Blogs & Opinions

Middle East Conflicts Jeopardize Water for Millions

Jun 11, 2015 | Codi Yeager-Kozacek

Millions of people across the Middle East face drought, scarce drinking water supplies, and poor sanitation due to civil wars and conflict. Meanwhile, resource constraints…

Is Wildlife Trafficking a National Security Threat?

Jun 10, 2015 | Cameron Lagrone and Josh Busby

Trafficking of illegal wildlife goods is quickly becoming one of the most lucrative illicit businesses in the world. With growing demand in Asia, an industry…

Conflict, Forced Migration and Property Claims

Jun 10, 2015 | Sandra Joireman and Jon Unruh

Amidst widespread fighting in Iraq and Syria, millions of distressed civilians have fled their homes. In Yemen as well, war has led to mass displacement…

Adaptation, Resistance, or Subversion: How Will Water Politics Be Affected by Climate Change?

Jun 9, 2015 | Anders Jägerskog, Anton Earle, & Ashok Swain

One of the primary ways climate change is expected to affect international relations is through water. There are more than 270 bodies of water that cross over…

Ukraine Seeks New Russia Gas Deal as Military Tensions Rise

Jun 9, 2015 | Elena Mazneva

Ukraine needs to negotiate a new natural-gas deal with Russia just as the conflict between the two countries risks escalating again.

A gas-price agreement with Russian…

What is Peru’s Biggest Environmental Conflict Right Now?

Jun 8, 2015 | David Hill

Tia Maria has been one of the country’s main news stories over the last couple of months, with local people protesting, a “State of Emergency”…

The Sahel Beyond the Headlines: Underlying Demographic, Environmental Trends Erode Resilience

Jun 8, 2015 | Carley Chavara, Theo Wilson, and Schuyler Null

Between the Sahara to the north and savanna to the south lies the semi-arid Sahel, a region stretching from Senegal to Sudan that has experienced…

The Danger of False Narratives: Al-Shabaab’s Faux Ivory Trade

Jun 5, 2015 | John Campbell

Elephants are being slaughtered and their tusks sold, in order to finance deadly attacks by Somalia’s terrorist group al-Shabaab. This narrative linking poaching and al-Shabaab…

Revealed: How America Could Stop China in the South China Sea

Jun 5, 2015 | Robert A. Newson and Lauren Dickey

Beijing’s release of its new military strategy has surely captured the attention of many. Now, more than ever before, the Chinese military has made clear its intentions…

Oil and Sustainable Peace in South Sudan

Jun 5, 2015 | Gurtong

Shortly after independence, the National Legislative Assembly enacted two important pieces of legislation: Petroleum Act (2012) and Petroleum Revenue Management Act (2013). These two laws…

Saudi Arabia's War in Yemen Could Change OPEC's Entire Strategy

Jun 1, 2015 | Elena Holodny

OPEC's hands-off policy in the oil market is expected to continue after the cartel meets in Vienna on June 5. This policy includes an aggressive pace…

Companies Mark Major Benchmark, Support a Conflict-Free Minerals Trade in Congo

Jun 1, 2015 | Annie Callaway

Today marks the deadline for publicly traded companies in the United States to disclose the potential presence of conflict minerals in their supply chains, and what they’re…

Using the Full Mandate: Strengthening the Role of Peace and Human Rights in the UN’s Approach to Global Environmental Governance

May 29, 2015

Ken Conca is professor of international relations in the School of International Service at American University. His teaching and research focus on global environmental governance,…

The Taliban’s Opium Poppy Ban in 2000/2001 – Lessons from History

May 23, 2015

The Taliban decision in 2000 to eradicate poppy was framed internally as a simple issue of religion. The real drivers probably owed more to a…

Can Colombia Solve Its Drug Problem Through Peace?

