Blogs & Opinions
Can the EU Revive a Troubled Scheme against Conflict Diamonds?
Jan 12, 2018
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Vince Chadwick and Lisa Cornish
The European Union began its year-long leadership of the global effort against conflict diamonds this month, pledging to focus on “effectiveness” and “dialogue.” But observers say the…
New Data Highlight Afro-Descendant Territories without Legal Recognition, and the Threats They Face
Jan 9, 2018
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Mary Alice Jackson
New data gathered from Afro-descendant community councils and state records reveal that the Colombian government has failed to address 271 claims for collective Afro-descendant land…
As Afghanistan’s Mining Race Stalls, the Taliban and ISIS Tap into Illegal Mines
Jan 5, 2018
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Matthew C. DuPée
Afghanistan has some of the richest mineral deposits in the world, but extracting them has proven difficult amid years of instability and war. There were…
Creating New Tools for the Job
Jan 3, 2018
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Lydia Cardona
Headlines about scarce natural resources driving or causing conflicts are not hard to find. Threats of war over the control and use of natural resources…
Water Shortages Could Trigger Asia Conflicts
Dec 30, 2017
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Brahma Chellaney
In recent weeks, one of the most pristine Himalayan rivers has mysteriously turned black when entering India from Tibet, highlighting how China's upstream tunneling, damming…
Why Is Tension Rising in the South China Sea?
Dec 20, 2017
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Peter Pham
On October 10th 2017, the USS Chafee, a Navy Destroyer, sailed within 12 miles of the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. This…
Ripple Effects: Sharing Water and Building Peace in the Jordan River Valley
Dec 18, 2017
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Julianne Liebenguth
In the war-torn Jordan River Valley, we can meet the “strategic objective of reducing conflict by promoting cooperation on shared waters,” said former defense official…
Congress Adapts to Calamity: The FY 2018 NDAA’s Climate Change Provisions
Dec 11, 2017
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Jordan Brunner
President Donald Trump is expected to sign the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2018 into law in the next few days. As…
Farming Innovations Improve Livelihoods and Incomes in Afghanistan’s Balkh Province
Dec 5, 2017
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Ahmad Fahim Jabari
Every working day, I work closely with my colleagues and coordinate with other stakeholders. I am happy with my job as a member of the National…
Forest Rights Create New Livelihoods in Myanmar
Dec 4, 2017
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Duncan Macqueen
It is impossible to talk about Myanmar without acknowledging the persecution of the Rohingya by the country's armed forces over which the NLD, Aung San…
From Disaster Risk Reduction to Sustainable Peace: Reducing Vulnerability and Preventing Conflict at the Local Level
Dec 4, 2017
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Florian Krampe and Roberta Scassa
The summer of 2017 was a stark reminder that climate change exacerbates both the intensity and frequency of natural disasters—and that the most vulnerable people…
War Has Made Afghanistan's $1 Trillion in Minerals Worthless
Nov 27, 2017
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Eric Schewe
Middle East observers surfaced last month to remind the American public that the United States’ war in Afghanistan had entered its seventeenth year. This makes…
Absence of Water Diplomacy Leads to Ecological Disasters
Nov 27, 2017
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Financial Tribune
Many environmental challenges such as drought and dust storms are the outcomes of ineffective past water diplomacy, an expert on geopolitics said. Mohammad Hossein Papoli Yazdi,…
From Conflict to Climate Change, Are Policy Responses to Food Insecurity Getting Smarter?
Nov 27, 2017
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Ellen Laipson
This week, many Americans savor the seasonal culinary delights of Thanksgiving, while around the world, food insecurity is on the rise, particularly in places suffering…
From Coca to Cacao: Colombia Pushes Farmers to Exit Cocaine Trade
Nov 20, 2017
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Michelle Begue
Colombia says it sees an opening to end its infamous cocaine trade. The government is enticing farmers to change their crops from coca to cacao.…
Climate Change, Food Security and Sustaining Peace
Nov 16, 2017
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Florian Krampe
‘We have succeeded at keeping famine at bay, we have not kept suffering at bay’, said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres while briefing members of the…
Using Science Diplomacy in the South China Sea
Nov 16, 2017
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James Borton
Despite White House efforts to deny well-established climate change reports and U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 Paris Climate Accord, most might question the wisdom of…
Momentum Continues to Grow in UN Study on Laws Protecting Environment in Conflict
Nov 13, 2017
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Doug Weir
The International Law Commission (ILC) is mandated by the UN with the progressive development and codification of international law, and added the topic ‘Protection of…
South China Sea Needs Science Diplomacy Policy
Nov 8, 2017
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James Borton
Despite White House efforts to deny well-established climate change reports, coupled with US withdrawal from the 2015 Paris Climate Accord, most might question the wisdom…
A Toxic Legacy: Remediating Pollution in Iraq
Nov 7, 2017
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Wim Zwijnenburg
As the so-called Islamic State loses control over the areas it once occupied, it is leaving behind a toxic legacy. The initial findings of a scoping mission undertaken…
When the Sheep Turn Black, War's Toxic Legacy Can No Longer Be Ignored
Nov 6, 2017
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Erik Solheim
The smoke that billowed from the burning oil fields was so thick it blocked out the sun. By the time I reached Qayyarah, where Islamic State fighters…
Governments Can No Longer Ignore War’s Impact on People - and Planet
Nov 6, 2017
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Doug Weir
Since its inception in 2001, the United Nations' International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict on November 6th has mainly…
War-Related Damage to Environment Devastating for Health, Well-Being, Secretary-General Says in International Observance Message
Nov 6, 2017
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UN
War is a dirty business. Smoke plumes from burning oil wells, looted industrial facilities, abandoned munitions and collapsed buildings are among the hallmarks of conflict.…
Joint #envconflictday Statement: Protecting the Environment, Protecting People
Nov 6, 2017
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Doug Weir
NGOs and leading experts have used the United Nation’s International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict to call for greater…
Confronting Climate Change as an Accelerator of Crisis
Nov 6, 2017
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Kishan Khoday and Oscar Ekdahl
More frequent and severe droughts, millions at risk of famine, the spread of conflict and mass displacement - these are the challenges of our time…
With New Peace, Colombia Finds Hope for Saving its Wild Lands
Oct 27, 2017
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Lisa Palmer
Brandishing automatic rifles, the guerilla fighters ordered Andrés Cuervo to leave his camping gear and research notes at the abandoned wooden house where he had…
Water Knowledge in Afghanistan: Weak but Growing Stronger
Oct 26, 2017
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John Shroder and Sher Jan Ahmadzai
Water is absolutely critical to woefully arid Afghanistan, yet few people really know very much about their precious fluid. The natural physics and the different chemistry…
Iraqis and Kurds Compete for Oil Deals, Gulf States Still Fighting PR War in Washington, Deadly Ambush in Egypt
Oct 26, 2017
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J. Dana Stuster
The pressure is continuing to mount on Iraqi Kurdistan. After Iraqi forces pressed into Kirkuk last week, Baghdad and its regional partners have cinched their cordon around…
Pressure on Colombia to Forcibly Eradicate Coca Could Spur Human Rights Violations: Think Tank
Oct 24, 2017
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Jack Norman
US support for Colombia’s peace process will backfire unless counter-narcotics policies are implemented with much greater patience, according to a new report from a major…
Water as a Basic Human Right Within the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Oct 24, 2017
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Erika Weinthal
In the Middle East, water often crosses political borders; because water is a shared resource, its effective management demands cooperation among different users. In the…