May 2017 Review

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

1) Hacking the future

TransConflict is pleased to present a new project – initiated with the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence, Democracy for Development and NGO Aktiv – which aims to connect various stakeholders from Serbia and Kosovo* through innovative activities such as hackathons, business fairs, symposiums and conferences. Read on…

2) Reviving Israeli-Palestinian talks now will go nowhere

Dr. Alon Ben-Meir – There are three major impediments to Israeli-Palestinian peace process that must largely be mitigated before the resumption of any negotiations: a) there is profound distrust of the other; b) both sides have a deep sense of mutual insecurity; and c) illusions are held by powerful extremist constituencies on both sides that seek to deny the other a state of their own and who believe they can have all. Read on…

3) UN peacekeepers – the limits and opportunities for creative action

Rene Wadlow – UN Peacekeeping missions have become far more complex and ambitious: from supervising the disarming of armed factions and establishing protected areas, to monitoring elections and repatriating refugees. To be effective, peacekeeping operations should be planned to complement other initiatives such as mediation, promotion of reconciliation, border demarcation, humanitarian assistance and economic reconstruction.. Read on…

4) Korea – back from the brink; small steps forward

Rene Wadlow – Relations with the external nuclear powers, USA, China, and Russia , will remain difficult, but the “rules of the game” which have held since 1954 may continue if care is taken to strengthen the modalities of crisis management. Read on…

5) Sri Lanka’s draft Counter Terrorism Act: a license for continued state oppression, intimidation and torture

Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice – A joint statement by the Sri Lanka Campaign, Adayaalam Centre for Policy Research (Jaffna, Sri Lanka), the International Truth and Justice Project (Johannesburg, South Africa), People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (Washington DC, United States of America) and Tamil Civil Society Forum (North-East Sri Lanka). Read on…

6) Trump’s ‘historic’ visit to the Middle East – much ado about nothing

Dr. Alon Ben-Meir – Trump’s visit to the region was full of opulence and symbolism, with little or no substance. There was no progress in in the search for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Arab states continue to refuse to normalize relations with Israel before resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and they have received no assurance that the US will deal with Iran with an iron fist. Read on…

7) Structuring Ukraine’s phantom republics

Rene Wadlow – We must find ways of dealing creatively with the new States born from the break up of the Soviet Union: Abkazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia, Transnistra, Donetsk and Lugansk. Read on…

8) “We would like to spend at least a few days with our children before we die”

Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice – On the eve of the eighth anniversary of war’s end in Sri Lanka, we publish below a letter from mothers of the disappeared of Kilinochchi who continue to seek answers as to the whereabouts of their loved ones. Read on…

9) The necessity of reforming the UN Security Council

Phillip Nyasha Fungurai – The United Nations Security Council requires holistic reform in order to confront the plethora of global challenges, including addressing violence, terrorism, refugees crises and nuclear proliferation. Read on…

10) The recipe for successful advocacy

Srushti Mahamuni – Successfully advocating for a cause is like baking a great chocolate brownie: anyone with the right ingredients can do it but making one that is perfectly gooey on the inside and crusty on the outside requires a great recipe and some skill. Read on…

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