Peace and Conflict Studies Commons^™

Finding The Fuel Of The Arab Spring Fire: A Historical Data Analysis, Darryl K. Ahner, Luke M. Brantley

Faculty Publications

Purpose: This paper aims to address the reasons behind the varying levels of volatile conflict and peace as seen during the Arab Spring of 2011 to 2015. During this time, higher rates of conflict transition occurred than normally observed in previous studies for certain Middle Eastern and North African countries.

Design/Methodology/Approach: Previous prediction models decrease in accuracy during times of volatile conflict transition. Also, proper strategies for handling the Arab Spring have been highly debated. This paper identifies which countries were affected by the Arab Spring and then applies data analysis techniques to predict a country’s tendency to suffer from …

The Eighth Meeting Of States Parties To The Convention On Cluster Munitions (2018), Ccm

Global CWD Repository

The Eighth Meeting of States Parties of the Convention on Cluster Munitions will take place from 3 to 5 September 2018 in Geneva, at the Palais des Nations, Conference Room XVIII.

Decriminalization Of Prostitution Policy: Amnesty International Punishes A Dissenting Member, Marcia R. Lieberman

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

In 2016, Marcia Lieberman, a local group coordinator for Amnesty International, USA, was expelled by the board of directors for speaking out publicly against the new Policy on the Decriminalization of Sex Work. Amnesty used a little-known rule that prohibits a member from publicly opposing a position that Amnesty has taken. Lieberman writes about her experience and her view that Amnesty violated its fundamental principle of protecting free speech to silence her dissent.

Coalition For Prisoners' Rights Newsletter, Vol 43-Yy, No. 9, Coalition For Prisoners' Rights

Coalition for Prisoners' Rights Newsletters

The 10 National Demands

The Power of the State

What is a "Strong Economy"?

Some Prison Population Reduction

Money Bail: A Predatory System

Spirituality and Abolition

Sepon Supports Uxo Clearance In Laos, Saman Aneka, Micheal Valent

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Sepon mine, owned by the largest international mining company in Laos, MMG Lane Xang Minerals Limited Sepon (LXML), is situated in a remote area of Vilabouly District, Savannakhet Province—one of the most bombed districts in Lao PDR. Over 21,000 people have been killed or injured as a result of unexploded ordnance (UXO) accidents in the post-war period (1974–2018), of which 25 percent were in Savannakhet Province. This legacy brings unique challenges to mining operations, development projects, and agricultural production.

Life-Cycle Management Of Ammunition: Safety, Security, And Sustainability, Jovana Carapic, Eric J. Deschambault, Paul Holtom, Benjamin King

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Ammunition is an essential resource for the implementation of a national defense and security policy. National ammunition stockpiles—regardless of their functional classification—can pose risks to national security and public safety. Poor accounting and inadequate physical security of storage facilities can lead to the diversion of ammunition from the national stockpile to terrorists, criminals, and other armed groups, increasing insecurity and instability. Furthermore, the deterioration of munition components can contribute to unplanned explosions at munitions sites (UEMS), which can have significant negative socioeconomic and political consequences for the public and national governments. Comprehensive ammunition management ensures that the right types and …

Increasing Efforts In Ssma: What Does It Take?, Ursign Hofmann, Samuel Paunila, Katherine Prizeman

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The inadequate management of conventional ammunition results in negative consequences such as diversion to illicit groups and unplanned explosions at munitions sites (UEMS). Both diversion and unintended blasts can result in a severe humanitarian impact, undermine development efforts, compromise defense capabilities, and lead to instability.

In recognition of this recurring danger, political, normative, and operational efforts have increased to promote the safe and secure management of ammunition (SSMA). As the issue enjoys greater national, regional, and international attention, stakeholders should simultaneously take stock of achievements, consider if current efforts address the challenges at hand, and appreciate what further steps are …

Shattered Lives And Bodies: Recovery Of Survivors Of Improvised Explosive Devices And Explosive Remnants Of War In Northeast Syria, Médecins Sans Frontières

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In northeast Syria, fighting, airstrikes, and artillery shelling have led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians from the cities of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa, as well as rural areas along the eastern bank of the Euphrates River. Now that active fighting has moved toward the Syrian- Iraqi border, the population is beginning to return home. However, explosive remnants of war (ERW), improvised explosive devices (IED), and booby traps (remaining from conflict or planted purposefully in homes) continue to put the returning population at immense risk and further obstruct vital humanitarian access.

