Peace and Conflict Studies Commons^™

Transitional Justice And The Truth Commission In Nepal, Andrea Russell

Senior Honors Projects

The purpose of this project is to explore the role of transitional justice mechanisms in directing the peace process, constitution making, and power sharing in Nepal. For more than ten years Nepal experienced violent conflict between the national army and an insurgent political movement led by the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist. The conflict claimed more than 13,000 lives and was characterized by widespread cases of disappearance. The families of those who were abducted or killed without a trace remain without answers, and the call for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to document past injustices is strong.

In March 2012, I …

Economic Aid And Conflict Transformation In Northern Ireland And The Border Area: Respondents’ Perceptions Of Awareness, Fairness, Trust Building, And Sustainability, Peter Karari, Sean Byrne, Olga Skarlato, Kawser Ahmed

Peace and Conflict Studies

Intractable ethnopolitical conflicts emanate from the social, political, cultural, and economic marginalization of some community groups. To address these conflicts, the affected groups are often provided with life changing opportunities to enhance justice, equality, dignity and freedom. In the past, Northern Ireland has been a turbulent sea of violent conflict between Unionists and Nationalists. To address the underlying root causes of the conflict, economic aid through the International Fund for Ireland (IFI) and the European Union (EU) Peace II Fund is aimed at facilitating sustainable peacebuilding, reconciliation and community development. In this study, 95 community group leaders, civil servants, and …

Redefining Sovereignty: An Analysis Of U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon’S Rhetoric On The Responsibility To Protect Doctrine, Jason Edwards

Peace and Conflict Studies

This essay examines United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon’s rhetoric concerning the responsibility to protect doctrine (R2P). This essay seeks to rhetorically map the arguments concerning the nature of R2P and what its specific components are. Specifically, I argue that Ban Ki-Moon’s rhetoric serves to redefine and update sovereignty and the responsibilities of statehood for a twenty-first century world. The rhetoric of R2P has important implications for the debates surrounding military intervention on “humanitarian” grounds.

Faith-Based Peacebuilding: A Case Study Of The National Council Of Churches Of Kenya, John Mwangi Githigaro

Peace and Conflict Studies

This article explores the peacebuilding contribution of the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK), following the post-2007 election violence in Kenya. Faith-based organizations are increasingly taking an active role in peacebuilding in conflict prone and affected societies. The paper presents research findings that the NCCK perceived that it was positively involved in areas of humanitarian assistance and building of bridges among communities divided by the violence. The paper contextualizes the triggers or the causes of the post-election violence in Kenya after the December 2007 elections and offers suggestions for peaceful co-existence.

The Israeli-Palestinian Oslo Process: A Prenegotiation Perspective, Amira Schiff

Peace and Conflict Studies

In this paper, I explore the prenegotiation process between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which extended over eight months in 1993 and ended with the signing of the Declaration of Principles (DOP) in September of that year. During this period, the parties committed to recognize each other and conduct future negotiations with the aim of ending a century of conflict. The DOP was considered a significant breakthrough in Israeli-Palestinian relations. Scholars of Conflict Resolution typically view the discussions that led to the DOP as a positive example of how antagonists in ethno-national conflicts begin a course of constructive …

Front Matter, Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.

Is Hamas A Religious Terrorist Group?, Megan Flemming

Undergraduate Research Conference

In 2004 the Palestinian terrorist group, Hamas, took part in municipal elections and since then they have continued to gain more political influence. Because of the recent political activity of Hamas it is relevant to revaluate Bruce Hoffman's assertion that Hamas is a religious terrorist group. By using the same three criteria that Hoffman used originally, (use of violence, the intended audience, and self perception) and comparing them to the current actions of Hamas it is evident that Hoffman is no longer correct and that Hamas should now be classified as a secular terrorist group. Categorizing the group correctly is …

Remittance And Poverty Reduction: A Study Of Post-Conflict Migration From Nepal, Shreeya Neupane '12

Honor Scholar Theses

This paper is divided into six sections. Section 1 1s the introduction which lays out the problem and how it plans to respond to it. Section 2 contextualizes the problem by providing a brief political, historical and demographic background surrounding migration and historicizing poverty. Section 3 is on the methodology used in this paper. Section 4 describes the demographics related to migration. Section 5 focuses on the reported trends of poverty reduction and its validity. Section 6 is on the unintended consequences of migration, including inequality, feminization of labor and the real estate bubble and how these issues limit migration’s …

