Peace and Conflict Studies Commons^™

January Roundtable: Responding To The Syrian Crisis, Introduction, Claudia Fuentes Julio

Human Rights & Human Welfare

An annotation of:

“The World Next Genocide” by Simon Adams. New York Times, November 2012.

and

“Syria is Central to Holding Together the Mideast” by Condoleezza Rice. Washington Post, November 2012.

Syrians Crushed Between Humanitarianism And Realism, Philip Cunliffe

Human Rights & Human Welfare

With the UN High Commissioner for Refugees announcing early this year that the war in Syria may have claimed as many as 60,000 lives, two op-eds published late in 2012 usefully exemplify two contrasting frames that have thus far dominated international responses to the conflict—namely, the humanitarian frame and the geopolitical frame. Yet despite the apparent contrasts between these two frameworks, both reflect a similar contempt for the Syrian people and their right to self-determination. The humanitarian framing of the conflict emphasizes the scale of human suffering and the need to alleviate it, while the geopolitical frame accentuates political interests …

Syria: Not Libya, But Let’S Treat It Like It Is Anyway, Eric A. Heinze

Human Rights & Human Welfare

The articles by Condoleezza Rice and Simon Adams advance a series of disquieting possibilities for the future of Syria if the US and other states fail to act. While I am sympathetic to the urgency with which both writers advance their claims, there is much strained and stretched logic—as well as outright naiveté—in both authors' arguments, especially Rice's.

Transitions From War To Peace, Caroline A. Hartzell

Political Science Faculty Publications

The Elgar Handbook of Civil War and Fragile States brings together contributions from a multidisciplinary group of internationally renowned scholars on such important issues as the causes of violent conflicts and state fragility, the challenges of conflict resolution and mediation, and the obstacles to post-conflict reconstruction and durable peace-building. This chapter examines the state of current knowledge regarding transitions from war to peace following civil wars.

The Impact Of Gold Mining On Local Farming Communities In Ghana, Emmanuel Yamoah Tenkorang, Patrick Osei-Kufuor

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

The increase in leases for surface gold mining in Ghana between 1983 and 1998 has had drastic consequences for sustainable land use and management in the country. Most of these leases were for surface mining displacing the original owners from large arable land needed for their livelihoods. This situation makes the local people vulnerable to econom-ic uncertainties. The real benefits accruing to the ordinary Ghanaian in these mining communities is simply taken, for granted as monetary compensation is paid to affected community members. Such palliative payments to people displaced by mining activities do not address the existing vulnerabilities of these …

India-Pakistan Relations: International Implications, Alka Jauhari

Political Science & Global Affairs Faculty Publications

India’s independence in 1947 from the British colonial rule and its subsequent division into two nations – India and Pakistan - has sowed the seeds of continuing conflict between the two countries since their independence. The partition of India was primarily based on the religious divide between the two communities – the Hindus and the Muslims. After India’s partition, the major issue of conflict between the two countries has been the Muslim dominated northern state of Jammu and Kashmir, currently a part of India. This bilateral conflict has had international implications over the years. Decades of conflict, which includes three …

Democratic Peace Theory As Applied To Europe And The Middle East, Patrick G. Rear

Global Tides

Peace has been the goal of many leaders throughout history, and recent democratic movements in the Middle East have made the first steps toward a democratic peace in the region. This paper compares the European experience of Germany and France in the transition to democracy with the recent developments in the Middle East through November 2012. The impact of democratic revolution in Egypt is compared with the government established in Iraq following the U.S. invasion. Already, notable changes can be seen in the bilateral relations between Egypt and Israel, and between Iraq and Iran, which this paper attempts to evaluate …

Hunting For Huntington’S Evidence: An Empirical Reassessment Of The Clash Of Civilizations Theory, John Daniel Shindelar