May 22, 2015 | Jon Lee Anderson

In 1971, President Nixon announced the U.S. “war on drugs,” which every President since has carried forward as a battle standard. Until recently, most Latin…

High Stakes for Australia in Limiting China's South China Sea Incursions

May 22, 2015 | Bonnie Glaser

Rising tensions in the South China Sea are not simply driven by disputes over reefs, hydrocarbon resources and fisheries. China is seeking to exercise greater…

Empowered Women = Happy Planet? Gender Equality in a Changing Environment

May 20, 2015 | International Institute for Environment and Development

Gender and women's empowerment are getting increasing attention in global discussions on climate change, sustainable development and the green economy. The international community is recognising…

Obama Highlights Long-Term Climate Security Threats, Releases Review of Federal Resources

May 20, 2015 | Schuyler Null

In a commencement speech at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy today, President Obama said “climate change constitutes a serious threat to global security, an immediate…

European Parliament Must Seize its Chance to Stop Trade in Conflict Minerals

May 19, 2015

On 20 May, the European parliament will vote on a proposed regulation to tackle the trade in conflict minerals. The trade in tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold (3TG)…

Cooperation Is Not Enough: Why We Need to Think Differently About Water

May 19, 2015 | Naho Mirumachi

In 2003, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2005 to 2015 to be the decade of “water for life” as a way to encourage countries…

Colombia Halts Aerial Coca Eradication after WHO Glyphosate Cancer Ruling

May 15, 2015 | Doug Weir

As predicted on this blog in March, the classification of the commonly used herbicide Glyphosate as a Group 2A carcinogen by the WHO’s International Agency for Cancer…

Conflict in Yemen: Lessons for Citizen Environmental Monitoring

May 15, 2015 | Andy Garrity

The conflict in Yemen is likely to have produced a range of TRW threats for the civilian population but in common with other conflicts, data…

41 Years in the Making: Why China's South China Sea Plan Will Fail

May 8, 2015 | Leszek Buszynski

While China’s recent assertiveness in the South China Sea might shock and surprise today’s observers, its behavior has actually been remarkably consistent over recent decades.

China…

Fragile States Use Geospatial Data and Maps to Better Manage Natural Resources

May 6, 2015 | Alex Fischer

The g7+ countries (a voluntary grouping of 20 states affected by fragility) have recognized that one of the first step towards addressing the challenges identified in natural…

Oil, Gold, Etc., Invite Investors, and Yes, Corruption & Inequality

May 5, 2015 | J. Yanqui Zaza

Diamonds, gold, etc., resources needed for prosperity, are in abundance in Liberia, specifically, and in general, in Africa. Investors, invited or not, are in every…

Conservation for Peace: Perspectives of Environmental Peacebuilders in Liberia and Timor-Leste

May 1, 2015 | Brittany Ajroud and Janet Edmond

Environmental peacebuilding is an emerging field of practice that responds to the needs of the many remote, biodiverse communities around the world that struggle to prevent…

Amid Katmandu's Earthquake Wreckage, Hints of a Shift to Safer Construction

May 1, 2015 | Andrew C. Revkin

In the world’s crowded earthquake zones, fromthe Himalayas to the Pacific Northwest, every community faces enormous challenges in designing for inevitable, but unpredictable jolts. This challenge is particularly…

Is the Rubber Industry Dragging Its Heels on Sustainability?

May 1, 2015 | Megan Macinnes

Our recent Guns, Cronies and Crops exposé revealed the human toll of the rubber industry in Myanmar, where companies colluded with the former military junta to seize vast…

Environmental Peacebuilding in the South China Sea

May 1, 2015 | Ryan Stoa

In recent years the South China Sea has become a fiercely contested region.  China's rise as a regional and global superpower has emboldened an aggressive…

The Limits of the “Nile Agreement”

Apr 29, 2015 | Mwangi S. Kimenyi and John Mukum Mbaku

On Monday, March 23, 2015, leaders of Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan met in the Sudanese capital Khartoum to sign an agreement that is expected to resolve various…