Blogs & Opinions

The Iraq-Turkey Pipeline Dispute: Opportunity in an Arbitration

Aug 22, 2019 | Richard Kraemer

Fatigue and frustration aside, U.S. focus and engagement in Iraq remains critical to the national- and energy-security interests of the United States and its allies.…

In Myanmar, Better Oversight of Forests a Vital Step in Transition to Rule of Law

Aug 20, 2019 | Art Blundell

For the first time, the Myanmar Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (MEITI) has opened the books to share information with the public on revenue Myanmar’s government collects…

Of Pine Trees & Payloads: Environmental Damage during an Armed Conflict

Aug 19, 2019 | Sonia Ahmad

Following the recent armed stand-off between two nuclear-armed states with a combined population of 1.5 billion people earlier this year, the felling of 15 pine…

A Generation in Limbo: Protracted Refugee Situations in Kenya Must Be Addressed

Aug 15, 2019 | John Thon Majok

The 1951 Refugee Convention spells out refugee rights, including the right to freedom of movement. Yet 68 years later, 15.9 million people are trapped in prolonged exile,…

Iraq and Kuwait Are Beginning a Beautiful Friendship

Aug 15, 2019 | Bobby Gosh

Last month, Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi declared that “the future prospects are far greater than the fears and obstacles between the two countries.” Earlier…

In Search of Consensus on Climate-Conflict Links

Aug 12, 2019 | Cullen Hendrix and John O'Laughlin

What do we (think we) know about the links between climate change and armed conflict? Early attempts to theorize what climate-related conflict might look like…

Water to Cause Future Wars, as in the Past

Aug 9, 2019 | Jarius Bondoc

Future wars will be fought over water, experts say. Rivers and lakes will dry up from global warming. Seafood stocks will dwindle as ocean temperatures…

Women's Participation in Myanmar's Peace Process

Aug 8, 2019 | Akanksha Khullar

For years, women in Myanmar have been powerful advocates for comprehensive peace and good governance, calling for reconciliation and democratic transition; demanding legislations that protect…

Support African Women Working in Agriculture

Aug 8, 2019 | Esther Ngumbi

As South Africa commemorates Women’s Month, the country will reflect on the progress made in achieving gender equality and main-streaming the gender agenda across all…

South Africa: How More Women in Agriculture Will End Food Security, Tackle Land Reform

Aug 8, 2019

Addressing gender disparities in the agricultural sector is a prerequisite to increasing women and youth participation in the sector, creating much-needed employment opportunities and ensuring…

Green Technology's Dark Side

Aug 7, 2019 | Ronald Stein

The hype these days is to stop using those dirty fossil fuel driven cars and trucks and convert everyone to those clean electric vehicles. But…

Agriculture's Secret Weapon: Empowering Women

Aug 6, 2019 | Patrick Galey and Laure Fillon

Women farmers face the brunt of the threat posed by climate change, yet they may hold the key to helping limit its fallout, according to…

Blood Diamonds and Land Corruption in Sierra Leone

Aug 2, 2019 | Transparency International

A deep abyss punctures the southern suburbs of Koidu Town, one of the largest cities in Sierra Leone. The giant pit, vast processing plants and…

The Human Cost of Amber

Aug 2, 2019 | Katharine Gammon

For scientists, amber is thrilling. It preserves ancient organisms in incredible detail, down to the veins in insect wings and the lenses on fly eyes.…

The Role of Women and Youth in Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management

Aug 1, 2019 | Tatiana LeGrand

On the 15th of July, nations around the world celebrated the World Youth Skills Day. In defining the importance of the skills of the youth,…

Women, Land and Conflict

Aug 1, 2019 | United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs

Land is part of our identity and is essential for our livelihood. With a growing world population, available land is growing scarcer, becoming even more…

Nile River Water Supply Forecasts May Reduce the Chance of Conflict

Jul 31, 2019 | Annalise Blum

Rising tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia over construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) have led to speculation that there could be a war…

Mainstreaming Gender in India's Climate-Smart Agriculture Policy

Jul 30, 2019 | Mikhila Menon

India needs to adopt a climate-smart agriculture policy that includes a ‘gender lens’. Since most Indian agriculture is rain-fed, the intensifying effects of climate change…

Crude Holding Pools Set Ablaze in Colombia

Jul 29, 2019 | Xinhua

Four pools containing a total of 2,600 barrels of crude were set on fire in eastern Colombia's Arauca department by unknown perpetrators, oil company Ecopetrol…

Lost in Translation: How Building "Strong" Institutions Can Diminish Human Security in the Global South

Jul 29, 2019 | McKenzie F. Johnson

In the Global South, natural resource conflict has largely been considered a consequence of poor governance and weak political institutions. The international community’s solution? Build “green”…

The Sahel Uncertainty: Climate Change and Insurgency

Jul 28, 2019 | Paolo Zucconi

The Sahel is increasingly affected by underdevelopment, endemic poverty, criminality, and insurgency. Climate change has recently extrapolated these problems by making essential resources scarce. This…

East African Policy Makers Advocate for Gender in Climate Policy

Jul 26, 2019 | Mary Nyasimi, Dana Elhassan and Faith Gikunda

Policy makers from nine East African countries pledge to lobby governments and policy influencers to consider gender mainstreaming in national climate change policies.

Sound Environmental Governance Key to Maximizing Potential of Horn of Africa Detente

Jul 26, 2019 | Inger Andersen

The Horn of Africa today faces increased threats to its people’s security in the form of natural disasters linked to climate change. But as old…

Climate, Conflict and Gender

Jul 25, 2019 | OSCE

Mary Robinson, founder of the Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Change and chair of The Elders, the group of global leaders established by Nelson Mandela,…

Iraqi Kurdistan's Energy Reserves: Investor's Paradise or Poisoned Chalice?

Jul 25, 2019 | Energy Reporters

When Masrour Barzani, who recently became the prime minister of semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan, named long-serving Iraqi Kurdish natural resources minister Ashti Hawrami his deputy prime minister…

What's in the New China-Vietnam South China Sea Tensions?

Jul 22, 2019 | Prashanth Parameswaran

Over the past few weeks, another round of tensions has been simmering between China and Vietnam over energy resources in the South China Sea. The…

Oil Probably Won't Cause a War with Iran, but It Certainly Adds Fuel to the Blaze

Jul 20, 2019 | Jeff Colgan

Iran, Britain and the United States are engaged in a struggle for control over the flow of oil through the Persian Gulf. A fifth of the…

Colombia Can't Beat Coca Production from the Air. It Needs Rural Investment and Reform

Jul 19, 2019 | Christopher Sabatini and Victoria Gaytan

Four years after Colombia suspended the controversial policy of aerial fumigation to kill coca plants, President Iván Duque is hoping to restart it. His government…

Climate Change: Global Threats Imperil Women of Color

Jul 17, 2019 | Bonnie Jenkins

Women of color are the most impacted by global insecurity. For this reason, their leadership is vital to tackling these challenges.I am frequently asked to…

When Climate Change Meets Positive Peace

Jul 17, 2019 | Marisa O. Ensor

Climate change is being increasingly framed as a security issue—a “threat multiplier” that can amplify the risks of breakdowns in peacefulness. Yet, even extreme climate…