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542. China’s Role in North Korea Nuclear and Peace Negotiations
- Author:
- USIP China-North Korea Senior Study Group
- Publication Date:
- 05-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- United States Institute of Peace
- Abstract:
- This is the second in the Senior Study Group (SSG) series of USIP reports examining China’s influence on conflicts around the world. A group of fifteen experts met from September to December 2018 to assess China’s interests and influence in bringing about a durable settlement of the North Korean nuclear crisis. This report provides recommendations for the United States to assume a more effective role in shaping the future of North Korea in light of China’s role and interests. Unless otherwise sourced, all observations and conclusions are those of SSG members.
- Topic:
- Conflict Prevention, Nuclear Weapons, Conflict, Negotiation, and Peace
- Political Geography:
- China, Asia, South Korea, and North Korea
543. Ukrainian Activism for Transparency and Accountability: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
- Author:
- Olena Tregub
- Publication Date:
- 05-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- United States Institute of Peace
- Abstract:
- In the wake of the Euromaidan protests that toppled the government of Viktor Yanukovych in 2014, Ukrainian activists and civil society organizations have pressed hard for anti-corruption reforms and greater openness and transparency in the public sector. Five years later, however, corruption remains a fixture of civic life—and a majority of Ukrainians believe the fight against corruption has been a failure. This new report reviews the changes that have taken place in the anti-corruption movement since the Euromaidan and identifies practical actions the international community can take to support reform efforts in Ukraine.
- Topic:
- Security, Corruption, Governance, Reform, Democracy, Rule of Law, Protests, Accountability, Transparency, and Justice
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Ukraine
544. Perspectives on Peace from Taliban Areas of Afghanistan
- Author:
- Ashley Jackson
- Publication Date:
- 05-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- United States Institute of Peace
- Abstract:
- Notably absent from the debate around peace in Afghanistan are the voices of those living in parts of the country that have borne the brunt of the fighting since 2001—particularly those living in areas under Taliban control or influence. This report provides insight into how Afghan men and women in Taliban-influenced areas view the prospects for peace, what requirements would have to be met for local Taliban fighters to lay down their arms, and how views on a political settlement and a future government differ between Taliban fighters and civilians.
- Topic:
- Treaties and Agreements, Taliban, Conflict, Peace, and Reconciliation
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan, South Asia, and Central Asia
545. Exposure to Violence and Voting in Karachi, Pakistan
- Author:
- Mashail Malik and Niloufer Siddiqui
- Publication Date:
- 06-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- United States Institute of Peace
- Abstract:
- Pakistan’s 2018 elections marked just the second time in history that power transferred peacefully from one civilian government to another after a full term in office. Although the initial months of campaigning were relatively free of violence, the two weeks before polling were dangerous for campaigners and voters alike, and the elections provided a platform for some parties to incite violence, particularly against Pakistan’s minority sects. This report provides a deep examination of how exposure to political violence in Pakistan’s largest city affects political behavior, including willingness to vote and faith in the democratic process.
- Topic:
- Government, Politics, Minorities, Elections, Violence, Peace, and Voting
- Political Geography:
- Pakistan, South Asia, Asia, and Karachi
546. United States Budgetary Costs and Obligations of Post-9/11 Wars through FY2020: $6.4 Trillion
- Author:
- Neta C. Crawford
- Publication Date:
- 11-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University
- Abstract:
- Since late 2001, the United States has appropriated and is obligated to spend an estimated $6.4 Trillion through Fiscal Year 2020 in budgetary costs related to and caused by the post-9/11 wars—an estimated $5.4 Trillion in appropriations in current dollars and an additional minimum of $1 Trillion for US obligations to care for the veterans of these wars through the next several decades.
- Topic:
- Defense Policy, Armed Forces, Military Spending, 9/11, and War on Terror
- Political Geography:
- Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, South Asia, Middle East, and United States of America
547. Human Cost of Post-9/11 Wars: Direct War Deaths in Major War Zones, Afghanistan and Pakistan (October 2001 – October 2019) Iraq (March 2003 – October 2019); Syria (September 2014-October 2019); Yemen (October 2002-October 2019); and Other
- Author:
- Neta C. Crawford and Catherine Lutz
- Publication Date:
- 11-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University
- Abstract:
- This chart tallies direct deaths caused by war violence. It does not include indirect deaths, namely those caused by loss of access to food, water, and/or infrastructure, war-related disease, etc. The numbers included here are approximations based on the reporting of several original data sources.
