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Front Matter, Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.

Bereavement, Storytelling, And Reconciliation: Peacebuilding Between Israelis And Palestinians, Frida Kerner Furman

Peace and Conflict Studies

Despite the ongoing conflict and the general neglect by the media, power brokers, and the public, grassroots organizations in the Middle East persist in their dedication to “people to people” diplomacy between Israelis and Palestinians. The Parents Circle-Families Forum is a bi-national NGO committed to peacebuilding and reconciliation between Jewish Israelis and Palestinians from East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Its most distinctive features are its membership, composed of 300 families from each side who have lost a close relative to the conflict, and its use of storytelling to connect the two sides. Bereaved individuals develop the capacity for empathy …

Achieving Democracy: Implementing The 1992 Salvadoran Peace Accords, Raymond W. Cox Iii, Hugo Renderos

Peace and Conflict Studies

The literature on negotiations and bargaining has been dominated by academics in business and public administration. Given the interests and orientation of the academic disciplines, it is not surprising that the academic studies predominantly have examined the processes and dynamics at the level of collective bargaining and to a lesser extent organization leadership and management. Dispute resolution has a distinctly intra–organizational character. In 1991 the warring factions in El Salvador came together to negotiate both an end to the fighting, but also to create a framework for the introduction of a democratic government for the country. Over a period of …

A Sequence Analysis Of International Peace Operations: Japan’S Contribution To Human Security Of East Timor, Daisuke Akimoto

Peace and Conflict Studies

Japan’s commitments to the UN-authorized peace operations in East Timor were the largest contribution the country has made in the history of its international peace operations. Notably, Japan’s participation in the peacebuilding operations in East Timor was based on “human security” as one of the pillars of its diplomatic policy. Moreover, Japan’s participation in the peace operations in East Timor was a touchstone issue for its human security policy. Yet, one simple but important question arises. How consistent were Japan’s commitments to the peace operations? In an attempt to answer to this question, this paper systematically examines Japan’s contributions to …

Counteracting Dynamics Of Violent Communication In Bullying, Jacques L. Koko

Peace and Conflict Studies

This study examines fourteen conversations from observations conducted on bullying among 8th graders in 2002, in a Middle School in Virginia in the United States of America to: (1) identify power disparity in verbal bullying between bullies and targets, (2) examine how power disparity in verbal bullying empowers the perpetrator against silent targets, (3) explain how targets’ verbal responses neutralize bullies or stop bullying, and (4) design an approach to counteracting verbal bullying –the “agere contra” approach to bullying, which demonstrates how words could also be used, not only to counteract bullying, but also to heal both the perpetrator and …

Volume 20, Number 2 (Fall 2013), Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.

Leaving A Legacy, Walter Lotze

Human Rights & Human Welfare

The ongoing conflict in Somalia, and the complexities that come with finding lasting solutions to a conflict that has raged for decades now, continue to perplex the international community. While a range of previously tried and tested approaches to conflict management are being applied, it is becoming apparent that the international toolkit for responding to conflict situations of such complexity is extremely limited. Indeed, as one international conference after another on Somalia takes place, compacts are signed and funding windows established, old frameworks are abandoned and new ones are forged, and roadmap after roadmap pave the way for further engagement, …

Somali Battlegrounds: On Interest And Accountability, Ines Mzali

Human Rights & Human Welfare

In the wake of the latest and deadliest of Al-Shabab's attacks in Kenya since Kenyan troops entered Somalia in October 2011, Ben Rawlence reiterates the question raised anew by each attack: "What is Kenya doing in Somalia and is it worth the price?" The question leads him to explore the contradiction between the official objectives of the mission and Kenya's particular motivations to launch an offensive of its own. This problematic discrepancy also draws attention to the question of accountability when violations of international humanitarian law have occurred in the context of a military operation by a neighboring country and …

Symbolic And Concrete Demands In Resolving The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Rotem Nagar, Jacob Shamir

Peace and Conflict Studies

Researchers have recently leveled criticism at the realist approach to conflict resolution by pointing out the importance of symbolic aspects of this issue. Few studies, however, have hitherto focused on symbolic demands in conflicts. The present study examines the role of symbolic as well as concrete demands in conflict resolution, and is therefore innovative in this regard. A demand is categorized as “concrete” if it is based on an interest that is viable and applicable, in that it involves tangible resources that may change hands or be divided. A “symbolic” demand, on the other hand, pivots on either refraining from …

Survivor Success Story: Mezgebu Abiyu Tesfaye, Bekele Gonfa

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Mezgebu Abiyu Tesfaye, an Ethiopian landmine survivor, was born in the East Gojjam zone, Amhara region, in 1967. Raised in a farming family, Mezgebu left school after the eighth grade to help his parents care for their cattle and do daily chores.

