International
Iraq: Iraq Oil Surge Seen Losing Steam Just as Markets Need More
May 16, 2016
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Anthony Dipaola, Bloomberg
Iraq’s oil industry is on a roll. Production has jumped more than 40 percent since mid-2014 and exports are at near-record levels. It probably won’t…
DRC: Illicit Wildlife, Gold, Timber Trade Funds DRC Conflict
May 16, 2016
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Environment News Service
Organized crime funded by illegal trade in natural resources is fueling the 20-year-long conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC, that has…
Iraq/Kurdistan: KRG Shares of International Loans to Iraq
May 15, 2016
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Lana Sardar Qader, NRT
For the past decade the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) had established what ended up being a false sense of financial security. The KRG economy has…
Food Security: Countries Stress Peace is Needed to Fight Hunger
May 14, 2016
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infoZine
In a declaration adopted by the FAO Regional Conference for the Near East that ended in Rome today, country representatives stressed "the need for stability…
Mozambique: Mozambique Wrestles with Drought, Debt, Conflict
May 14, 2016
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Anita Powell, Voice of America
Two years ago, the nation of Mozambique was riding high after a peaceful presidential election, the promise of offshore natural gas wealth, and what looked…
Colombia: To Fight Deforestation, Replanting Eco-Awareness in Colombia
May 13, 2016
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Eden Krsmanovic, City Paper Bogota
A recent report released by the Convention on Biological Diversity takes a critical look at the extent of the damage to Colombia’s native forests, and…
Iraq: Exclusive: Iraq Oil Projects Face Delays as Companies Resist Spending Cuts
May 13, 2016
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Ahmed Rasheed, Reuters
International oil firms have warned Iraq that projects to increase its crude output will be delayed if the government insists on drastic spending cuts this…
Iraq/Syria: How Sykes-Picot Is the Root of Syria, Iraq Sectarian Conflicts
May 13, 2016
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teleSUR
Days after taking over the second largest city in Iraq Mosul, Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi said “this blessed advance will not stop…
Armed Clashes Drive Growing Displacement in Western Colombia
May 13, 2016
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Nora Sturm, UNHCR
Armed clashes between illegal groups fighting for territory in western Colombia are driving a growing number of mostly Afro-Caribbean and indigenous peoples from their homes…
Iraq: Iraq to Stop Sunflower Seed Imports as Domestic Production Rises
May 12, 2016
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Bloomberg, Khalid Al Ansary
Iraq will stop importing sunflower oil next year as domestic production is rising under a government plan to boost supplies of food staples. The government…
Iraq: ISIS Sabotage Continues to Cause Outages in Iraqi Oil Fields
May 12, 2016
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James Burgess, Oilprice.com
Two wells at the Khabaz oilfield near Kirkuk, in northern Iraq, sabotaged by ISIS last week are still on fire, with production suspended and losses…
Afghanistan/Pakistan: Border Fencing Escalates Pakistan-Afghanistan Tension
May 12, 2016
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Al Jazeera
Tension at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border has escalated over the fencing of a 2km area at the Torkham crossing which was stopped by the Afghan forces.…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Oil Politics: Iraqi Kurdish Official Calls for Country’s Split
May 11, 2016
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Paul McLeary, Foreign Policy
Just hours after the Islamic State hit multiple sites in Shiite neighborhoods across Baghdad, killing over 90 civilians, the governor of Kirkuk province in the…
Food Security: Hunger, a Matter of Global Security
May 11, 2016
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Enrique Yeves, Inter Press Service
Desperate, frustrated, and with little hope for the future, on 17h December 2010, the Tunisian Mohamed Bouazizi doused himself in petrol and set himself alight.…
Conflict Minerals: Industry Collaboration, Consumer Pressure Key to Stopping 'Conflict Minerals' Trade
May 10, 2016
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James Hakner, University of Sussex
Responsible sourcing of raw minerals from conflict regions could be achieved if firms were to collaborate and if there was more pressure from consumers, a…
Conflict Minerals: To Stop Conflict Minerals, Make European Firms Establish Origin of Supply Chain - Expert
May 10, 2016
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Magdalena Mis, Thomson Reuters Foundation
European companies should be required by law to establish the origin of the minerals they use in their products to put an end to the…
Colombia: Can Colombia Be Landmine-Free in 5 Years?
