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112. What can Europe do in Iraq?
- Author:
- Richard Gowan, Heinrich Boell Stiftung, and Daniel Korski
- Publication Date:
- 02-2009
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Center on International Cooperation
- Abstract:
- Relations between the European Union (EU) and Iraq have normalized over the last couple of years. But despite committing more than € 900 million to reconstruction efforts since 2003 and having set up a European Commission office in Baghdad in 2005, the European bloc will need to step up its engagement if the country is to manage forthcoming challenges, such as integrating the “Sons of Iraq” into the Iraqi security forces, holding provincial elections, and maintaining security while President Obama leads a drawdown of US combat forces.
- Topic:
- Peace Studies, War, and International Security
- Political Geography:
- Iraq, Europe, Middle East, and Arabia
113. Building on Brahimi: Peacekeeping in an era of Strategic Uncertainty
- Author:
- Richard Gowan, Bruce Jones, and Jake Sherman
- Publication Date:
- 04-2009
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Center on International Cooperation
- Abstract:
- The politics of peacekeeping: crisis and opportunity. United Nations peace operations face an extended and dangerous period of strategic uncertainty. A series of setbacks have coincided with military overstretch and the financial crisis, raising the risk that UN peacekeeping may contract, despite high demand.
- Topic:
- Security, Peace Studies, United Nations, and Financial Crisis
114. Hitting Reboot - Where next for climate after Copenhagen?
- Author:
- Alex Evans and David Steven1
- Publication Date:
- 12-2009
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Center on International Cooperation
- Abstract:
- Copenhagen got us little further than Bali: a weak political declaration, with 2ºC as the only number. In some respects, the result moves us backwards: the politics are worse, while numbers previously agreed by the Kyoto club are omitted here. The conditions to turn a political declaration into a comprehensive deal appear absent.
- Topic:
- Climate Change, Environment, and International Cooperation
115. Robust Peacekeeping: The Politics of Force
- Author:
- Jean-Marie Guéhenno
- Publication Date:
- 11-2009
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Center on International Cooperation
- Abstract:
- Robust peacekeeping and, in particular, protection of civilians garnered significant attention in 2009. In January, the Australian and Uruguayan governments hosted a conference on civilian protection designed to convince wary member states. In November, the Security Council's open debate on protection of civilians in armed conflict consid-ered the findings of an independent panel on implementing protection mandates. Looking ahead, the Council's mandate renewal for the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC), scheduled for December 2009, is expected to strengthen the mission's protection capacity. Furthermore, in April 2010, the International Forum for the Challenges of Peace Operations in Australia will also focus on protection issues. These discussions have taken place against the backdrop of a number of reform efforts, including the Department of Peacekeeping/Department of Field Support “New Horizon” project and the French/UKinitiative in the Security Council – itself motivated by the siege of Goma in 2008.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Conflict Prevention, Security, Peace Studies, and War
116. Administrative Reform in International Organizations : The Case of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
- Author:
- Olivier Nay
- Publication Date:
- 10-2009
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Center on International Cooperation
- Abstract:
- This paper focuses on the causal factors, implementation, and side effects of administrative reforms launched within the United Nations system, in the field of HIV and AIDS. It is based on an empirical analysis of the UNAIDS Programme, an interorganizational system bringing together ten UN agencies to combat the worldwide epidemic, with the support of a Secretariat. Firstly, the paper argues that the administrative reform of UNAIDS was unlikely to have come from the UN organizations themselves, although the Programme was expected to lead these organizations to better coordinate and harmonize their AIDS strategies. Secondly, it identifies three external factors that have led UN organizations to reform their governance mechanisms and procedures. Thirdly, it explores the conditions under which the reform of UNAIDS has been implemented since 2005, with particular attention to the Secretariat that has become involved as an active “reform entrepreneur.” Finally, it identifies some of the unexpected effects of the reform, with a particular emphasison competition between UN agencies, organizational complexity, and bureaucratization. The concluding remarks argue that when analyzing administrative reforms within international organizations, one should investigate the interrelations between the external pressures that drive reforms and the activity of reform entrepreneurs.
- Topic:
- HIV/AIDS, Health, Humanitarian Aid, United Nations, and Infectious Diseases
117. Right-Financing Security Sector Reform
- Author:
- Peter Middlebrook and Gordon Peake
- Publication Date:
- 01-2008
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Center on International Cooperation
- Abstract:
- Security sector reform (SSR) in weak and fragile state environments encompasses a broad range of efforts to improve the capacity, governance, performance, and sustainability of the security system. Financial dimensions of SSR include the allocation of resources according to well-defined priorities, both across sectors and within the security system, and ensuring that expenditure is transparent, efficient and effective. Issues of financial management were central to the origins of SSR in the 1990s, and they are no less central to security sector reform today. Yet current SSR strategies and programming all too often pay insufficient attention to public finance issues. As a result, the medium and long-term fiscal implications of short-run policy decisions are not factored into early post-conflict engagement processes. The negative consequences include unsustainable reforms, the squeezing out of other vital sectors, and, conversely, the under-provision of security. This paper argues for the “right-financing” approach to be adopted for the security sector – striking an appropriate balance between current security needs and the goal of building a fiscally sustainable security sector based on realistic resource projections. This paper makes four policy proposals.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Security, Democratization, Government, and International Cooperation
118. Resources For Peace? Managing Revenues from Extractive Industries in Post-Conflict Environments
- Author:
- Philippe Le Billon
- Publication Date:
- 02-2008
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Center on International Cooperation
- Abstract:
- Revenues from extractive sectors play an important role in many post-conflict environments. Oil and gas, minerals, and logging often provide more than 30% of state fiscal receipts.When managed well, these revenues can help to finance postwar reconstruction and other vital peace-related needs. When mismanaged, however, resource revenues can undermine both economic performance and the quality of governance, thereby heightening the risk of renewed violence. Managing revenues from extractive industries is a crucial challenge for peacebuilding. This paper offers seven proposals that address this challenge.
- Topic:
- Oil
119. Annual Review of Global Peace Operations 2008
- Publication Date:
- 03-2008
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Center on International Cooperation
- Abstract:
- Global demand for peacekeepers continued to rise in 2007. By the end of the year, there were over 160,000 peacekeepers in the field. The UN remained the centerpiece of the international peacekeeping system, providing nearly 50 percent of all peacekeepers in the field. In 2007, the UN's deployments of uniformed personnel grew by 10 percent to 83,000 personnel. In addition, there were nearly 20,000 civilian staff serving in UN peace operations.
- Topic:
- Security, International Cooperation, Peace Studies, and United Nations
120. From Fragility to Resilience: Concepts and Dilemmas of Statebuilding in Fragile States (Executive Summary)
- Publication Date:
- 04-2008
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Center on International Cooperation
- Abstract:
- Policy-makers are increasingly concerned by what appears to be a growing body of 'weak,' 'fragile', or 'failing' states. This is understandable, as few issues are so central to contemporary international politics – to questions of development, management of the global commons, or human and collective security – as that of well-organized cooperation between effective states. States retain the central responsibility for assuring the safety and security of their citizens, protecting property rights, and providing public goods to enable a functioning market. Many states do more, taking on critical welfare functions for their populations.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Conflict Prevention, Development, and International Political Economy