Blogs & Opinions
The Great “Green” Heist: When Artificial Intelligence and Arms Dealers Seize the Minerals of the South
Jul 31, 2026
|
Franck Zongwe Lukama
We were sold a simple equation: to save the planet, we must dig. Dig faster, deeper, extracting from the earth the cobalt, lithium, or copper…
Positioning Humanitarians at the Intersection of Environment, Climate, Conflict and Peace
Jul 31, 2026
|
Juliane Schillinger
What role can humanitarian organizations play at the intersection of conflict, climate change and environmental degradation? As these challenges increasingly converge in some of the…
Climate Risk Is Forcing Multilateralism to Evolve
Jul 30, 2026
|
Janani Vivekananda
A new trend is emerging in climate diplomacy: some of the most consequential conversations are happening in new, multi actor dialogues that sit alongside the…
The Indus Water Treaty Suspension: A Growing Threat to Regional Security
Jul 30, 2026
|
Mohammad Ishaq Rahman
The recent suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty by India following the Pahagram incident in April 2025 marks a dangerous turning point in South Asian…
The Environmental Peacebuilding Agenda: What’s Essential and Where Do We Go Next?
Jul 30, 2026
|
Mara Pusic and Karishma Goswami
Environmental peacebuilding is at a pivotal moment. Rising geopolitical tensions, accelerating climate impacts, shifting political priorities in the Global North, and reduced capacity bilateral and…
Why the Kimberley Process Still Matters: Protecting the Integrity of the Global Diamond Trade
Jul 29, 2026
|
Kundai Kwenda
The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) continues to play a pivotal role in protecting the integrity of the global diamond trade by promoting transparency, ethical…
World Conservation Day: Restoring Nature to Build Resilience, Cooperation and Lasting Peace
Jul 28, 2026
|
Kathryn Goodwin
As climate change intensifies pressures on people and ecosystems, IUCN’s Global EbA Fund projects demonstrate how Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) can advance climate resilience while fostering…
Starvation as a Weapon: The ICJ Myanmar Case Could Redefine Genocide
Jul 28, 2026
|
Yuyun Wahyuningrum
As the International Court of Justice deliberates its judgment in the case of The Gambia v. Myanmar after the conclusion of public hearings earlier this…
The Green Revolution’s Fragile Core: The DRC’s Security Future
Jul 25, 2026
|
Jean-Michel Marie
The latest American sanctions directed at former Democratic Republic of the Congo President Joseph Kabila fail to address the core of the country’s fragility, favoring…
Water, Power, and the Red Sea: The Egypt–Ethiopia Conflict Explained
Jul 25, 2026
|
Mohamed Osman
The conflict between Egypt and Ethiopia is often described as a dispute over a dam, but it is really a struggle over water security, historical…
Climate Security: Entering a New Era?
Jul 21, 2026
|
Kaysie Brown and Travis Brubaker
Twenty years after the UK first brought climate to the UN Security Council, the topic is re-emerging as a strategic priority. During London Climate Action…
Bridging the Conflict Gap in Climate Action and Finance
Jul 16, 2026
|
ODI Global
Many of the world’s most climate-vulnerable people live in place affected by armed conflict, violence, and fragility. Yet fragile and conflict-affected countries receive just 10%…
The Abyei Dispute: Why South Sudan Is on the Right Side of History
Jul 16, 2026
|
Amaju Ubur Yalamoi Ayani
First and foremost, the unresolved status of the Abyei Area stands as a stark indictment of failed diplomatic processes and an enduring obstacle to lasting…
South Sudan’s Oil Is Flowing, but Who Really Gets Paid?
Jul 16, 2026
|
Warille B. Warille
A recent partial settlement between the Government of South Sudan and commodities trader BB Energy has eased restrictions imposed by the London High Court, which…
Minerals at the Negotiating Table: Resource Politics and Peace in Eastern DRC
Jul 15, 2026
|
Julian Neef
The United States brokered a strategic partnership deal with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in December 2025, co-signing a DRC–Rwanda peace agreement on the…
How EU Regulations Are Changing 3TG Conflict Minerals Compliance
Jul 13, 2026
|
Z2
Since the EU Conflict Minerals Regulation (EU Regulation 2017/821) took full effect in 2021, importers of tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold have operated under a…
WISEN: A Tool for Post-War Environmental Accountability?
