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3742. Issue Brief: Reaching the OSCE Summit in Astana
- Author:
- Walter Kemp
- Publication Date:
- 09-2010
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- International Peace Institute
- Abstract:
- On December 1 and 2, 2010, Kazakhstan will host the heads of state or government of fifty-six countries for the first summit of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) since 1999. This is a major achievement for a country that was considered by some to be an inappropriate choice to lead the OSCE. Yet the Astana summit is not a test of Kazakhstan's leadership. It is about the future of Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian security, and the viability of the OSCE. At a time when the European Union, Russia, and the United States are redefining their relationships and looking for common ground, the Astana summit provides an opportunity to focus on issues that unite all stakeholders—finding a sense of common purpose to deal with common threats and challenges on the basis of common principles. This brief looks at what it will take to reach the “summit” at Astana, examines the main issues at stake, and considers the relevance and future direction of the OSCE.
- Topic:
- Security and International Cooperation
- Political Geography:
- Russia, United States, Europe, Central Asia, Kazakhstan, and Asia
3743. Five Surprises of the Great Recession
- Author:
- Uri Dadush and Vera Eidelman
- Publication Date:
- 11-2010
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Abstract:
- The Great Recession included five major surprises: (1) the severity of the global trade and output collapse, (2) the United States suffered a milder than expected recession, (3) Europe saw the onset of a severe sovereign debt crisis, (4) China grew at an extraordinary rate even though it's greatly dependent on exports, and (5) Latin America showed remarkable resilience.
- Topic:
- Economics, Globalization, Global Recession, and Financial Crisis
- Political Geography:
- United States, China, Europe, and Latin America
3744. Hunger in the Sahel: A permanent emergency? Ensuring the next drought will not cause another humanitarian crisis
- Publication Date:
- 12-2010
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- In 2010, more than 10 million people, mainly women and children, were victims of the food crisis in the Sahel. Nearly 500,000 severely malnourished children were taken into care between January and November 2010 in Niger, Chad, Mali and Burkina Faso. Most livestock in the Sahel was decimated. The images and the stories of hunger harked back to the food crisis of 2005 and the famines in 1973-1974 and 1984-1985.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Human Welfare, Humanitarian Aid, and Food
- Political Geography:
- Africa
3745. Ghosts of Christmas Past: Protecting civilians from the LRA
- Author:
- Ellie Kemp and Verity Johnson
- Publication Date:
- 12-2010
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- On Christmas Eve 2008 and over the following three weeks, 865 women, men and children were savagely beaten to death and hundreds more abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in a remote corner in the north-east of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and in southern Sudan. The attack was a murderous backlash in response to Operation “Lightning Thunder”, a military offensive launched some 10 days before against the LRA by Uganda, DRC and southern Sudan. Less than a year later, between 14 and 17 December 2009, LRA commanders oversaw the killing of more than 300 people, again shattering communities in a remote corner of northern DRC.
- Topic:
- Terrorism, Armed Struggle, and Counterinsurgency
- Political Geography:
- Uganda, Africa, and Sudan
3746. Engaging with Communities: The next challenge for peacekeeping
- Author:
- Clea Kahn
- Publication Date:
- 11-2010
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- The protection of civilians from the worst ravages of war is a dilemma that international bodies have sought to address for decades. However, despite lessons learned from the atrocities of Rwanda and Srebrenica, among others, civilians are still not only adversely affected by armed conflict; they are too often directly targeted.
- Topic:
- Humanitarian Aid, Intelligence, United Nations, and Peacekeeping
- Political Geography:
- Sudan
3747. Mapping the Russian Blogosphere
- Author:
- Anand Varghese
- Publication Date:
- 12-2010
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- United States Institute of Peace
- Abstract:
- Analysis of more than 11,000 Russian-language blogs reveals an active political blogosphere comprising internationally linking bloggers; Russian media-focused bloggers; nationalists; members of the democratic opposition; bloggers focused on business, economics, and finance; and social and environmental activists. Russian bloggers tend to be less politically polarized than their counterparts in the American blogosphere, and they prefer to blog about political issues from a nonpartisan position. Future research should focus on the offline outcomes of online political blogging, the effect of blogging platforms on polarization, the responses of the Russian government, and mapping the effects of newer social networking platforms.
- Topic:
- Globalization, Science and Technology, and Mass Media
- Political Geography:
- Russia and America
3748. Conflict and Post-Conflict Governance: The Stakeholder Perspective
- Author:
- Jacleen Mowery, Demis Yanco, and Ryan McClanahan
- Publication Date:
- 12-2010
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- United States Institute of Peace
- Abstract:
- Post-conflict governance requires simultaneous and complementary action on three levels. national governance, local governance, and civil society. Norbert Mao, a parliamentary leader from Uganda, offered this progression for managing the trade-off between short-term stabilization and long-term capacity building: "In the emergency phase, you should do it for us. In the reconstruction phase, you should do it with us. And in the development phase, you should do it through us." Efforts to develop the capacity of local governments to deliver services may be more responsive to external assistance than programs aimed at overcoming systemic dysfunctions in the central government, in part because municipal officials are more accountable to their communities. Civil society should be a prominent player in transitioning to “local ownership,” which may erroneously be conceived in terms of ownership by national and perhaps local governments. Building the capacity of civil society entails connectivity with international partners and ideas, not just financing. There are trade-offs involved among the three stakeholders. Among the most salient, when a legacy of abuse of power by the national government and repression of opposition groups must be confronted, an active civil society is essential. An invigorated civil society can fundamentally challenge illicit structures of power that profited from conflict.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Civil Society, Government, Peace Studies, War, Governance, and Peacekeeping
- Political Geography:
- Uganda
3749. Transcending the Past to Build Haiti\'s Future
- Author:
- Robert Maguire
- Publication Date:
- 12-2010
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- United States Institute of Peace
- Abstract:
- Efforts to build a better Haiti following the catastrophic earthquake of January 2010 are complicated by the challenges of addressing urgent needs, including elections and the cholera outbreak, that run parallel to the rebuilding process and that present an enormous challenge to Haiti\'s under-resourced and weakened government. Enactment of the Haitian government\'s internationally-endorsed and ambitious action recovery plan is hindered by the apparent lack of an over-riding operational framework that will help to ensure not only implementation, but also coherence. Donors and other international actors would be wise to embrace Haiti as a country that has highly propitious fundamentals for successful economic growth, and to build on them. Without important shifts in political, economic and social paradigms, the prospect for Haiti\'s future as a better country that can sustain and expand progress and can improve prospects for all its citizens is clouded.
- Topic:
- Humanitarian Aid, Migration, Poverty, and Natural Disasters
- Political Geography:
- Caribbean and Haiti
3750. Chad's 2007 Peace Agreement Plagued by Poor Implementation
- Author:
- Delphine Djiraibe
- Publication Date:
- 12-2010
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- United States Institute of Peace
- Abstract:
- Political crises and armed opposition movements have plagued Chad for several years. After several failed peace initiatives, the August 13 Agreement was reached in 2007. The agreement is the most viable framework for bringing peace to Chad. It calls on the Chadian government to reform critical electoral institutions, undertake a credible electoral census and demilitarize politics in order to ensure fair and transparent elections. To date, the agreement has been poorly implemented. It jeopardizes the credibility of the upcoming legislative elections, currently scheduled for February 2011. Only comprehensive reform that addresses the development and governance challenges facing Chad will definitively end its political crisis.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Peace Studies, Treaties and Agreements, War, and Peacekeeping
- Political Geography:
- Africa