Blogs & Opinions
Beijing is Angering its Only Friend in the Disputed South China Sea
May 28, 2016
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Ralph Jennings
China has upset Asian neighbors from Japan to Vietnam by flexing harder than the rest on its claims to vast swathes of disputed oceans. But Asia’s…
UNEA-2 Passes Most Significant Resolution on Conflict and the Environment since 1992
May 28, 2016
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Doug Weir
After five months of negotiations, a resolution from Ukraine on the protection of the environment in areas affected by armed conflict has been approved by…
Fix Mideast Water Crisis to Advance Peace Process
May 28, 2016
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Munqeth Mehyar, Nader Khateeb, and Gidon Bromberg
Despite continuing disputes over settlements, Jerusalem, borders, and refugees, there is at least one problem on which Arabs and Israelis can still make progress —…
Half Time Analysis on Conflict and the Environment from UNEA-2
May 25, 2016
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Doug Weir
Governments, international organisations and civil society are meeting in Nairobi this week for the second meeting of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-2). The environmental causes…
Conflict, the Environment and Humanitarian Action: a Critical Discussion for the World Humanitarian Summit
May 23, 2016
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Wim Zwijnenburg
This week the much anticipated but also disputed World Humanitarian Summit begins in Istanbul. Its aim is to find ways to improve the global system…
Low Oil Prices Are Making Iraq's Political Crisis Worse
May 22, 2016
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Shwan Zulal
Iraq is exporting around 3.3 million barrels of oil a day from Basrah in the south and around 500,000 barrels from the Kurdish region through…
Protect Myanmar's Marine Resources from Being Pillaged to Point of No Return
May 20, 2016
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Colin Poole
Literally out of sight, the country’s marine resources have been pillaged almost to the point of no return. Research data released in February of this…
Oil Wars: Why Nations Aren’t Battling over Resources
May 19, 2016
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Emily Meierding
When China’s Haiyang Shiyou 981 oil rig sailed into waters off the Paracel Islands in May 2014, it provoked an international crisis. Hanoi insisted that…
Didn't We Already Solve This Blood Minerals Problem?
May 19, 2016
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Tim Worstall
House of Cards star Robin Wright has launched a campaign with Congolese and American activists to end the pillage of Congo’s vast mineral resources and…
Natural Resources, Plunder and Reparations in the DRC: How the ICJ is Setting Precedents
May 19, 2016
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Eliana Cusato
What might reparations for the illegal exploitation of natural resources in armed conflict look like? This question may soon be answered by the International Court…
Global Security Efforts Must be a Post-Paris Climate Imperative
May 18, 2016
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Nick Mabey and Janani Vivekanada
It often feels as if the times we live in are unprecedented. Certainly, if we look back over the last 18 months, it is not…
A View from Myanmar: Exploring System-Scale Hydropower Planning
May 17, 2016
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Jeff Opperman
Myanmar’s rivers provide a reliable source of water for navigation and irrigation, and support food production and livelihoods. In fact, Myanmar’s freshwater fisheries produce more…
China's Uniformed, Navy-Trained Fishing "Militia"
May 17, 2016
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Conor M. Kennedy and Andrew S. Erickson
On 6 June 2014, Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense newspaper The People's Army stated that China was maintaining between 110 and 115 vessels around China…
Partitioning Iraq: Make a Detailed Case, or Cease and Desist
May 16, 2016
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Ben Connable
Iraq is once again in political turmoil, and once again we are hearing calls to partition the country into three ethno-sectarian cantonments: Shi’a, Sunni, and Kurd. The…
When Climate Change Exacerbates Conflict, Women Pay the Price Says Mayesha Alam
May 13, 2016
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Sean Peoples, New Security Beat
Climate change has the potential to exacerbate conflict and political instability, and women will pay a steeper price than their male counterparts when it does,…
How Climate Change is Driving Nigeria's Herdsmen Conflict
May 13, 2016
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Chidi Oguamanam
Forging national unity has been a perennial challenge to Nigeria’s evolution as a country. Since independence from Britain 56 years ago, the country continues to…
Water Wars: Known Unknowns in the South China Sea
May 13, 2016
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Chris Mirasola
The USS William Lawrence conducted a Freedom of Navigation Operation (FONOP) within 12 nautical miles of Fiery Cross Reef on Tuesday, May 10th. Chinese-controlled Fiery…
Daesh (IS) and Criminal Syndicates after the Gold of Central Asia
May 10, 2016
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Douglas Green
Recent reports from various sides concerning the increasing lack of cash flow for Daesh (IS) in the Near East due to difficulties in its Turkish…
My Park Rangers Protect Congo’s People and Ecosystems as War Rages all Around
May 7, 2016
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Emmanuel de Mérode
A ranger in Virunga national park has a 44% chance of suffering a violent death during their career, the highest rate of service deaths for…
War, Peace and Water: The Increasing Threat of Drought-Fuelled Conflicts
May 6, 2016
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Laura Tuck
In the past, droughts of this severity have led to conflict and even wars between neighbouring communities and states. One of the first in recorded…
Behind the Headlines, Emerging Security Threats in the Middle East
May 4, 2016
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Anders Jägerskog & Ashok Swain
The Middle East as a whole has the lowest per capita water availability in the world. At the same time it has also one of…
OECD Issues New Edition of OECD Due Diligence Guidance on Conflict Minerals and Declassifies Report on Implementation of Guidance
May 4, 2016
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Cydney Posner
Just in time for those Forms SD and conflict minerals reports, due May 31, the OECD has posted a new edition of the OECD Due…
South Sudan’s Broken Oil Industry Increasingly Becoming a Hazard
May 2, 2016
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Wim Zwijnenburg
The environment has long been a factor in violent conflict in South Sudan, especially with respect to control over oil. The first oil was discovered…
Water Wars: Looming Arbitration Decision Tests Regional Partnerships
Apr 29, 2016
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Chris Mirasola
China embarked on a sustained charm offensive this week to rally countries around its interests in the South China Sea. On Sunday, PRC Foreign Minister…
Water as a Strategy of War
Apr 27, 2016
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Mara Tignino
In times of war, lack of access to safe water can kill as many people as bombing.Inequality in the distribution of water resources and risks…
Pathways to Resilience: Evidence on Links Between Conflict Management, Natural Resources, and Food Security
Apr 26, 2016
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Gracie Cook
In 2015, the NGO Mercy Corps released some surprising findings from conflict management programs in the Horn of Africa. Interventions from 2013 to 2015 focused…
The South China Sea Dispute Isn't about Oil, at Least Not How You Think
Apr 25, 2016
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Jeremy Maxie
The geopolitical context in the South China Sea has evolved considerably on the implications of the territorial disputes on upstream oil and gas development in…
This Is Not the Time for an Independent Kurdistan
Apr 22, 2016
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Dov Friedman
Many have wondered when Iraqi Kurdistan, which already enjoys broad autonomy from Baghdad, might finally declare independence. The present moment doesn’t seem particularly auspicious for…
The West’s Campaign against Conflict Minerals Is Doing More Harm Than Good
Apr 20, 2016
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Ben Radly
In recent years Western advocacy groups have achieved unprecedented success in mobilizing Europeans and North Americans behind a “conflict minerals” campaign to help end the…
Turning the Impending Mosul Dam Disaster into Opportunity
Apr 19, 2016
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Azzam Alwash
Iraq has seen its share of calamities in recent years, but none is as dangerous as the impending failure of the Mosul Dam. A breach…