Jul 13, 2026
|
Lydia Millar
CEOBS’ new Wartime Incidents to Environment Database (WISEN) is a tool for systematically identifying and mapping the environmental harm caused by armed conflicts. In this…
Should the World Adopt a Law to Recognise Ecocide as a Global Crime?
Jul 10, 2026
|
Shyam Saran
It was an American scientist, Arthur Galston, who coined the word “ecocide” in 1970 to describe the catastrophic effects from the indiscriminate use of the…
Thawing Foundations: Permafrost and the Future of Arctic Defence
Jul 10, 2026
|
Joshua Kelly
Canada’s Arctic security debate mostly focuses on the visible signs of geopolitical change. While Russian military activity, Chinese interest in polar routes, and NORAD modernization…
How the Iran War Worsens the Climate Crisis
Jul 10, 2026
|
Sarah Yerkes and Alejandro Martin Rodriguez
Fears of a reignited conflict are rising, even as the true cost of war is only beginning to be tallied. Alongside the thousands of deaths,…
What We Are Learning about Climate Action in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Places
Jul 9, 2026
|
Mauricio Vazquez
The future of climate resilience in fragile places depends not only on mobilising more finance, but on whether it reaches people through the systems and…
Should NATO Treat Climate Data as Strategic Intelligence?
Jul 9, 2026
|
Aanvi Sharma
Climate data is long-term information on environmental conditions, such as temperature trends, sea-level rise, and the frequency of extreme weather events, and it provides predictive…
Conflict, Climate, No Cash: Why Poverty Persists
Jul 7, 2026
|
Sarah Steffen
With just under five years left to complete the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, a new report shows what's hampering progress. And what the solutions are.
The Limits of Green Defence: NATO, Climate Security, and Modern Warfare
Jul 2, 2026
|
Lou Didelot
Modern military power depends on mobility. NATO’s fighter aircraft, naval fleets, transport systems, and surveillance infrastructure all require enormous amounts of fuel to sustain readiness…
Preventing and Managing Climate-Related Insecurity: Lessons from the Lake Chad Basin Regional Strategy
Jun 29, 2026
|
Cedric de Coning, Andrew E. Yaw Tchie, Saibou Issa, Thor Olav Iversen, and Freedom Onuoha
The lives and livelihoods of local communities in the borderlands of the Lake Chad Basin are disrupted by both climate change and conflict, which are mutually…
Beyond the ‘Art of the Deal’: Why the Levant Needs Climate Realism
Jun 28, 2026
|
Carmit Lubanov
For decades, international diplomacy in the Middle East has followed two equally flawed tracks. On one side are the utopian dreamers, proposing grand, multi-lateral “environmental…
Colombia’s Next President: A Reckoning for Peace, Climate and Human Rights
Jun 26, 2026
|
Inés M. Pousadela
On 21 June Colombians made their choice. By the narrowest of margins, Abelardo de la Espriella, a far-right criminal lawyer who’s never held elected office,…
Food Security Is National Security: A New Imperative for Sustainable Development
Jun 26, 2026
|
Michael Werz
The global sustainability agenda is under pressure from many directions simultaneously. Yet one dimension of this crisis remains dramatically underrated: the deliberate weaponization of food,…
Beyond Blue Water: Gray Zone Lessons from Small Island Nations
Jun 26, 2026
|
Ahmed Rasheed and Thomas A. Crowson
While conventional wisdom suggests small states facing gray zone maritime pressure require external protection or significant force expansion, systematic examination of Seychelles, Mauritius, and the…
Between Dependency and Diversification: Agrarian Reform in Colombia and the Shift in International Cooperation
Jun 25, 2026
|
Carlos Quesada and José Ignacio de la Torre
As US cooperation is drastically reduced, Colombia is opening its doors to China’s market and investment to support agrarian reform. However, the Asian model—focused on…