- Topic:
- 9/11, War on Terror, Casualties, and Iraq War
- Political Geography:
- Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, South Asia, Middle East, Yemen, and Syria
548. Cut Military Spending, Fund Green Manufacturing
- Author:
- Heidi Peltier
- Publication Date:
- 11-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University
- Abstract:
- Letting climate change continue unabated will have significant economic costs. Economists from the IMF and elsewhere have estimated costs on the order of 10% of US GDP by 2100 in the absence of climate change policies, and even with policies that limit warming to 2.6°C, climate damages are expected to cost 1-2% of GDP by 2100.i If unchecked, climate change will wreak havoc on natural and human systems, including on the economy. One year ago, a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stressed the need and urgency to limit global warming to no more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.ii The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, of Medicine, and of Engineering have affirmed and corroborated those findings.iii On the other hand, taking steps to mitigate and adapt to climate change, such as by shifting to a clean energy economy, may have short-term costs, but will also have some short-term benefits and many longer-term benefits. How can we pay for a transition to clean energy?
- Topic:
- Climate Change, Budget, Economy, and Military Spending
- Political Geography:
- North America and United States of America
549. The Human and Financial Costs of the Explosive Remnants of War in Afghanistan
- Author:
- Suzanne Fiederlein
- Publication Date:
- 09-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University
- Abstract:
- tries in the world, even after thirty years of clearance operations supported extensively by the United Nations and a number of major donors, including the United States. Long after armed conflicts are over, explosive remnants of war continue to cause harm to unsuspecting civilians and cost governments millions of dollars to clear and neutralize. Landmines can remain a threat that affects the population living around them for decades to come. When calculating the costs of waging war, the post-conflict clearance of leftover weapons scattered about the battlefields generally is not included. These costs can last for generations; Belgium, for instance, continues to remove large quantities of explosive shells from its World War I battlefield sites one hundred years after the end of that conflict.4 In the case of a country like Afghanistan, where armed conflict has continued for decades, adding additional explosive ordnance to the landscape on an ongoing basis, the clearance task becomes doubly challenging. The need to remove ordnance is crucial when attempting to provide a secure environment for war-weary civilians and returning refugees and to rebuild infrastructure and create opportunities for economic development – all essential ingredients for establishing and maintaining a stable and effective nation state.
- Topic:
- War, Weapons, Civilians, Casualties, and Landmines
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan, South Asia, and United States of America
550. The Costs of War in Somalia
- Author:
- Catherine Besteman
- Publication Date:
- 09-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University
- Abstract:
- Although the United States has not formally declared war in Somalia and the US Congress has not formally approved US military engagements in Somalia, US intervention in Somalia has rapidly expanded under the Trump Administration. US airstrikes against the Somali terrorist group known as Al-Shabaab have skyrocketed, from between 15 and 21 drone strikes and other covert operations in Somalia during the period from 2007-2014 to a record high of 46 strikes in 2018 alone, which killed 326 people, to an astonishing 24 strikes in just the first two months of 2019, killing at least 252 people. Recent reports suggest other entities, such as the CIA, are also carrying out an unknown number of additional airstrikes, and the US currently has about 500 troops, mostly Special Operations, stationed in Somalia. According to a recent investigation by Amnesty International and a subsequent review by AFRICOM, the United States Africa Command, some of the US airstrikes have killed civilians. Tens of thousands of Somalis have fled areas targeted by air strikes, crowding into miserable displaced persons camps outside Mogadishu. Civilians who have lost family members or been injured by strikes have no recourse, and there is no accountability for those carrying out the strikes. In short, without a formal declaration or any particular acknowledgement or interest from the US Congress, a war is being waged in Somalia.
- Topic:
- War, Military Intervention, and Al-Shabaab
- Political Geography:
- Africa, North America, Somalia, and United States of America