Jumpstart At Umass Boston, Jheanell West

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Jumpstart is the only national supplemental preschool program of its kind, leveraging adult-child relationships to deliver a carefully designed curriculum that builds the key language and literacy skills children need to succeed. Jumpstart’s program works with preschool children because we know that intervening early is critical and will result in the best long-term benefits for our nation’s children. Jumpstart’s program prepares children for kindergarten to ensure greater success in elementary school and in life. In fact, the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child at Harvard University states that “Addressing significant inequalities in opportunity, beginning in the earliest years of …

Veterans Upward Bound: A Federally Funded Trio Program, "Preparing Veterans For College At Umass, Boston Since 1973", Linda Mitchell

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Veterans Upward Bound Program at the University of Massachusetts Boston provides a unique opportunity for men and women veterans of all ages to acquire the academic skills required for entry into higher education and/or to acquire the equivalent of a high school diploma. This is federally funded TRIO program.

Geneva International Centre For Humanitarian Demining Annual Report 2011, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

Annual narrative report on the work of the GICHD during 2011.

Take Back Rondebosch Common: A Case Study On Discontent With The Da And Urban Land Reform In Rondebosch, Cape Town., Kyle Dallman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In late January of 2012, undercurrents of dissatisfaction with Cape Town’s ruling political party, the Democratic Alliance, and their pace of development and service delivery came to a head as aggrieved citizens marched through the southern suburbs of the city to a green known as Rondebosch Common. The citizens had planned on protesting the lack of opportunities for Cape Town’s non-white citizens while at the Common in a “Land, Housing and Jobs Summit,” but were met with police batons and armored vans that quelled the movement in an astonishing show of force. This paper will investigate the motivations of the …

Coalition For Prisoners' Rights Newsletter, Vol 36-O, No. 4, Coalition For Prisoners' Rights

Coalition for Prisoners' Rights Newsletters

Incarceration Nation

Cruel and Dehumanizing

Prison Rape

Crime of the Month

Se Celebra Día del Niño

Voices From Inside

Evaluation Of The Un Mine Action Programme In Nepal, Ted Paterson, Prabin Chitraker, Abigail Hartley

Global CWD Repository

This evaluation looks at the UN Mine Action Programme in Nepal, which comprised two distinct but complementary components: one managed by the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) and the other by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

The aims of the evaluation were to:

1. assess the efficacy of the UN Mine Action Programme in Nepal
2. identify strengths and weaknesses in the relationships, structures, capacity development and processes that have been established
3. make recommendations for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of similar programmes

Sectarianism In Northern Ireland: Youth Work And The Art Of Having The Difficult Conversation, Dan Knishkowy

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This report is the outcome of a month-long exploratory study on youth work in Northern Ireland regarding sectarian issues. It is an investigation of how sectarianism transfers from generation to generation, and how this often results in cycles of violence. The goal of this exploration was to find out what efforts are being made to combat this cycle at a youth level, and gain a more nuanced understanding of how these efforts can be effective. Data was obtained through literature, structured interviews, and participation and observation in a youth workshop. It is concluded that cross-community contact at a youth level …

The Power Of Fission: How The Discovery Of Fission Adversely Affected Us/Soviet Relations, Kathy Shinnick

Graduate History Conference, UMass Boston

In 1940 FDR told the leading Western scientists that they were not responsible for the way science was being used to perpetuate oppressive world domination. He went on to convince them that while they could not trust Hitler to use their knowledge towards positive means, they could trust the United States to forward the values of world peace.

In light of the events that followed from that speech in 1940 to the dropping of the atomic bomb in 1945, without informing the Soviet Union, this pivotal moment insights a series of questions concerning the ways in which the United States’ …

Geneva International Centre For Humanitarian Demining, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining’s mission is to serve as a leading center of mine-action excellence, and to help States Parties implement the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (also known as the Anti-personnel Mine Ban Convention or APMBC), the Convention on Cluster Munitions and other relevant instruments of humanitarian law. GICHD bridges the gaps between research, lessons learned and practice. It promotes evidence-based policies and develops standards, making mine action faster, cheaper, safer, more effective, sustainable and inclusive.

Norwegian People’S Aid, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Norwegian People’s Aid is the humanitarian organization of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (also known as LO). NPA is a politically independent organization but often takes political stances internationally in an effort to meet its strategic goals of “the just distribution of power and resources” and “the protection of life and health for all.”

At Issue: Weapons Of War, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The methodology of war has changed throughout history, from the trench warfare of World War I and the use of nuclear weapons in World War II to the drone technology of today.