Political Science Theses and Capstones

I inquire into Samuel P. Huntington’s clash of civilizations theory as outlined in his landmark The Clash of Civilizations. I explore conflicts starting at the end of the Cold War to 2007 in order to examine whether Huntington’s theory has been materializing (there is a marked increase in conflicts between Civilizations, and they have become more intense) or if the face of conflicts has stayed relatively similar to Cold War era clashes. I use International Crisis Behavior data on conflicts since the fall of the U.S.S.R. which Huntington cites as the end of a bipolar world and the beginning of …

The Strategy Of The United Nations On Mine Action 2013-2018, Unmas

Global CWD Repository

Affected states, with the support of the international community, have achieved real progress in addressing the threat of mines and ERWs, including cluster munitions. This has been reflected most notably by the drastic reduction in casualties over the last two decades, as well as by increased national capacity, advances in the universalization of various treatises and conventions and enhanced cooperation amongst mine action actors.

Significant challenges remain but these achievements constitute major opportunities to accelerate the realization of a world free of these threats.

The Strategy of the United Nations on Mine Action 2013-2018 (“the strategy”) presents the common objectives …

Itf Enhancing Human Security Annual Report 2013, Itf-Enhancy Human Security

Global CWD Repository

ITF Enhancing Human Security (ITF) is a humanitarian, non-profit organization devoted to the elimination of threat from post-conflict and disruptive challenges, including landmines, explosive remnants of war (ERW) and the illicit ownership and use of small arms and light weapons (SALW), in South-East Europe and other affected regions in the world.

Established by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia in March 1998, the initial purpose of ITF was to help Bosnia and Herzegovina in the implementation of the peace agreement and to provide assistance and support in relation to post-conflict rehabilitation.

Since its inception, ITF has augmented its activities …

Apopo Annual Report 2013, Apopo

Global CWD Repository

2013 has been a busy year once again for the APOPO mine action team. In Mozambique APOPO has been instrumental in clearing Gaza Province of landmines and Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) to the point where Gaza has been declared “Impact Free”. The teams have since been deployed to other Provinces within the country to continue their efforts with the aim of assisting Mozambique to achieve full compliance with its Anti-Personal Mine Ban Convention obligations by December 2014.

In Angola, APOPO has partnered with Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) and is providing our unique Mine Detection Rats (MDRs) to assist with …

2013 Conference Report: The Social Practice Of Human Rights, Mark Ensalaco

Human Rights Program Documents

Universities have new importance in the global human rights movement.

This was the resounding message the University of Dayton heard at its global conference on human rights advocacy in October 2013. The human rights movement is experiencing dramatic changes. Dynamic new NGOs in the global South are resetting the human rights agenda. Popular movements inspired by human rights ideals are arising around the world to demand justice. New information technologies are creating the possibility of real global solidarity. The movement must adapt. Human rights organizations must imagine new strategies to address poverty and other root causes of human rights violations. …

2013 Conference Brochure: Be A Part Of The Human Rights Movement's New Frontier, University Of Dayton Human Rights Center

Human Rights Program Documents

Why must we explore the social practice of human rights?

In the 65 years since the U.N.’s Universal Declaration on Human Rights, the human rights community has become a standard-bearer of normative behavior, influencing development and humanitarian organizations, multinational corporations and philanthropists. Though the movement is viewed as honorable and admirable, the certainty of its mission can inhibit introspection; a natural tendency is to prioritize rather than challenge prevailing assumptions.

Are the good intentions of human rights advocates enough? No. Research and dialogue can help propel the human rights community forward by facilitating introspection to improve both advocacy and action: …

Grounding The International Norm On Women, Peace And Security: The Role Of Domestic Norm Entrepreneurs And The Challenges Ahead, Ma. Lourdes Veneracion-Rallonza

Political Science Department Faculty Publications

One of the gaps in the study of international norms is the process by which they are institutionalized and accepted at the national level. As the international norm negotiates its way through various national (and even grassroots) levels, a point of inquiry would be how domestic norm entrepreneurs have enabled its localization. This study looks at the narrative of a loose network of peace and women’s human rights groups that worked together to localize United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on women, peace and security in the Philippines. Specifically, it reviews how the network evolved to become a domestic …

Mine Action And Land Rights In South Sudan: Key Findings And Recommendations, Sharmala Naidoo, Francesca Marzatico, Lisa Monaghan

Global CWD Repository

In March 2013, GICHD and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) undertook a joint mission to South Sudan on land rights and mine action in order to provide mine action organisations with analysis on land related conflict and practical guidance on how they can ensure their mine action operations “do no harm” and take land issues into consideration. This report summarises the key findings and recommendations from that mission.

