Blogs & Opinions
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…
Hazardous Legacies: An Open-Source Overview of the Destruction of Deir ez-Zor’s Oil Industry
Oct 20, 2017
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Wim Zwijnenburg
Now that the so-called Islamic State (IS) is rapidly losing terrain in eastern Syria, a race is underway to capture the oil-rich Deir ez-Zor governorate.…
The Environmental Consequences of the Use of Armed Drones
Oct 20, 2017
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Doug Weir
To date, debate over the implications of the growing use of armed drones has focused on human rights, on the expansion of the use of…
Who is Behind the Recent Rise of Genetically Modified Poppy in Afghanistan?
Oct 20, 2017
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Irfan Takalvi
During the past two to two and half decades Afghanistan, under various regimes that controlled parts of the country, poppy has globally been highlighted as…
Colombia’s Frontlines of the Drug War: Cauca
Oct 20, 2017
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Adriaan Alsema
Colombian authorities are combating cocaine production in some of the most remote regions. Cauca is one of the long-neglected areas where the drug trade has fueled political…
Climate Change, Food Security and Sustaining Peace
Oct 18, 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…
Myanmar’s Evolving Maritime Security Landscape
Oct 18, 2017
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Rajni Gamage
Myanmar links South and Southeast Asia and lies on maritime shipping routes from the Indian and Pacific Oceans. A key pillar of its national development…
The Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons: Assisting Victims and Remediating the Environment
Oct 17, 2017
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Elizabeth Minor
In a remarkable achievement this summer, States concluded negotiations on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Having opened for signature in September, the TPNW…
Could Oil Bring the World to Finally Support the Kurds?
Oct 17, 2017
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Ellen R. Wald
One month after the KRG voted in favor of a referendum to seek independence from Iraq, Baghdad finally responded. In the early morning hours of…
On Trump, Afghanistan, and the Plunder Doctrine
Oct 16, 2017
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Kate Harveston
Plunder. It’s a word typically reserved for the likes of pirates, but it seems somehow appropriate when used next to the name Donald Trump. Perhaps…
NATO and Climate Change: The Need for a More Coherent Approach
Oct 16, 2017
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Amar Causevic
Climate change represents a non-traditional threat to international security and the future existence of modern civilization. Year after year, drought, famine, storms and flooding become…
Indigenous Resistance: My Fight for Land and Life in Colombia
Oct 16, 2017
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Angelica Ortiz
My name is Angelica Ortiz. I am a Wayuu woman from the Ipuana clan of the Lomomato indigenous reserve in La Guajira, Colombia. I am…
Climate Change Did Not Cause Syrian War
Oct 16, 2017
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Tim Radford
LONDON, 11 October, 2017 – Climate change in the form of sustained drought is not to blame for the bloody and prolonged conflict in Syria, according to a…
ISIL's Scorched Earth Policy in Iraq: Options for its Victims to be Recognized under International Law
Oct 13, 2017
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Doug Weir
With what has been called a ‘landmark’ resolution, the UN Security Council has established a team to investigate international crimes committed by ISIL in Iraq.…
Gender in Conflicts - Interview with Saferworld on Building Peace [Video]
Oct 6, 2017
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Climate Diplomacy
Saferworld is an international conflict prevention organization. The Head of Policy, Larry Attree, in this video, shares the lessons learned over the years to end…