Blogs & Opinions

Gold Mining, Conflict Threaten Myanmar’s Indawgyi Lake

Jan 10, 2016 | Htet Khaung Linn

Khaung Tong Creek was a 1.5 meter deep, pristine creek some 10 years ago, but these days this important tributary of Kachin State’s famed Indawgyi…

Watching the World Burn: Islamic State Attacks against Libya's Oil Industry

Jan 8, 2016 | Wim Zwijnenburg

Contrary to other armed groups in Libya, the strategy behind the Islamic State’s attacks on oil facilities this week is not purely military. It is…

Financing for Resilience: 3 Lessons to be Learned in Climate Finance

Jan 5, 2016 | Katharina Nett

When it comes to accessing and making best use of climate finance, states in situations of fragility are faced with particular challenges that are largely…

Missing the Big Picture in Challenging Africa’s “Land Grab” Narrative

Jan 4, 2016 | Chris Jochnick

Who walks away from fertile agricultural land available to lease for as little as $1 per year per hectare? Recent reports indicate international investors are…

Donald Trump’s First Campaign Ad Promises Blood for Oil

Jan 4, 2016 | Jeet Heer

The long-awaited ad contains a curious line: “He’ll quickly cut the head off of ISIS and take their oil.” ISIS, of course, controls oil fields…

The Business of War

Jan 3, 2016 | Asad Zaman

As plans for war against Syria heat up, new myths are being manufactured to support it. In line with Major General Smedley Butler’s thesis, we…

U.S. Policy Shifts from Détente to Deterrence in the South China Sea

Dec 28, 2015 | Andrew Lam

In geopolitics, when détente fails, it's time for deterrence, and nowhere more so than in the South China Sea. China's expansionist designs on the region's…

Liberia’s Economic Diversification Bill: It’s Better, but Seems Too Late

Dec 27, 2015 | Samuel Goteh

In the past centuries, Liberia’s model for economic development has been predominantly natural resource-driven and revenues generation for government’s operations have mainly come from the…

The Rare Metal Age

Dec 23, 2015 | Greg Klein

Read this book and you might want to renounce technology to live in a cave—provided it’s equipped with battery rechargers. Author David S. Abraham brings…

Climate Change, Arab Spring and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Dec 22, 2015 | Mohammad Bundokji

A contribution from guest writer Mohammad Bundokji, EcoPeace Middle East, on the compound climate-fragility risks arising from water scarcity, energy requirements and population influx in…

How to Conceive Resilience in a Protracted Crisis Situation like Eastern DRC? The Peacebuilding Contribution to Resilience in Conflict Settings

Dec 21, 2015 | Clémence Finaz

Eastern DRC has a long history of pervasive violence and instability.  Aid agencies have been sinking hundreds of millions of dollars into this region for…

Online Identification of Conflict Related Environmental Damage

Dec 18, 2015 | Wim Zwinenburg and Eliot Higgins

In this blog, Wim Zwinenburg (PAX) and Eliot Higgins (Bellingcat) discuss the open source intelligence tools that they used to recover data on environmental damage…

Lifecycle Versus the Law - Defining the Environmental Impact of Weapons

Dec 18, 2015 | Doug Weir

This blog considers the extent to which we can use international humanitarian law (IHL) to define or judge the environmental impact and acceptability of weapons.…

Identifying Causes of Global Freshwater Vulnerability

Dec 17, 2015 | Steven Gorelick and Julie Padowski

Over the past half century, the total volume of water used by people has nearly tripled, outpacing the global population increase. Regional crises related to…

Climate Change is a National Security Issue - But Not for the Reasons You Think

Dec 16, 2015 | Neil Berg and Nick Burger

The connection between climate change, conflict, and U.S. national security is receiving increasing attention from political analysts, government agencies, and even the White House. At…

How we can Link our Responses to Conflict and Climate Change

Dec 15, 2015 | Janani Vivekananda

Last week saw the most significant climate change agreement of our lifetimes. After 21 years of wrangling, world leaders finally managed to reach a deal…

Taking Back the Narrative on Dodd-Frank’s Conflict Minerals Provision

Dec 15, 2015 | Per-Olof Loof

I recently had the privilege to testify before the House Financial Services Committee’s Monetary Policy and Trade Subcommittee (Nov. 17, 2015). The hearing was held…

Iraq’s Economic Reform for 2016

Dec 13, 2015 | Luay Al-Khatteeb

In August 2015, Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi introduced reforms to shrink the size of the government and tackle corruption. Luay Al Khatteeb Founding Director…

SEC Takes Long-Awaited Step to Combat Rampant Corruption in the Oil, Gas and Mining Industry

Dec 11, 2015 | Zorka Milin and Corinna Gilfillan

Today the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced a strong proposed rule to implement a landmark transparency law which requires US-listed oil, gas and mining companies…

The EITI and Commodities Trading Transparency: Where Are We Headed?

Dec 10, 2015 | Nicholas Garrett

For the past 2 years RCS Global has been advising Trafigura on its journey to become the commodities trading industry leader on transparency. With developments…

Deepening Australia’s Regional Relationships through Climate Security

Dec 10, 2015 | Robert Sturrock

Climate change undermines regional human security, with inaction breeding greater insecurity. Conventional wisdom about Australia’s geography is that we are uniquely located to capitalise on…

Moving Beyond The Jurisdiction Victory In West Philippine Sea

Dec 10, 2015 | Lucio Blanco Pitlo III

The October 29 decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration stating that it has jurisdiction over the case initiated by the Philippines against China was…

Oil Fuels War and Terrorists Like ISIS: The Climate Movement Can Bring Peace

Dec 9, 2015 | Rebecca Solnit

Greed for petroleum has produced plenty of war. War can be defined narrowly, as conflict between nations, or broadly, as large-scale violence in pursuit of…

The “Water Wars” Trap

Dec 9, 2015 | Josh Newton

As negotiations at the Paris climate conference head into the final, critical stage, a piece of pop wisdom is coming to a boil: “They say…

The U.S. Asia-Pacific Rebalance, National Security, and Climate Change

Dec 8, 2015 | Schuyler Null and Deepshri Mathur

In the hierarchy of global and national security challenges, climate change comes out near the top, said a panel of distinguished defense, diplomacy, and intelligence…

Prof. Marc Levy Answers Public's Questions on Climate Change, Security

Dec 7, 2015 | School of Professional Studies

Prof. Marc Levy, Deputy Director of the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) and faculty member of the Certification of Professional Achievement in…

Afghanistan’s Elusive Mineral Wealth

Dec 7, 2015 | Elizabeth B. Hessami

Afghanistan is blessed with a veritable horde of mineral wealth. In copper alone, Afghanistan may possess up to 60 million tons buried in its arid…

Environmental Protection and Non-State Armed Groups: Setting a Place at the Table for the Elephant in the Room

Dec 4, 2015 | Jonathan Somer

In this blog, consultant Jonathan Somer begins to explore the terra incognita of current efforts to strengthen legal protection for the environment in relation to armed…

Water, Wars and an Uncertain Future

Dec 2, 2015 | Sundeep Waslekar

In its Blue Peace report, published in February 2011, Strategic Foresight Group proposed several solutions to use water as an instrument of peace and prosperity…

Climate Change Is a National Security Problem

Dec 1, 2015 | Chuck Hagel

It is remarkable that French security forces are taking on the international climate change conference in Paris in the shadow of the recent attacks. Then,…