Blogs & Opinions

Pulwama Attack: Sadly, India Can't Resort to 'Water War'

Feb 19, 2019 | Ashish Shukla

The dastardly Pulwama attack has again led to talks of India abrogating the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 and wage a ‘water war’ against Pakistan…

Climate Security in Times of Geopolitical Crises — What Ways Forward?

Feb 18, 2019 | Dan Smith, Malin Mobjörk, Florian Krampe, and Karolina Eklöw

Ahead of the fourth Planetary Security Conference on 19–20 February 2019 in The Hague, SIPRI authored the 2019 progress report ‘Climate Security – Making it…

Africa's Rich Oil: From Blessing To A Curse Of Rampant Corruption And Bad Governance On The Continent?

Feb 17, 2019 | Josephus Moses Gray

The African continent in recent years has come to be of major Geo-strategic importance to oil-dependent industrialized economies and the idea of an African rebirth…

Peace and Security Philanthropy Isn't Just about Conflict; It's Also Key to Curbing Climate Change

Feb 14, 2019 | Cath Thompson

Iconic images of World War II Europe and Japan, of Vietnam after Operation Ranch Hand, and of post-ISIS Mosul show total destruction of lives, communities,…

Warzone Conversation in Afghanistan: Build a National Park, Build Democracy

Feb 12, 2019 | Kyla Peterson

When picturing Afghanistan, many people envision desolate landscapes ravaged by war, but the country contains “this incredible diversity of habitats, of forest, of mountains, of…

Can Improving Women's Representation in Environmental Governance Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions?

Feb 11, 2019 | Charlotte Collins

The Paris Agreement’s clause to include more women in the environmental decision-making process set a historical precedent. The preamble urges parties to acknowledge that climate…

APWLD Member Zoom-in: Alma Sinumlag

Feb 8, 2019 | Adndita Listyarini

The cold bites in New York. That’s what Alma Sinumlag felt when she visited the Big Apple for the first time ever in 2018. Having…

New Developments in the Field of Environmental Peacebuilding

Feb 8, 2019 | Carl Bruch and Sierra Killian

For those working at the intersection of environment, conflict, and peace, 2018 was a notable year. A new conceptual and operational framework for environmental peacebuilding…

Insights by Adelphi Experts on Security Council's Debate on Climate Disasters and Security

Feb 7, 2019

On 25 January 2019, the UN Security Council held an open debate to discuss the security implications of climate-related disaster events. Adelphi’s experts Benjamin Pohl…

The Need for an African Union Special Envoy for Climate Change and Security

Feb 7, 2019 | Florian Krampe and Vane Moraa Aminga

Ahead of the upcoming African Union (AU) Summit in February, SIPRI researchers give an impetus for the AU to refocus on climate-related security risks and…

A Pakistani Delegation Visits Indian Dam Sites – Is This the Start of a Thaw in Indus Water Tensions?

Feb 6, 2019 | Phoebe Sleet

In January, a Pakistani delegation undertook a tour of the Chenab Basin, to inspect Indian hydroelectric projects, including the Baglihar Dam. Pakistan has objected to…

Strengthening Women's Voices in Land Decisions: What Works?

Jan 31, 2019 | Philippine Sutz

Since the mid 2000s, sub-Saharan Africa has experienced a land rush driven by factors such as rising commercial agriculture, mineral extraction and large infrastructure projects.…

Anticipatory Intelligence: Climate Change in the National Intelligence Strategy

Jan 29, 2019 | Marisol Maddox

On January 22, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Daniel R. Coats released the National Intelligence Strategy (NIS) for 2019, which represents a departure from the…

No Easy Path for Venezuela's Oil in the Struggle for a Transition in Power

Jan 28, 2019 | Amy Mysers Jaffe

Given the news that the United States has recognized the speaker of the democratically elected National Assembly Juan Guaido as interim President of Venezuela in…

Remarks to the Security Council (UNDP)

Jan 25, 2019 | Achim Steiner

Open debate on the maintenance of international peace and security: addressing the impacts of climate-related disasters on international peace and security.

