January 2017 Review

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

1) Multilateralism from the Zhou to Qing dynasties – lessons for the international community in the modern age

Matthew Parish – Chinese history, and the contemporary Chinese nation, have so much to teach an international public administration such as the United Nations still in its relative infancy. All diplomacy and relations between nations should be undertaken within the exigencies of moderation and self-discipline in mind. War and division should be avoided at all costs, although not shirked from where strictly necessary. Read on…

2) Moving forward in Macedonia

David B. Kanin – Can Zoran Zaev avoid turning into Zlatko Lagumdzija? Read on…

3) Reset redux – how to coordinate US and Russian foreign relations

Matthew Parish – A brief contrast between US and Russian political histories and diplomatic philosophies enables us at least to trace the contours of a possible resolution, with a number of lessons being drawn. Read on…

4) The shortcomings of the International Conference for Peace

Dr. Alon Ben-Meir – The conference for peace between Israel and the Palestinians initiated by the French government that took place on January 15 in Paris could have made a great contribution to the peace process not by merely repeating what is known, but by fostering a new dialogue that allows the public to become an active participant, which is critical to changing the dynamic of the conflict. Read on…

5) Continuing genocidal dangers of the Darfur conflicts

Rene Wadlow – The creation of a separate South Sudan state, continuing tensions between North and South Sudan, and ethnic conflicts within South Sudan have captured most international energy. There needs to be renewed efforts for negotiations in good faith in Darfur and planning to create ecologically-sound agricultural development of the area. Read on…

6) America’s Weimar moment

Dr. Sam Ben-Meir – In its contempt for things like evidence, justification and warrant, Trumpism has created a social condition in which virtually all the normal constraints on public speech and discourse no longer apply. Read on…

7) Combatting extremism – the reformative paradigm of Saudi Arabia

Matthew Parish – The experience of Saudi Arabia shows that there is cause for cautious optimism, and the phenomenon of uncompromising and politically destabilising radical political Islam may be a subject that we can slowly but surely overcome in the next historical phase of the modern era. Read on…

8) What does the US Congress know about Bosnia-Herzegovina?

Dražen Pehar – On the basis of a report by Steven Woehrel, entitled ‘Bosnia-Herzegovina: Current issues and U.S. policy’, an average American congressperson is unlikely to form a clear or consistent or adequate image of Bosnia-Herzegovina, and will therefore be unable to found on the report an implementable, or viable or consistent, foreign policy towards the country. Read on…

9) Trump: “close the open hand out of love”

Dr. Alon Ben-Meir – Trump’s appointments, coupled with a campaign promise to relocate the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, may well translate to unfettered support for settlements and the annexation of more Palestinian territory. Should this come to pass, it will jeopardize the prospect of a two-state solution and the future of Israel as a viable Jewish state, not to mention the endless violence that would ensue. Read on…

The Global Coalition for Conflict Transformation

1) Agreement on Afghan deportation from the EU brings uncertain future

Maryam Safi – Afghans, especially women and children, are paying the cost of ongoing wars, and are once again exposed to the unpredictable outcomes of the EU and Afghan government’s deal on Afghan deportation.  Read on…

2) Call to postpone the decision on the restoration of GSP+ status to Sri Lanka

TransConflict is pleased to present a letter by the Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice, a member of the Global Coalition for Conflict Transformation, addressed to the European Commission, calling on it to postpone the decision on the restoration of GSP+ status to Sri Lanka.    Read on…

3) Youth, peace and conflict transformation – empowering youth from South Asia

Mridul Upadhyay and Omang Agarwal – Youth for Peace International, a UNOY Peacebuilders member organisation, the Rajiv Gandhi National Institute for Youth Development, and the Commonwealth Youth Peace Ambassadors Network (CYPAN) gathered young peacebuilders from across South and South-East Asia to engage with themes including youth, peace and conflict management & transformation at a training of trainers in Chandigarh in October 2016. Read on…

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