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272. Southern Africa: Threats and Capabilities
- Author:
- Gavin Cawthra
- Publication Date:
- 11-2008
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- International Peace Institute
- Abstract:
- The southern African region is now generally defined in political terms as those countries that are members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) (the geographic definition is usually somewhat more limited). Currently there are fifteen member states of the SADC: Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, the Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
- Topic:
- Development, Peace Studies, and Poverty
- Political Geography:
- Africa, South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, and Swaziland
273. North Africa: New Challenges, Old Regimes, and Regional Security
- Author:
- Claire Spencer
- Publication Date:
- 11-2008
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- International Peace Institute
- Abstract:
- North Africa is often loosely defined, but for the purposes of this paper, it encompasses the states of the Arab Maghreb Union (Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia) together with Egypt.1 With the exception of Mauritania, this group of states lies on the northern littoral of the African continent, between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Sahara to the south. This contiguity, however, has not automatically made for a cohesive region; differences between political and economic trajectories have overridden the social solidarities that still unite the peoples of North Africa.
- Topic:
- Security, Islam, and Peace Studies
- Political Geography:
- Africa, Libya, Algeria, North Africa, and Egypt
274. State of the States: Mapping India's Northeast
- Author:
- Bhagat Oinam
- Publication Date:
- 11-2008
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- East-West Center
- Abstract:
- On June 18, 2001, a huge mass agitation took place in the state of Manipur against the extension of ceasefire between the Government of India and the Isaak Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland to all the Naga inhabited areas in the region. The agitation was triggered by the subclause in the agreement which read that the ceasefire between the two parties would no longer be confined to the state of Nagaland but would be extended "without territorial limits."
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Political Violence, Peace Studies, and Treaties and Agreements
- Political Geography:
- South Asia and India
275. Security First: U.S. Priorities in Israeli-Palestinian Peacemaking
- Author:
- Walter B. Slocombe, Montgomery C. Meigs, and J. D. Crouch II
- Publication Date:
- 12-2008
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
- Abstract:
- On December 10, 2008, Walter B. Slocombe, J. D. Crouch II, and Gen. Montgomery C. Meigs (Ret.) addressed a Policy Forum luncheon at The Washington Institute to launch a new strategic report entitled Security First: U.S. Priorities in Israeli-Palestinian Peacemaking. Mr. Slocombe, currently an attorney at Caplin Drysdale, served as undersecretary of defense in the Clinton administration and worked in the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq. Mr. Crouch, former deputy national security advisor and assistant secretary of defense, is currently a senior scholar at the National Institute for Public Policy. General Meigs served in the U.S. army for thirty-five years, including two tours in Bosnia commanding NATO forces; he is now a visiting professor at Georgetown University. The following is a rapporteur's summary of their remarks.
- Topic:
- Peace Studies and War
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, Israel, and Palestine
276. Multidimensional and Integrated Peace Operations: Trends and Challenges
- Author:
- Emily J. Munro
- Publication Date:
- 05-2008
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Geneva Centre for Security Policy
- Abstract:
- The progression of integrated missions has moved forward a great deal over the past years, but there remains a need for greater clarification in a number of critical areas. The Geneva meeting on integrated missions provided an opportunity to discuss how the integration agenda can and should be reconciled with the need to safeguard the independence and impartiality of humanitarian assistance.
- Topic:
- Humanitarian Aid, International Cooperation, and Peace Studies
- Political Geography:
- Geneva
277. Peace Operations and Organised Crime
- Author:
- James Cockayne and Daniel Pfister
- Publication Date:
- 06-2008
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Geneva Centre for Security Policy
- Abstract:
- Peace operations have an important role to play in fighting organised crime for two reasons: Organised crime can act as a significant peace spoiler by undermining peace processes and endangering human security following conflict and in fragile states. The criminalised components of conflict help to sustain the material basis for war-fighting and reduce the incentives for a turn towards peace. Organised crime operating in conflict situations thus creates a more challenging operational environment for peace operations and peace processes.
- Topic:
- Security, Political Violence, Crime, Peace Studies, and War
278. Syrian–Israeli Peace: A Possible Key to Regional Change
- Author:
- Paul Salem
- Publication Date:
- 12-2008
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Abstract:
- Peace between Syria and Israel is a real possibility—it was almost achieved twice before in 1995–1996 and 1999–2000. Both sides have indicated their interest through indirect talks hosted by Turkey. Syrian–Israeli peace would have positive effects on U.S. interests in the Middle East, including Lebanon, Iraq, and other tracks of the Arab–Israeli peace process. The downsides of U.S. mediation are limited. The two sides cannot and will not reach a peace treaty without U.S. leadership. The Obama administration should develop an integrated policy including pressure, incentives, and robust diplomacy to make this possibility a reality. The pressure would be to keep Syria out of Lebanon and Iraq. This would mean continued support for UN Security Council resolutions on Lebanon and the International Hariri Tribunal, as well as continued U.S. sanctions as long as Syria violates its neighbors' sovereignty. The incentives should include the return of the Golan Heights, ending Syria's political isolation, U.S. help in securing World Trade Organization accession, and encouraging foreign direct investment.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution and Peace Studies
- Political Geography:
- United States, Iraq, Turkey, Middle East, Israel, Arab Countries, Lebanon, and Syria
279. Abolishing Nuclear Weapons: Why the United States Should Lead
- Author:
- George Perkovich
- Publication Date:
- 10-2008
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Abstract:
- The next American president should emphasize the goal of a world without nuclear weapons and really mean it. The verification and enforcement mechanisms that would be required to achieve this would augment U.S. and global security at a time when the nuclear industry will likely expand globally. Without a clearer commitment to the elimination of all nuclear arsenals, non–nuclear-weapon states will not support strengthened nonproliferation rules, inspections, and controls over fissile materials. The accounting and control over nuclear materials that would be necessary to enable nuclear disarmament would greatly reduce risks that terrorists could acquire these materials. If nuclear deterrence would work everywhere and always, we would not worry about proliferation. If nuclear deterrence is not fail-safe, the long-term answer must be to reduce the number and salience of nuclear weapons to zero.
- Topic:
- Government, Nuclear Weapons, Peace Studies, and Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Political Geography:
- United States and America
280. Estimating the Impact of the Hajj: Religion and Tolerance in Islam's Global Gathering
- Author:
- Michael Kremer, David Clingingsmith, and Asim Ijaz Khwaja
- Publication Date:
- 04-2008
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University
- Abstract:
- We estimate the impact on pilgrims of performing the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. Our method compares successful and unsuccessful applicants in a lottery used by Pakistan to allocate Hajj visas. Pilgrim accounts stress that the Hajj leads to a feeling of unity with fellow Muslims, but outsiders have sometimes feared that this could be accompanied by antipathy toward non-Muslims. We find that participation in the Hajj increases observance of global Islamic practices such as prayer and fasting while decreasing participation in localized practices and beliefs such as the use of amulets and dowry. It increases belief in equality and harmony among ethnic groups and Islamic sects and leads to more favorable attitudes toward women, including greater acceptance of female education and employment. Increased unity within the Islamic world is not accompanied by antipathy toward non-Muslims. Instead, Hajjis show increased belief in peace, and in equality and harmony among adherents of different religions. The evidence suggests that these changes are more a result of exposure to and interaction with Hajjis from around the world, rather than religious instruction or a changed social role of pilgrims upon return.
- Topic:
- Islam and Peace Studies
- Political Geography:
- Pakistan, Middle East, Arabia, and Mecca