The Journal Of Conventional Weapons Destruction Issue 22.2 (2018), Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

FEATURE: Safe and Secure Management of Ammunition

in the SPOTLIGHT: IRAQ and SYRIA

Field Notes

Research and Development

The Hybrid Thermal Lance: A Promising New Technique For The Destruction Of Landmines And Uxo By Deflagration, Donald Pratt, Nick Torbet

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Explosive ordnance can be destroyed by a variety of methods. Destruction in-situ using an explosive charge is generally the preferred means; it is reliable, technically straightforward, and often the safest option. Other techniques include thermite-based tools or low-explosive powered disruptors. However, in a number of current humanitarian mine action (HMA) operating environments, clearance organizations are faced with restrictions on explosive use and/or importation of other energetic materials such as thermite. This may be due to the legitimate security concerns of mine-affected states, or legislative frameworks that do not account for non-military use of explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) tools. This takes …

How Iraq Is Changing What We Do: Measuring Clearance In Urban Environments, Pehr Lodhammar

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Iraq is changing what we think, say, and do about mine action. The terms, standards, and measurements used by the humanitarian mine action (HMA) community need to be revised as Daesh remains a destabilizing influence. While the Al Maedam district of Mosul fell to Iraqi Security Forces in a ‘last battle’ on 10 July 2017, the government declared an official end to the conflict in Iraq on 10 December 2017. Whereas HMA followed the signing of the Dayton

Endnotes, Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

No abstract provided.

Review Of Buddhism & Political Theory By Matthew J. Moore, Charles W. Wright

The Journal of Social Encounters

Buddhism & Political Theory, by Matthew J. Moore, proposes to extract a political theory from the Pali language texts of the Buddhist religious tradition that is palatable to Western academic sensibilities so that it might be ushered into the company of contemporary political and ethical philosophy. "Let me introduce you," the book in essence says to the world of Western philosophy, "to a long overlooked, unusual, and interesting perspective on political and ethical theory that you really ought to include in your conversations."

Review Of From Somalia To Snow: How Central Minnesota Became Home To Somalis By Hudda Ibrahim, Stephanie Chambers

The Journal of Social Encounters

When I first started studying the Somali diaspora I searched for books to fill the void in my understanding of Somali culture and life. I tracked down a wonderful book that discussed basics of Somali culture, politics, and life. That book, Somalis in Minnesota by Ahmed Yusuf, provided a sense of the Somali experience and helped me understand the journey from Somalia to the state of Minnesota. Although Yusuf’s book didn’t offer the sort of interpersonal detail in Hudda Ibrahim’s book From Somalia to Snow, Yusuf’s book was extremely helpful. Together these books offer those interested in the Somali-American …

Review Of Making Refuge: Somali Bantu Refugees And Lewiston, Maine By Catherine Besteman, Ellen Block

The Journal of Social Encounters

Catherine Besteman conduced fieldwork in the late 1980’s in the small village of Banta in southern Somalia. Implausibly, she was reunited with many of her former friends and interlocutors in Lewiston, Maine two decades later, laying the ground for this impressive ethnographic study. In Making Refuge, Besteman traces the experiences of Somali Bantu refugees from Somalia, through the Kenyan refugee camps, and to their resettlement in the United States. She shows how the prevailing view of refugees as “apolitical, docile, and dependent recipients” (Pg. 29), and as passive and grateful objects of humanitarian aid is both misconstrued and morally deficient. …

Review Of At Play In The Lions’ Den, A Biography And Memoir Of Daniel Berrigan By Jim Forest, William L. Portier

