Search

Begin New Search Topic Peace Studies

521. Lessons Learned: Peacebuilding in Haiti

Author:
Lotta Hagman
Publication Date:
01-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
International Peace Institute
Abstract:
Peacebuilding is not merely a technical exercise — it is highly political. In a combustible political atmosphere as in Haiti, effective peacebuilding requires careful and sustained management. The importance of a long-term approach cannot be overestimated. In Haiti, the international community was successful in restoring the constitutional government, improving the respect for basic human rights, and initiating economic development. However, for these efforts to take hold and lead to a self-sustaining democratic process, continuous international engagement in Haiti is vital. From this perspective, the cutback in the UN involvement in February 2001 was premature.
Topic:
Civil Society, Peace Studies, and United Nations
Political Geography:
Latin America, Caribbean, and Haiti

522. A War Against the Turks? Erasmus on War and Peace

Author:
Fred Dallmayr
Publication Date:
12-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame
Abstract:
These are perilous times. Everywhere peace seems to be in retreat or on the defensive. As if tired of the comforts of peaceful living, humankind appears ready to embark on violent ventures whose outcome cannot be predicted. Ominously, the sound of war drums—akin to African bush drums—reverberates through many parts of the world, from America and the Near East to South Asia and the Far East. Thus, the horrors of the twentieth century—the sequence of world wars, genocide, and ethnic cleansings—seem to clamor for emulation in the new millennium, probably on a still more destructive scale. In such grim surroundings, a troubled person may want to look for saner guideposts: for voices of prudent moderation counteracting millenary zeal. Facing a scarcity of such voices in the present, s/he may turn to past centuries—where the search is more likely to be rewarding. One of the most reliable and inspiring guideposts in the past is the great humanist Erasmus (1469-1536), well known for his reflections on the perennial follies of humanity.
Topic:
International Relations and Peace Studies
Political Geography:
America, South Asia, and Middle East

523. Maintaining the Effectiveness of the Chemical Weapons Convention

Author:
Jean Pascal Zanders, Frida Kuhlau, John Hart, and Ronald Sutherland
Publication Date:
10-2002
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
Abstract:
On 28 April 2003 a Special Conference of the States Parties to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) will be convened to review the implementation of the 1993 Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction (Chemical Weapons Convention, CWC) and to take into account new, relevant, scientific and technological developments. Whatever specific points may be considered, this Conference needs to address two underlying issues: States Parties' long-term interests in continued participation in the OPCW regime; and how the treaty's effectiveness can be maintained and enhanced given the latest shifts in the security environment (including the new urgency of counter-terrorist efforts), current political and financial realities and the fast pace of technological change. These can best be tackled if the Conference focuses its attention on a small number of manageable, well-conceptualized issues. Otherwise there is a risk that the Conference could become bogged down in open-ended discussions on a myriad of unresolved operational implementation issues. This paper is intended to inform such a conceptualized approach. It was prepared at SIPRI by John Hart, Frida Kuhlau, Ronald Sutherland and Jean Pascal Zanders. It was edited by Andy Mash.
Topic:
Peace Studies, Treaties and Agreements, and Weapons of Mass Destruction

524. French, UK, and US Policies to Support Peacekeeping in Africa: Current Status and Future Prospects

Author:
Eric G. Berman
Publication Date:
02-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Norwegian Institute of International Affairs
Abstract:
In May 1997, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States announced their joint “P-3 Initiative”, to harmonize their peacekeeping capacity-building programs in Africa and foster an open dialogue between donors and recipients. The capacity-building programs of France, the UK and the US have since undergone numerous transformations. The centerpiece of French policy, the Renforcement des capacités Africaines de maintien de la paix (RECAMP) has had comparatively few changes to its basic structure, but has been scaled down. The UK African Peacekeeping Training Support Programme has given way to a much larger and more ambitious initiative. The US African Crisis Response Initiative (ACRI) has evolved significantly and will undergo a more fundamental change in 2002, including shedding its name. Moreover, Washington initiated a new capacity-building policy in 2001, which dwarfed ACRI in terms of resources and introduced the provision of lethal equipment.
Topic:
Peace Studies
Political Geography:
Africa, United States, United Kingdom, Europe, and France

525. Conditional Legitimacy, Reinterpreted Monopolies: Globalisation and the Evolving State Monopoly on Legitimate Violence

