February 2014 Review

TransConflict is pleased to present a selection of articles published during February, plus updates from the Global Coalition for Conflict Transformation

 Suggested Reading Conflict Background GCCT

1) A ‘Segment state’ vision of the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina?

Dr. Valery Perry – A Bosnia and Herzegovina with one segment state – the Republika Srpska – has proven to be untenable. Whether a BiH comprised of two or three would be more or less likely to produce a stable future EU member state is worthy of discussion, as poorly thought through “interim” policies made in the past have led to two decades of stagnation. Read on…

2) How to make a new start in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Charles Crawford – The European Union and Jasmin Mujanović share a key misconception: that out there, somewhere, there are huge numbers of progressive Bosnian voters ready to spring forth and transform the country. Read on…

3) Managing conflict as America declines

David B. Kanin – Those seeking to better manage America’s important but diminished role in the world need to consider a number of questions concerning, for instance, its own interests, capacities and vulnerabilities; trends in conflict and co-operation; and international commitments, the missions required to uphold them, and the mix of military and intelligence capabilities needed to pursue them. Read on…

4) Kosovo – Ahtisaari plus doesn’t solve everything

Gerard M. Gallucci – To preserve the chances of a peaceful transition in north Kosovo, everyone will have to accept compromise and avoid seeking to take advantage of what would be a fragile and delicate balance of interests. Read on…

5) Protesting in Bosnia and Herzegovina – voiceless citizens and the breakdown of representation

Martino Bianchi – The reasonable and legitimate concerns of the population are today passing through two different bottleneck – the arguably negative reaction of political parties and the dramatic absence of political actors able and willing to structure this discontent. Read on…

6) Bosnia’s civilian unrest, mobs and protests – much ado about nothing?

Dražen Pehar – The current protests in Bosnia and Herzegovina will bring few results, especially not positive ones, and – as has already been seen – will be interpreted by various sides to suit their own needs and interests, whatever the final outcome. Read on…

7) For Syrian refugees child marriage is a necessity

Kirra Hughes – Research by women’s right organizations purports that the prevalence of child marriage is not due to lack of awareness about the concerns of the practice, but due to the social prejudice that girls face. While reports are inconclusive as to the rate of increase of child marriages among refugee populations, it is still an issue that requires immense scrutiny. Read on…

8) Can peace be secured at the expense of justice?

Kirthi Jayakumar – Peace must be secured through justice, and not at the cost of it. A peace that arrives at the cost of justice is unstable, impermanent and underpinned by simmering tensions. Read on…

9) Failure in Bosnia

Steven E. Meyer – Bosnia’s future as a single, unified state has never been promising, but without effective leadership the future will be bleak indeed. The recent riots need to be seen as a “wake up” call — not for political recrimination and scapegoating, but for intelligence, creative solutions, and cooperation. Read on…

10) Moving Bosnia from protests to reform

Scott Schenking – In order to move from protests to reform civil society leaders must recognize some harsh realities and attempt to make real adjustment to see these protests forward. However, if the politicians are going to shift their mindset from ethno-nationalism to the economy, the voters must do so as well. Continuing to vote for any politician who has sought to keep office by sowing fear is a vote for the destruction of all of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Read on…

11) The diversity of interreligious dialogue approaches

Sabina A. Stein – At the heart of all interreligious dialogues related to peacebuilding is an effort to build trust and deepen communication across conflict lines. The purpose for which that is done, however, will vary from initiative to initiative and will determine the nature of participants and the content of discussions. Read on…

12) Integration or isolation? Northern Kosovo in 2014 electoral limbo

Leon Malazogu, Milan Nič, Filip Ejdus and Tomasz Zornaczuk – With elections in Serbia slated for 16 March, for the EU parliament in May and Kosovo in autumn, northern Kosovo will be left in a dangerous limbo, without clarity about which laws apply and with the danger that the progress made in normalising relations could be reversed. Read on…

13) The former Yugoslavia – independence and the fate of minorities – part five

Gale Stokes – TransConflict is pleased to present the fifth part of a chapter of “Confronting the Yugoslav controversies – a scholars’ initiative”, entitled “Independence and the Fate of Minorities (1991-1992).” Read on…

14) Turkey on the road to change

Dr. Ahmed Magdy Al-Soukkary – With internal crises mounting, Turkey’s ruling party appears to have no choice but to negotiate with its opponents or risk eventual defeat. Read on…

15) The fight for citizens in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Admir Čavalić – The protests and plenums in Bosnia and Herzegovina are a legitimate response by citizens to the unwieldy apparatus of government that has deprived them of their inalienable right to freedom and prosperity. Read on…

Global Coalition for Conflict Transformation

1) The sixth GCCT newsletter

TransConflict is pleased to present the sixth Global Coalition for Conflict Transformation (GCCT) newsletter, showcasing the work of the GCCT and its members. Read on…

2) Why young peacebuilders must be included in the post-2015 agenda

Laura McManus – The promotion of a culture of peace includes peace education and recognising and addressing structures of violence such as gender discrimination, ethnic marginalisation and poverty. Above most, a culture of peace needs to involve all actors in society but crucially young people who often remain outside of the normative security framework. Read on…

3) Collaborative Conflict Transformation in Bosnia and Herzegovina

In light of the protests in Bosnia and Herzegovina, TransConflict is bringing forward the piloting of an initiative which lays the foundations for collaborative conflict transformation by facilitating the sharing of perspectives on conflict. Read on…

4) Peace and Conflict Resolution from the Democratic Republic of Congo

TransConflict is pleased to showcase the work of Peace and Conflict Resolution from the Democratic Republic of Congo, a member of the Global Coalition for Conflict Transformation. Read on…

5) New modules from Global Operational Peace Support

TransConflict is pleased to present information about new modules from Global Operational Peace Support (Global OPS), launched by the Peace Action Training and Research Institute of Romania (PATRIR), a member of the Global Coalition for Conflict Transformation. Read on…


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