The New Imsma And Victim Assistance, Angela Desantis, Daniel Eriksson

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

A new update to the Information Management System for Mine Action will include a victim assistance module, which will facilitate the monitoring and tracking of the access of victims to their rights and the accountability of the assistance process.

In Remembrance: Moul Piseth, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

On 12 June 2013 Cambodian deminer and HALO Trust (HALO) employee Moul Piseth, 34, was killed in an explosion caused by an explosive remnant of war (ERW), possibly an anti-tank (AT) mine.

Masculinity: The Unseen Barrier In Survivor Assistance, Anne-Sophie Duprat, Lusia Pecak

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Survivors of landmine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) incidents suffer unique consequences from their injuries as a result of their age and gender. As they often have distinct societal roles, survivor assistance needs for women, girls, boys and men differ. Inadequate research on the effects of mine/ERW incidents on men and boys may hinder recovery for male survivors and their families and communities.

Aiding Survivors Of The Syrian Crisis, Elizabeth Macnairn, Molly Feltner

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Handicap International (HI) launched operations in northern Syria in December 2012, where it provides postsurgical rehabilitation to survivors of violence. In Lebanon and Jordan, where the organization has worked since the summer of 2012, HI provides assistance to Syrian refugees, placing particular focus on people with disabling injuries.

Has The Ccm Accommodated Gender?, Dalila Mahdawi

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

While the Convention on Cluster Munitions has taken steps to include gender, it missed the opportunity to mainstream gender into a disarmament treaty.

Nama: A Gis-Based Network-Analysis Approach For Mine Action, Pierre Lacroix, Rocío Escobar, Olivier Cottray, Pable De Roulet

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

To demonstrate the potential of geographic information system (GIS) network-analysis tools in mine action, a hypothetical case study uses these tools to examine the distance survivors of mine incidents must travel for medical and rehabilitative care in one region in Colombia and suggests a location for a new facility.

Rehabilitation For Gazan Children And Young Adults, Nataša Uršič, Goran Gačnik

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Years of conflict in the Gaza Strip have killed and injured thousands. In response to the need for survivor rehabilitation, Slovenia’s ITF Enhancing Human Security and the University Rehabilitation Institute of the Republic of Slovenia (URI Soča) initiated the Gaza Project, a rehabilitation program for injured children and young adults. Since the Gaza Project’s inception in 2009, more than 300 children and young adults were medically evaluated, 100 children and young adults received treatment and 18 local medical professionals were trained at URI Soča.

Spirit Of Soccer In The Zaatari Refugee Camp, Mike Geddes

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Zaatari refugee camp in northern Jordan is home to almost 150,000 refugees from the Syrian conflict—many are children. Spirit of Soccer uses soccer to bring hope and teach the children of Zaatari skills that could save their lives when returning home.

Self-Help Ammunition Destruction Options Worldwide (Shadow), Lee Maroney, Kay Gamst

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In response to the increasing number of explosions at ammunition storage sites (ASA), Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) created Self-Help Ammunition Destruction Options Worldwide (SHADOW), a program emphasizing national capacity building for stockpile management and destruction through low-tech and cost-effective techniques. Following the success of its first SHADOW project in Moldova in 2010, in 2012 NPA implemented another SHADOW project focused on ASAs in cooperation with Moldova’s National Army and Ministry of Defense.

Miniature Aerial Photography Planes In Mine Action, Inna Cruz, Daniel Eriksson

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining analyzed the benefits, potential uses and cost efficiency of miniature aerial photography planes for use in mine action.

Reinforcement For Operational Mine Detection Rats, Amanda Mahoney, Christophe Cox, Bart Weetjens, Tess Tewelde, Tekimiti Gilbert, Amy Durgin, Alan Poling

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

When using animals for the detection of landmines, handlers face challenges of when to reinforce indication responses, as the actual location of landmines in the field is unknown. Anti-Persoonsmijnen Ontmijnende Product Ontwikkeling(Anti-Personnel Landmine Detection Product Development or APOPO) evaluated an inexpensive method to reinforce rat-indication responses in field settings using TNT to contaminate ground area. Rat detection accuracy was high over the TNT contamination after an overnight soak period of 16 hours and detection accuracy decreased as a function of days passed since soaking.

Tran Hong Chi grew up amid Vietnam’s unexploded ordnance (UXO) contamination. Now as an adult, Chi works as a program coordinator for Clear Path International, which provides medical and rehabilitative assistance to survivors of UXO incidents.