May 10, 2016
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Jim Wyss, Miami Herald
A meeting of international mine experts in Bogotá will be held through Friday, after the United States, Norway and Colombia in February pledged to make…
David Jensen and John Bennett Join Environment, Peace, and Security Faculty
May 9, 2016
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Columbia University
Two faculty have joined Columbia University’s Environment, Peace, and Security Certification of Professional Achievement program. Both globally recognized experts in environment and security practice will…
Myanmar: In Shan State, New Water Sources Combat an Old Scourge
May 9, 2016
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Kyaw Phyo Tha, The Irrawaddy
Shan State, much like the rest of Burma, has been suffering from an unusually powerful El Niño weather pattern this year. In the southern parts…
Cambodia: Serial ‘Land Grabber’ Put on New Blacklist
May 9, 2016
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Niem Chheng, Phnom Penh Post
Businesses and individuals with a history of improper land dealings are to be added to a “blacklist” barring them from registering or transferring land, according…
Conflict Minerals: Freeport-McMoRan Announces Agreements to Sell its Interests in TF Holdings Limited for $2.65 Billion in Cash and up to $120 Million in Contingent Consideration
May 9, 2016
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Freeport-McMoRan Inc.
Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX) announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its interests in TF Holdings Limited (TF Holdings) to China…
Myanmar: No Logging Ban for Myanmar Despite Reported Announcement
May 9, 2016
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Morgan Erickson-Davis, Mongabay
Late last month, news reports heralded a new move by the Myanmar government that would ban the logging of all hardwood in the country. However,…
Afghanistan: The Calm before the Storm
May 7, 2016
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Naqeebullah Miakhel and Najibullah Noorzai, Diplomat
The Afghan Government’s position on direct peace negotiations with the Taliban through the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG), involving senior officials from Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United…
South Sudan: Juba Economy: Reviving Tourism
May 6, 2016
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Wolfgang H. Thome, eTurboNews
Information coming out of Juba suggests that the newly-formed South Sudan unity government will now turn its attention to reviving the national economy, all but…
Liberia: Land Rights at Root of Palm Oil Conflict in Liberia, Campaigners Say
May 6, 2016
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Matthew Ponsford, Reuters
The lack of tenure over ancestral lands lies at the root of violent clashes on land leased to foreign palm oil producers in Liberia, a…
Indonesia/Timor-Leste: Indonesia 'May Be Drawn into Timor Talks'
May 6, 2016
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Lisa Martin, Australian Associated Press
The foreign affairs department says potentially reopening border negotiations with East Timor could draw Indonesia into the fray. Federal Labor has pledged to reopen good-faith…
Myanmar: One-Year Logging Ban Proposed
May 5, 2016
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Catherine Trautwein, Myanmar Times
A temporary ban on logging has been proposed to the government and is likely to be approved, according to Myanma Timber Enterprise managing director U…
Liberia: Equatorial Palm Oil Signs MOU with Liberian Communities
May 5, 2016
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Josh White, Digital Look
Palm oil development and production company Equatorial Palm Oil announced on Thursday that its Liberian operation has signed a memorandum of understanding with designated community…
South Sudan: South Sudan Sees Oil Output Rise Limited by Damage to Fields
May 5, 2016
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Okech Francis, Bloomberg
Damage to South Sudan’s oil fields after more than two years of civil war will hamper plans to boost output, Petroleum Minister Dak Duop Bischok…
Afghanistan: Bountiful Afghan Opium Harvest Yields Profits for the Taliban
May 4, 2016
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Taimoor Shah and Mujib Mashal, New York Times
As the opium harvest winds down across Helmand Province, Afghanistan’s largest in territory and poppy cultivation, farmers and officials are reporting high yields. The skies…