March 2014 Review

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

 Suggested Reading Conflict Background GCCT

1) Why should we care about Crimea?

Gerard M. Gallucci – Beyond the question of what exactly the Western powers expect of Russia and how likely it is that Russia will meet those expectations there is a more fundamental question that should be asked. Why should the west care what happens with Crimea? What US national interests, for example, are at stake there? What difference would it make if the people of Crimea decide to leave Ukraine – as the Kosovo Albanians did with Serbia – and join Russia. Read on…

2) Ukraine – a stake for the long run

David B. Kanin – The West is stuck in reactive mode to what it perceives as a Crimean crisis; it needs instead to prepare for a strategic competition with Russia of unforeseeable duration for influence over Ukraine. Read on…

3) The Omani experiment

Artin H. Arslanian – The Oman of Sultan Qaboos represents a case study of modernization and political development initiated from the top. But unlike the case of Kemal’s Turkey, the changes have come incrementally and at a very slow pace. Read on…

4) Bosnia – the country as wreckage

David B. Kanin – Protests over identity cards and economic anguish once again have shown that – by themselves – neither street action nor breathless rhetoric from full-time activists or outside commentators can overcome the basic structural underpinnings of informal, patronage based social and economic networks. Read on…

5) US foreign policy and Ukraine

Gerard M. Gallucci – The US might form its policy around building and maintaining multilateral commitment to prevent, diffuse and contain conflicts, using its sense of right and wrong as the basis of a proactive and consistent diplomacy informed by local realities, sensitive to the interests, values and motivations of others and backed up when necessary by the credible threat of force exercised through the UN. Read on…

6) Living in two different worlds

Steven E. Meyer – Fule’s criticism of BiH politicians’ unwillingness to change the constitution and his criticism of political leaders for the economic, political and social failures in Bosnia are connected. In both cases, the criticism of Fule go back to a serious disconnect between the West and political realities in Bosnia. Read on…

7) The merits and pitfalls of comparison – Ukraine, Crimea and the Yugoslav references

Florian Bieber – Stating that a democratic Ukraine that fulfills the EU membership criteria can become a member,if it so desired, can provide for a strong incentive for change within and would be an appropriate acknowledgement of the risks the protesters took in recent months in Kiev and elsewhere. Read on…

8) The United Nations and its peacekeeping dilemma

Maurício Vieira – The deployment of a UN Force Intervention Brigade (FIB), authorized to undertake “all necessary measures” to neutralize armed groups, represents an important step in the evolution of UN peacekeeping missions. Read on…

9) Back to the 90s – how past mistakes will drive Ukraine’s future

Scott Schenking – Russia will create an atmosphere in which European countries – unsure of their relationship with Russia and Ukraine – will question not only Crimea’s right to self-determination but also all of eastern Ukraine. In this atmosphere Putin will obscure the very fact that Russia has invaded a foreign country with no justifiable pretext. Read on…

10) Negotiating the Syrian crisis – a compromise remains far off

Dr. Ahmed Magdy Al-Soukkary – The trajectory of the Geneva II negotiations – either towards convergence (resolution) or divergence (non-resolution) – will affect the outcome of one of the most violent and protracted conflicts in the Middle East. Read on…

11) What do the local election results whisper about the future of Turkish democracy?

Dr. Ulas Doga Eralp – Local election results confirmed that Turkey is going through a belated, yet organic democratic transition. In absence of Turkish military’s looming shadow, the liberals and social democrats are learning to own the process rather than merely follow. Read on…

12) Bosnia and Herzegovina – acknowledging the crimes of the past

Goran Šimić – Acknowledging the crimes of the past is a difficult but vital step to build lasting peace. Old wounds can easily be reopened by discussing history, but in order for them to heal properly history must be confronted. Read on…

13) Is transitional justice a forgotten issue in Afghanistan?

Mariam Safi – Thirty years of conflict has left a history of war crimes, human rights abuses, and atrocities, for which many victims have never received justice. Read on…

14) Borders of war – the impact of South Ossetia’s new border

Mikel Venhovens – The installation of a 400-kilometre security fence along the Georgian-South Ossetian border has had a huge impact on the lives of local people. Read on…

15) Lest we forget – the foundations of peace in Rwanda

Kubwimana Venuste – The collective acknowledgement of the past not only clears up misunderstandings, it also liberates us from the tyranny of widespread, existing popular prejudices. In order for reconciliation to take root in political and moral quarrels, there is first a need for truth, then justice and finally forgiveness. Read on…

Global Coalition for Conflict Transformation

1) Umuganda – a tool for reconciliation in Rwanda

Ingvild Gundersen – The concept of ‘Umuganda’ – which means ‘coming together in common purpose’ – is to promote unity and reconciliation in a society that has been devastated by conflict, genocide and poverty. Read on…

2) Rwanda – building an engaged youth twenty years after genocide

Ingvild Gundersen – Rwanda is still in need of healing and reconciliation, and the Rwandan youth still need to reflect on lessons learned from the past in order to construct the future they want and deserve. Read on…


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