Blogs & Opinions

Dealing With Uncertainty II: Towards a Precautionary Framework for Military-Origin Contaminants

Jun 19, 2014 | The Toxic Remnants of War Project

The previous blog in this two-part series highlighted fears and uncertainties regarding the long-term health impact from military-origin chemical contamination. Some analogies were discussed from…

Natural Resource Revenue Sharing: Are Stakeholders Negotiating Blind?

Jun 18, 2014 | Mari Oye, Myanmar Times

The management of natural resources and natural resource revenues is a hot topic in Myanmar, particularly the role state and region governments have to play.…

Is the News About Congo’s Conflict Minerals Good?

Jun 18, 2014 | Sarah von Billerbeck, The Washington Post

On June 10, the Enough Project published a report claiming that 67 percent of tin, tantalum, and tungsten (3T) mines in eastern Congo are now…

Why Federalism Must Wait

Jun 12, 2014 | James Adiok Mayik

Many if not all advocates of federalism in South Sudan fail to see many facts as to why South Sudan is not ready for a…

FARC Attacks Setback for Colombia Oil

Jun 11, 2014 | Latin America Advisor

There were 259 attacks on oil pipeline infrastructure in Colombia last year, the highest figure in a decade, according to Defense Ministry data. Who has…

Is S Sudan Falling into Oil Resource Curse?

Jun 7, 2014 | Malek Cook-Dwach

The notion of resource curse has engulfed African countries, which are rich in natural resources and heavily depend on revenues from these resources. The resource…

The Morning Ledger: Conflict-Metals Disclosures Reveal North Korean Surprise

Jun 5, 2014 | James Willhite

Dozens of firms found an unwelcome surprise in their supply chains beyond a connection to mines controlled by armed groups in the Congo region, which…

Water Wars in the Middle East - $1 Trillion is at Stake

Jun 4, 2014 | Garikai Chengdu

Water is to the 21st century what oil was to the 20th ... the commodity that determines the wealth and stability of nations, writes Garikai…

New MEPs must tackle conflict minerals

Jun 4, 2014 | Gavin Hayman

Europe’s nearly half a billion consumers are driving a rising global demand for minerals such as tungsten, tantalum, and gold.

These minerals, used in many consumer…

Water Wars in the Middle East - $1 Trillion is at Stake

Jun 4, 2014 | Garikai Chengdu

Water is to the 21st century what oil was to the 20th ... the commodity that determines the wealth and stability of nations, writes Garikai…

IBM, CREE, ABB, NetApp, EMC come clean about conflict minerals

Jun 2, 2014 | Lauren K. Ohnesorge

Tech and manufacturing companies are scrambling to come clean about where they get their minerals - but the end result leaves a lot of questions…

The Pentagon Wants to Tackle Climate Change -- But Congress Forbids It

May 28, 2014 | Mark Strauss

As rising sea levels begin to engulf naval bases and extreme weather exacerbates conflicts worldwide, the military has sounded the alarm that climate change poses…

Timor-Leste: Lessons of a Failing State?

May 22, 2014 | Loro Horta

The leader and founding father of Asia’s youngest nation, Xanana Gusmao, announced in November that he was resigning as prime minister and leaving politics. The…

Toward a Secure and Sustainable Water Future for Kurdistan and Iraq

May 18, 2014 | Tessa Manuello

As tensions between Erbil and Baghdad resumed earlier this year, some voices in the Kurdistan Region called for waging a “water war” against the central…

COOL, Conflict Minerals, GMOs & Beyond: Much Hangs in the Balance of DC Circuit En Banc Rehearing in Commercial Speech Case

May 16, 2014 | Chip English

Americans are naturally curious and interested about the food we eat and the products we buy—e.g., non-GMO labeling, country of origin labeling (“COOL”) and “conflicts…

Responsible Sourcing of Minerals from Conflict Zones: Is the EU Doing Enough?

May 15, 2014 | Anna Bulzomi

On March 5, 2014, the European Commission released its long-awaited responsible tradingstrategy for minerals from conflict zones. The strategy is composed of a draft Regulation setting up an…

Nepal’s Micro-Hydropower Projects Have Surprising Effect on Peace Process

May 14, 2014 | Florian Krampe

Development, and human development in particular, is frequently considered a ground condition for peace by the development community. It follows that, because they provide rural…

Second Conflict Minerals Report Filed

May 12, 2014 | Steve Quinlivan, Stinson Leonard Street

The second Form SD and related conflicts minerals report has been filed.  They are interesting documents but may still not be the holy grail of precedents because of, among…

What Water Wars? 'Think Water Cooperation', Expert Says

May 8, 2014 | Anastasia Moloney

Back in 1995, Ismail Serageldin, then World Bank vice president, warned that: "Many of the wars this century were about oil but those of the…

Jus Post Bellum Symposium: The Norm of Environmental Integrity in Post-Conflict Legal Regimes

May 7, 2014 | Cymie R. Payne

The standard for illegality of harm to the environment is “too restricted, incomplete, inadequately integrated into military activities, and too rarely enforced.” Cymie R. Payne…

DVB Debate: When Does the Government Have the Right to Take Land?

May 6, 2014 | DVB

Wealthy Burmese companies with political leverage, often financially backed by foreign investors, have been claiming farmlands around the country for development projects over the past…

Oil in South Sudan: Turning Crisis Into Opportunity

May 6, 2014 | Jill Shankleman, New Security Beat

Outside of donor and humanitarian aid, South Sudan’s economy is almost entirely dependent on the oil sector – and that sector is in crisis.

After a…

In a Troubled African Park, A Battle Over Oil Exploration

May 1, 2014 | Fred Pearce

Congo's Virunga National Park has long been known for its mountain gorillas and for the lawless militias that operate there. But the recent shooting of…

An Early Look at the EU Rule on Conflict Minerals

Apr 30, 2014 | Harrison Mitchell

On March 5th, 2014 the EU released a new proposal for a regulation governing the “responsible trading strategy for minerals from conflict zones”. Indications from…

Six Years After Cyclone Nargis

Apr 28, 2014 | Robin Lustig, The Huffington Post

Next week will mark the sixth anniversary of Cyclone Nargis, which swept through the Irrawaddy Delta in Burma and killed at least 140,000 people. I've…

DRC: New Troubles at the Gates of Virunga

Apr 27, 2014 | Richard Branson, Desmond Tutu, and Howard G. Buffett, The Huffington Post

The British company SOCO International has recently begun surveying for oil in Virunga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site located in Africa's eastern Democratic…

Turkey: Whose Side Will Turkey Take in an Arab-Israeli Face Off?

Apr 26, 2014 | Ceylan Ozbudak, Al Arabiya Network

This week, as the Arab-Israeli peace talks continue, Hamas and Fatah agreed to a unity government and announced that it will take form in five…

Underground Water Storage Can Mitigate Cross-Basin Tensions

Apr 25, 2014 | Russel Sticklor

As the earth’s surface grows hotter and precipitation becomes more variable due to the impacts of climate change, the world is in need of solutions…

South Sudan: Why Newest Nation Could Become the Bloodiest

Apr 23, 2014 | Mick Krever, CNN

Fears of all-out civil war in the world’s newest country, South Sudan, are at an all-time high a week after rebels slaughtered at least 400…

Water Wars? Think Again: Conflict Over Freshwater Structural Rather Than Strategic

Apr 22, 2014 | Cameron Harrington

The global water wars are almost upon us!

At least that’s how it seems to many. The signs are troubling: Egypt and Ethiopia have recently increased…