Author:
Anna Leander
Publication Date:
03-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Danish Institute for International Studies
Abstract:
The article argues that globalisation is altering the nature and meaning of the state monopoly on legitimate violence. It is accentuating the tensions around the meaning of “legitimacy”. The relativism implied in the idea that states can define which use of violence is “legitimate” (and which is not) is increasingly contested both by the international society of states and in a world society of transnational actors. At the same time a profound redefinition of what it means to have a “monopoly” of violence is going on. Increasing the private ownership and allocation of the means of coercion are blurring the responsibility of states beyond their own borders and, for some states, even within them. As a consequence the differentiation among states is growing, private actors are central to war and peace, and the system of national states might be undergoing a fundamental change.
Topic:
Security, Defense Policy, Globalization, Peace Studies, and War

526. Japan's Future Policies Towards the Middle East Peace Process: Recommendations

Publication Date:
07-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Abstract:
The prospects for Middle East peace remain very dim. The Palestinians feel a growing sense of despair at the continuing occupation and the poor prospects for peace, while the Israelis are extremely uneasy about the escalation of terrorism and the ultimate destination of the Middle East peace process. A wide gap separates the two groups' views on the objectives of peace, and bridging this gap is a central issue in today's peace process. The trust that the parties managed to cultivate from the early 1990s has vanished like mist, and there is significant mutual distrust between Chairman Arafat and Prime Minister Sharon.
Topic:
Conflict Resolution and Peace Studies
Political Geography:
Middle East and Asia

527. ECMI Civil Society Project in Bosnia and Herzegovina: National Minorities and Educational Reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Author:
Valery Perry
Publication Date:
11-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
European Centre for Minority Issues
Abstract:
Educational reform efforts have been recommended, developed and implemented in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) by various small and large organizations for several years. One significant initiative was the Shared Modernization Strategy implemented by the European Commission in 2001 and 2002, which sought to integrate local actors and experts in the reform and modernization process. In the summer of 2002, a broader, widely supported, coordinated and dedicated reform effort was initiated by the OSCE, which raised the profile of the issue of education as a key element of peace building, economic growth and post-war reconstruction.
Topic:
Civil Society, Education, Peace Studies, and Regional Cooperation
Political Geography:
Europe

528. Negotiation and Capacity Building in Montenegro: Workshop on Education, Workshop 4: Education

Author:
Tobias K. Vogel
Publication Date:
06-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
European Centre for Minority Issues
Abstract:
The ECMI project “Negotiation and Capacity Building in Montenegro” was launched with the aim to establish a Track II informal negotiation process providing a forum for interethnic dialogue between Serbian and Montenegrin communities, which includes minority communities from the Sandžak border region. Through a series of workshops, the project aims to help promote dialogue, identify issues of common concern and assist in delivering concrete benefits as well as building confidence between the communities involved. By focusing the debate on the concrete needs of these communities, the project seeks to facilitate thinking about future interethnic relations in a less charged atmosphere, irrespective of the deeper political questions on the future constitutional arrangements of the two republics.
Topic:
Civil Society, Education, Peace Studies, and Regional Cooperation
Political Geography:
Europe

529. ECMI Civil Society Project in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Ensuring Effective Implementation of Annex 8 through the Establishment of a Cultural Heritage Association, Implementation Workshop 1

Author:
Valery Perry
Publication Date:
10-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
European Centre for Minority Issues
Abstract:
The ECMI Civil Society Project in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) began its effort on the role of Annex 8 legislation and implementation in autumn 2001 in order to provide a forum for experts to discuss an issue that had been largely neglected since the signing of the General Framework Agreement for Peace (GFAP, or the Dayton Peace Agreement) in 1995. Annex 8 of the GFAP established a Commission to Preserve National Monuments in the wake of the destruction that devastated the cultural heritage of BiH during the war 1992-1995. Through conversations with experts in BiH and from throughout the region, ECMI recognized the potential that this Annex could have on peace-building and reconciliation in BiH.
Topic:
Civil Society, Peace Studies, and Regional Cooperation
Political Geography:
Europe

530. Negotiation and Capacity Building in Montenegro, Workshop 5: Administration of Justice

Author:
Tobias K. Vogel
Publication Date:
06-2002
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
European Centre for Minority Issues
Abstract:
The ECMI project “Negotiation and Capacity Building in Montenegro” was launched with the aim to establish a Track II informal negotiation process providing a forum for interethnic dialogue between Serbian and Montenegrin communities, which includes minority communities from the Sandžak border region. Through a series of workshops, the project aims to help promote dialogue, identify issues of common concern and assist in delivering concrete benefits as well as building confidence between the communities involved. By focusing the debate on the concrete needs of these communities, the project seeks to facilitate thinking about future interethnic relations in a less charged atmosphere, irrespective of the deeper political questions on the future constitutional arrangements of the two republics.
Topic:
Civil Society, Peace Studies, and Regional Cooperation
Political Geography:
Europe