The Journal of Social Encounters

In 1957 Daniel Berrigan (1921-2016), a thirty-six-year-old Jesuit priest, about to begin teaching New Testament at Lemoyne College in his hometown of Syracuse, New York, published his first book. A book of poetry entitled Time Without Number, it won the Lamont Poetry Award and was also nominated for a National Book Award. At the time, he realized that, "Publishers would now take almost anything I chose to compile; the question of quality was largely in my own hands and my own sense of things" (47). In the next four years, he published two more books of poetry and two …

Review Of Flourishing: Why We Need Religion In A Globalized World By Miroslav Volf., Jon Armajani

The Journal of Social Encounters

Dr. Miroslav Volf is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Systematic Theology at Yale University and the Founding Director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture. His works have spanned several subfields within the discipline of theology -- from a book, published in 1988, on Karl Marx’s concept of labor and its theological value, to a book published in 1996, which is a theological exploration of identity, otherness, and reconciliation, to a book published in 2012 on Jews, Christian, and Muslims in dialogue. In Volf’s Flourishing: Why We Need Religion in a Globalized World, he attempts to shed …

Refugee Socio-Cultural Integration And Peaceful Co-Existence In Uganda, Sharon Sylvia Nambuya, Joseph Okumu, Ronald Pagnucco

The Journal of Social Encounters

The dramatic increase in the number of refugees globally has led to increased attention to conflicts between refugees and communities in the countries where they have sought refuge. Three durable solutions are used for the placement of refugees: voluntary repatriation to their home country if conditions there permit; permanent settlement and local integration in the receiving country; and resettlement in a third country. Permanent settlement and local integration is seen as good option although there still exists gaps in understanding the integration process and if it leads to peaceful co-existence between refugees and members of the host community. This study …

Gender Identity And Justice In Nigeria: An Appraisal Of Women In Lagos State, Oluwaseun Olanrewaju

The Journal of Social Encounters

This paper examines gender identity and justice in the light of gender discrimination against women in Nigeria. Through the use of primary research, with the specific focus on women resident in Lagos state, the findings of this research show that in Nigeria, women are often considered as subservient to men. This paper therefore asserts that there is an urgent need to address gender inequality in order to create a gender balanced society. Furthermore, the paper concludes that gender equality will translate to justice for women and empower them to contribute positively to the overall development of Nigeria.

The Role Of The Traditional Somali Model In Peacemaking, Hudda Ibrahim

The Journal of Social Encounters

In this paper I explore the mediation and reconciliation efforts of traditional Somali elders. I also discuss why traditional elders have been effective peacemakers in Northern Somali (Somaliland) but not in Somalia. I argue that four factors comprising an "insider-partial mediation" approach in Somaliand helps to explain why it was effective there. In conclusion, this paper shows that the traditional Somali approach of peacemaking is a viable and effective approach to mitigating conflicts in Somalia.

The Challenge Of Securing Kenya: Past Experience, Present Challenges And Future Prospects, Mumo Nzau, Mohammed Guyo

The Journal of Social Encounters

The dynamic nature of insecurity and mitigation strategies cannot be adequately understood without comparing the present conjuncture and the past experiences. This paper provides a temporal assessment of security in Kenya by scanning convergent and divergent insecurity experiences and mitigation strategies of the regimes of Jomo Kenyatta, Daniel Arap Moi, Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta. The security dynamics have been shaped by drivers located at local, national and global levels. The convergence of local insecurity and protracted transitional terrorist attacks has produced a high trajectory of insecurity with a negative impact on the economy, social cohesion and stability. The contradiction …

A Cross-Cultural Approach To Environmental And Peace Work: Wangari Maathai’S Use Of Mottainai In Kenya, Eddah Mutua, Kikuko Omori

The Journal of Social Encounters

Protecting the environment and nurturing peace are global concerns requiring scholarly attention across and within cultures. This essay proposes that cross-cultural exchange serves as an invaluable approach to the goal of communicating about creating a healthy environment and everyday peace. We examine how Wangari Maathai interpreted the meaning and purpose of Mottainai as a global call to save the environment. Mottainai is an ancient Japanese concept that means “Don’t waste! What a waste!” Of interest to us is establishing Maathai’s motivation to employ the concept of Mottainai as informed by her lived experiences in Kenya. The relevance of Mottainai to …

An Overview Of Four Traditions On War And Peace In Christian History, Joseph J. Fahey

The Journal of Social Encounters

This essay examines four traditions on war and peace that have developed in Christian history. They are: Pacifism, Just War, Total War, and World Community.Pacifism characterized the earliest Christians; Just War appeared in the late fourth and fifth centuries; Total War in the eleventh century; and World Community began in the sixteenth century. All four positions continue today and are held by people who sincerely call themselves Christian.