The Sahel Is Engulfed by Violence. Climate Change, Food Insecurity and Extremists Are Largely to Blame

Jan 23, 2019 | Robert Muggah and Jose Luengo Cabrera

While adverse climate conditions in Sahel are sparking violence, proliferating jihadi insurgencies are also creating no-go areas, turning a bad situation even worse. Climate risks,…

Syria's New 'Militarized' Oil Companies

Jan 23, 2019 | Vanand Meliksetian

The victory of Assad’s Russian-backed forces in the Syrian civil war provides a once in a lifetime opportunity for the Russian energy sector. The Russian…

Myanmar's Land Law Is a Ticking Time Bomb

Jan 23, 2019 | Thomas Chau and Fabien Daudier

The government’s March deadline of implementing the 2018 amendments to the 2012 Vacant, Fallow and Virgin (VFV) Lands Management Law has created a ticking time…

Building a More Resilient Afghanistan

Jan 22, 2019 | Frederica Ranghieri and Ankur Nagar

Within low-income countries Afghanistan is second, surpassed only by Haiti, in the number of fatalities from natural disasters during 1980–2015. Its low levels of economic…

Solar Power and the Yemeni Civil War

Jan 21, 2019 | Austin Bodetti

Little about Yemen would suggest that it represents the next frontier for renewable energy. Since 2015, conflict and crises have left Yemenis no time to…

Is China Deliberately Sowing Discord over the Myitsone Dam?

Jan 19, 2019 | Irrawaddy

Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Hong Liang recently visited Kachin State and claimed that some Kachin leaders support the Myitsone Dam project. In particular, the Chinese…

The Pentagon Calls Climate Change a National Security Threat. Trump Isn't Listening

Jan 18, 2019 | Alex Ward

The Pentagon released a short report this week detailing how a changing climate is a national security threat and makes the military’s job around the…

The Case for a Holistic Water Management Approach in Myanmar

Jan 17, 2019 | Mizzima

Myanmar on the whole is blessed with rich resources of freshwater, with a vast majority of this water flowing into four major rivers, the Chindwin,…

Letter: New Gemstone Law Changes Little

Jan 16, 2019 | Myanmar Times

Kyaw Ko Ko’s article about Mandalay traders claiming the gemstone law is good news for the industry is extremely ill-informed. It is irresponsible for journalists…

From Conservation to Coexistence: How Peace and Security Underpin Conservation in Northern Kenya

Jan 15, 2019

The Africa Biodiversity Collaborative Group speaker series aim to foster information exchange and lessons sharing among cross-sector practitioners. As part of this series, on November 13,…

Why Is China in a Hurry to Revive the Myitsone Dam Projects?

Jan 15, 2019 | Joe Kumbun

A statement from the Chinese government on Sunday has renewed concerns among ethnic Kachin over the stalled Myitsone dam project. The sudden flurry of activity…

Groundwater Scarcity, Pollution Set India on Perilous Course

Jan 15, 2019 | Keith Schneider

Polluting industrial development, ambitious agricultural production, and grave hydrological mismanagement in thousands of rural communities have produced an economic and environmental crisis that is now…

H2O: Water Conflicts to Watch in 2019

Jan 8, 2019 | Kayla Ritter

In 2018, water sparked quarrels across the globe, from the mountains of Central Asia to the world’s driest desert. Water systems were also a casualty…

Can a South China Sea Code of Conduct Help Ensure Regional Stability? Here Are Four Ways It Could Be Strengthened

Jan 8, 2019 | Aaron Rabena

The China-Philippines Scarborough Shoal stand-off in 2012, the China-Vietnam oil-rig incident in 2014, China’s island-building and militarisation operations, the Philippines’ Permanent Court of Arbitration landmark…

Climate Change and National Security, Part II: How Big a Threat Is the Climate?

Jan 7, 2019 | Michelle Melton

The US national security establishment has been increasingly vocal that climate change is a national security threat—and the US is not alone in this regard.…