Coalition For Prisoners' Rights Newsletter, Vol. 38-X, No. 1, Coalition For Prisoners' Rights

Coalition for Prisoners' Rights Newsletters

What are we Buying? What are we Gettiing?

Derecho de las Mujeres a la Cuidad

In Memoriam

LifeLines Poetry Competition 2013

Crime of the Month

In Support Of Corporate Social Responsibility In Developing Countries By Western Multinationals: An Illustrative Case In Ghana, Hope Torkornoo

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

The global economy offers opportunities for businesses to integrate business units and processes into seamless value-creating engines that can bring their global strength and capabilities to bear within each local market. The purpose of this paper is to suggest that proactive corporate social responsibility (CSR) by Western multinational enterprises op-erating in developing countries, such as those in Africa, not only serves to soften the Ja-nus-face of globalization but enhances their long-term economic interests as well. The paper posits that CSR provides a framework for a thoughtful modus operandi that wins the trust of local customers, employees, business partners, and the …

Coups D'État And Democracy: Implications For Development Aid, Theresa Simcic

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Coups d’état are a type of political instability that involves a sitting ruler being overthrown by his or her own military or other elite within the state apparatus. Coups are commonly viewed as a threat to democracy. Policy makers in donor countries have taken action in line with this belief by implementing foreign aid suspension policies in regard to states that recently experienced a coup. More recent research, however, shows that coups may actually promote democracy; particularly in long-standing autocratic states. In these circumstances, the new democracies may benefit more from an increase in aid, as opposed to suspension of …

When The Traditional Justice System Is The Best Suited Approach To Conflict Management: The Acholi Mato Oput, Joseph Kony, And The Lord's Resistance Army (Lra) In Uganda, Charles Baguma

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

The majority of Acholi recognize that most combatants in the Lord 's Resistance Army (LRA) were fo rcibly abducted and have themselves been victims. This creates a moral empathy with the perpetrators and an acknowledgement that the formal justice system is not sufficiently nuanced to make the necessary distinctions between legal and moral gu ilt. This has generated a remarkable commitment to reconciliation and a peaceful settlement of the conflict rather than calling for retribution against the perpetrators of serious abuses. The Acholi religious, cultural. and local government leaders have advocated for traditionally- based ritual processes for war-related justice, reconciliation, …

Calypso: Effecting Conflict Transformation Through The Indigenous Calypso Art-Form, Edward M. Phillips

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

The calypso, which forms an integral part of the carnival celebrations of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is a syncretic popular art-form that has its origin in Africa. The art-form, having been influenced and adapted by the experiences of enslaved Africans in the Diaspora, has been fused in the vortex of plantation society. Today, the music of carnival has evolved considerably, with the calypso becoming one of the cornerstones of the carnival celebration. This paper looks at aspects of the subset of political calypsos that offer commentary on the socio-political and/or economic issues in the Republic of Trinidad and …

Natural Resource Conflict: The Bakassi Lesson For Sudan And The Republic Of South Sudan Over Abyei, Chux Ibekwe

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

The split of Sudan into two sovereign states, Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan, in July 20 II did not come as a surprise to many interested parties to the Sudanese conflict. Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan have intensified their dispute over an oil rich border region of Abyei. This article looks at the history of another border dispute between Nigeria and Cameroun over Bakassi peninsula with the aim of identifying mistakes made by the two neighbors, Nigeria and Cameroun, in trying to resolve the dispute. Specifically, this study suggests paths Sudan and the Republic of South …

Introduction: The Year Of Ghana At Kennesaw State University, Dan Paracka, Sam Abaidoo

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

Introduction to the issue.

