious practice. It is thus important to narrow the gap between rhetoric and action in preventing violent conflicts. The interest of elites in exploiting ethnic differences for political gains, the absence of well-established mechanisms for prevention in certain regions, and the destabilizing role of external meddling continue to impede the development of effective prevention strategies. Yet, much progress has been made in the field of conflict prevention, both at the normative and the operational levels. As a crucial actor in conflict prevention, the United States should work with others to forge a consistent approach to countries at risk, urge countries to deal with arbitrary borders through negotiation rather than violence, and support greater cooperation between regional organizations.
Topic:: Conflict Resolution, Conflict Prevention, Education, and Political Theory
Political Geography:: United States

Author:: Jonas Claes
Publication Date:: 04-2010
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: United States Institute of Peace
Abstract:: Several destabilizing dynamics persist throughout eastern Central Asia, such as weak governance, poor social and economic conditions, ethnic tensions and religious militancy. While these differ in kind and scope in each country, some conflict drivers are transnational in scope, such as energy insecurity and environmental degradation.
Topic:: Conflict Prevention, Foreign Policy, Political Violence, and International Cooperation
Political Geography:: United States and Central Asia

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