Inclusion And Social Justice As Peacemaking Within Higher Education, Mary Dana Hinton

The Journal of Social Encounters

The Journal of Social Encounters has been described as “a venue in which we can encounter one other and build the common good together” (Okumu & Pagnucco, 2017, p. ii). In many ways, this description of the Journal mirrors what we endeavor to accomplish in higher education in the United States in general, and in Catholic higher education in particular. While our mission statements vary, and how we achieve the mission will look different on all of our campuses, there is widespread consensus that higher education provides a space wherein people can learn together for the good of supporting our …

Commentary On The Investigation: The April 20, 2001 Peruvian Shootdown Accident, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article critiques an investigative report officially intended (1) to establish the facts and circumstances contributing to the April 20, 2001 interdiction of a United States (US) missionary floatplane and the death of two US citizens and (2) to make recommendations to minimize another such accident. The report was issued by the US Department of State Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

2018 – 2020 Key Strategic Issues List, Antulio J. Echevarria Ii

Articles & Editorials

No abstract provided.

Beyond Keeping The Peace: Can Peacekeepers Reduce Ethnic Divisions After Violence?, Douglas D. Page, Sam Whitt

Political Science Faculty Publications

Existing research suggests that international peacekeeping contributes to conflict resolution and helps sustain peace, often in locations with hostile ethnic divisions. However, it is unclear whether the presence of peacekeepers actually reduces underlying ethnocentric views and parochial behaviors that sustain those divisions. We examine the effects of NATO peacekeeper deployments on ethnocentrism in postwar Bosnia. While peacekeepers were not randomly deployed in Bosnia, we find that highly ethnocentric attitudes were common across Bosnia at the onset of peacekeeper deployments, reducing endogeneity concerns. To measure ethnocentrism, we employ a variety of survey instruments as well as a behavioral experiment (the dictator …

Coalition For Prisoners' Rights Newsletter, Vol 43-Yy, No. 8, Coalition For Prisoners' Rights

Coalition for Prisoners' Rights Newsletters

Who Gets the Money?

What Do We Get?

Puerto Rico Transportar a 3.200 Prisioneros a Cárceles del Territorio Continental Estadounidense

Freer Than Before

Prison Health News: Call for Submissions

Forty Years Later

Support Sought

Amazing Grace?

The Reduction Of Weapons-Related Violence: A Global Approach To Saving Lives, Hi

Global CWD Repository

HI's history is closely intertwined with the fight against armed violence, including the use of anti-personnel landmines, cluster munitions, and other explosive remnants of war, and the proliferation of light and small caliber weapons. The history of Humanity & Inclusion has been marked by our humanitarian commitment to reducing the impact of conventional weapons on civilian populations. HI was founded in 1982 to help Cambodian victims of landmines, and in 1992, we launched the first of many demining programs. Today, the organization continues to advocate for the landmine and cluster munitions ban treaties and runs victim assistance, demining, and risk …

Radical Islamist English-Language Online Magazines: Research Guide, Strategic Insights, And Policy Response, Robert J. Bunker Dr., Pamela L. Bunnker

Books, Monographs & Collaborative Studies

Radical Islamist online magazines first appeared in November 2003 with the publication of Sawt al-Jihad (Voice of Jihad) in Arabic. This magazine discontinued publication in April 2005 after 29 issues, having been shut down by the Saudi security services. The magazine was produced by the Saudi branch of al-Qaeda that later evolved into al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). It called upon other al-Qaeda groups to develop and franchise their own magazines. Besides the plethora of radical Islamist online magazines in Arabic that has been produced since 2003—along with those in many other languages including Urdu, Russian, German, French, and …