Analysis Of Technology Integration In Teacher Education In Ghana, Douglas D. Agyei

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

Ghana’s Education Reforms launched in June 2007 introduced Computer literacy not on-ly as a new subject, but also as a tool to enhance teaching and learning. This study pro-vides a situational analysis of the pedagogical issues associated with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) use in teacher education in Ghana. The methodology used in the study focused on meta-data analysis in which issues associated with integrat-ing ICT in Ghana’s education were re-examined to provide a better picture that will sup-port future achievement of teaching and learning with ICT. The evidence suggests that the challenges of ICT use in education do not …

Exclusive Breastfeeding Practices Of Mothers In Duakor, A Traditional Migrant Community In Cape Coast, Ghana, Solomon Sika-Bright, Georgina Yaa Oduro

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

Ensuring child health and well-being is critical in Ghana’s development. Central to initia-tives for ensuring child health is the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended exclusive breastfeeding, which is increasingly being promoted in Ghana. As the name connotes, the practice requires that babies from age zero to six months are breastfed. This practice is however interpreted and practiced differently in line with the traditional mode of feeding babies in most communities in Ghana. This paper presents the findings of a study that examined how mothers breastfeed their babies in the first six months at Dua-kor, a traditional migrant community in Cape …

Rural Women's Role In The Socio-Economic Growth And Well-Being Of Ghana: A Case Study Of Women Operating Within The Informal Sector, Raphael Avornyo

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

This paper examines women’s contributions to Ghana’s economic growth and well-being. Data for the study were collected using interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) with women operating in the informal sector of the Twifo-Hemang-Lower Denkyira District. The main findings of the study showed that even though women con-tribute to socio-economic growth and well-being, most of them do not have adequate ac-cess to the resources needed to expand their impact. The paper recommends policies aimed at addressing women’s issues regarding the socio-economic system, so that they can create wealth and improve well-being for themselves, their children, and society at large.

About The Contributors, Dan Paracka

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

No abstract provided.

The Rising Digital Missile Gap: The Security Threat Of The United States’ Cyber Inactivity, Christian Pedersen

Pepperdine Policy Review

Over the past two decades, the ubiquitousness of the internet has created new reals in which artistic expression, dialogue, and commerce have flourished. Yet the same technologies which bring about the conveniences of the modern age also carry the greatest threats to international security over the next few decades. Defense strategies and security protocols have failed to evolve at the same rate at which internet technologies have grown. While the eminence and complexity of cyber-attacks continues to be debatable, the fact remains that networks are vulnerable to attack by both foreign governments and non-state actors. Unless definitive and aggressive steps …

Here, We Are Walking On A Clothesline: Statelessness And Human (In)Security Among Burmese Women Political Exiles Living In Thailand, Elizabeth Hooker

Dissertations and Theses

An estimated twelve million people worldwide are stateless, or living without the legal bond of citizenship or nationality with any state, and consequently face barriers to employment, property ownership, education, health care, customary legal rights, and national and international protection. More than one-quarter of the world's stateless people live in Thailand. This feminist ethnography explores the impact of statelessness on the everyday lives of Burmese women political exiles living in Thailand through the paradigm of human security and its six indicators: food, economic, personal, political, health, and community security. The research reveals that exclusion from national and international legal protections …

After Assad: Syria’S Post-Conflict Reconstruction, H. M. Roff

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Simon Adams and Condoleezza Rice warn us that with the portended fall of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, the country could witness even more heinous crimes and, potentially, regional political fallout. These worries are not unfounded. However, what seems to be truly missing in their discussions is any mention of post-conflict reconstruction planning. This is unfortunate, as much handwringing is still occurring over "what to do" in Syria, and it will continue until there is a clear vision of what to do after this civil war. Syria's post-conflict reconstruction plan is—or should be—inherently tied to its current operational agenda.

Myths About Syria, James Pattison

Human Rights & Human Welfare

In my contribution, I want to focus on five fallacious claims and arguments that have been presented about the conflict in Syria. (Please note that this piece was written in Dec 2012).