Director's Letter, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

I don’t believe in sitting still. When you work with survivors and leaders from the global landmine-action community, how could you? I’m inspired on a daily basis by their courage, fortitude and resilience—characteristics I saw recently during a trip to Iraqi Kurdistan.

Azerbaijan National Agency For Mine Action, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In 1994, hostilities between Armenian forces and the Azerbaijani military ceased. Although a lasting peace agreement is still being negotiated, this ending marked the beginning of a long process of landmine and unexploded-ordnance removal in the region bordering Armenia. In 1999, the Government of Azerbaijan and the United Nations Development Programme signed an agreement that established the Azerbaijan Mine Action Programme to deal with landmine and unexploded ordnance clearance. The implementing agency of the Azerbaijan Mine Action Programme is the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action, which is responsible for the planning, coordination, management and monitoring of all mine-action activities …

Organization Of American States, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Organization of American States was established in 1948 with the signing of the Charter of the OAS in Bogotá, Colombia. The OAS was created to help the member states attain “an order of peace and justice, to promote their solidarity, to strengthen their collaboration, and to defend their sovereignty, their territorial integrity, and their independence.”

The Halo Trust, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In 1988, following the withdrawal of Soviet Forces from Afghanistan, Guy Willoughby established The Hazardous Area Life-support Organization Trust—commonly known as The HALO Trust—a nonprofit organization dedicated to clearing explosive and hazardous remnants of war.

The Humpty Dumpty Institute, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In 1998, a group of business entrepreneurs came together with a desire to tackle some of the world’s leading humanitarian problems. They developed the Humpty Dumpty Institute as a way to find creative solutions to global issues, such as explosive remnants of war and food security.

The Marshall Legacy Institute, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Marshall Legacy Institute is a Virginia-based nonprofit organization formed in 1997 to extend the vision of Nobel Peace Prize laureate George C. Marshall by alleviating suffering and promoting hope, growth and stability in war-torn countries. For many nations, a primary obstacle to achieving sustainable progress is the deadly legacy of landmines that halt agricultural production, slow development, impede the return of refugees, and kill and injure innocent citizens.

Life Line Consultancy And Rehabilitation, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

At the age of 14, Kamel Saadi became a landmine survivor and amputee. On 16 March 1979, Saadi was enjoying a barbecue picnic with family and friends near Umm Qais, an area along the Jordanian-Israeli border contaminated with landmines from Jordan’s conflicts with Israel during the 1960s and 1970s. While walking along a hilly pathway, he stepped on a rock concealing a landmine that caused severe damage to his foot; eight hours later, doctors amputated his left foot.

Peacetrees Vietnam, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In 1969, Jerilyn Brusseau’s brother, American Daniel Cheney, died when his helicopter was shot down over Vietnam’s southern provinces. Brusseau vowed that when the war was over she would work for reconciliation. Gathered with friends around the breakfast table one Sunday morning, the group decided on an avenue to build bridges of reconciliation between the United States and Vietnam: “We wanted to take the spirit of ‘citizen diplomacy’ fostered by 18 previous international PeaceTrees programs in other countries to a deeper level, by working with the Vietnamese people in removing landmines and planting trees.”

Peer-Support Training For Nonliterate And Semiliterate Female Ex-Combatants: Experience In Burundi, Cameron Macauley, Monica Onyango, Eric Niragira

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In September 2011, 25 female veterans of Burundi’s civil war were trained to become peer-support workers. The five-day training, funded under a grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and conducted by James Madison University’s Center for International Stabilization and Recovery, was the first of its kind to offer peer-counseling skills to nonliterate and semiliterate women.

World Education, Inc., Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

After nearly a lifetime of work as an educator in China and throughout the world, Welthy Honsinger Fisher returned to India to continue her work in education at the request of Mahatma Gandhi in 1947. She founded the Literacy House, a small school providing basic education and agricultural training for disadvantaged adults. Observing that literacy training was needed to empower men and women worldwide, in 1951, she and others founded World Education, an international nonprofit dedicated to world literacy.

Somalia Famine: Terrorism And Landmines Hinder Aid, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Drought, rising food prices, famine and conflict have forced thousands of Somalis to flee to neighboring countries or become internally displaced. Aid agencies continue delivering food, but the ongoing conflict between al-Shabab and Somali government forces makes additional help difficult. The landmine threat further exacerbates the crisis, contributing to food insecurity, endangering refugees and threatening aid agencies trying to reach those in need.