April 2018 Review

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

1) An introduction to financing the United Nations

Matthew Parish – The United Nations must be held to the same standards as other organizations of its size. These are legal, accounting, regulatory and transparency standards. It is problematic that at the United Nations, almost two decades into the twenty-first century, is not yet operating to the standards that the rest of us are required to. But I believe that the United Nations can change, and that it will do so. Read on…

2) A review of the bidding in the Balkans

David B. Kanin – Save one, conflicts in the region are frozen, EU accession process or not.Read on…

3) How to stop a civil conflict (I)

Matthew Parish – Catalonia might slip down into becoming another Northern Ireland. If it happens, it will be a catastrophe for all the people of Catalonia and indeed for all of Spain. Everything must be done to prevent it. I believe that all of this is possible, but it requires the constructive cooperation of everyone, starting immediately. Fear must be put aside. A vision to avert an impending disaster must be embraced. Then we may have hope. Read on…

4) Office of the International Supervisor of Catalonia – proposal for initial support

Matthew Parish – There is a real perception of danger that Catalonia is on the precipice of civil conflict. Because the European Union and the United Nations have not so far acted to establish a presence in Catalonia to mediate between the parties in dispute, an independent and impartial mediation service offering shuttle diplomacy has become an inevitable necessity. Read on…

5) Israeli and Hamas leaders must face the bitter reality

Dr. Alon Ben-Meir – Israel and Hamas must drop any demand that cannot realistically be met, as it only casts serious doubts about each other’s ultimate intentions. Sadly, though, Gaza and Israel are led by hardline leaders who are wedded to the past, including Israel’s Netanyahu and Bennett, and Hamas’ Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, and others. They fear any change in direction that risks their position of power, which is to the detriment of their people. Read on…

6) Myanmar – rape as a military policy

Rene Wadlow – The Association of World Citizens has called attention to the use of rape as an instrument of war in the U.N. human rights bodies in Geneva since the time of the armed violence in former Yugoslavia. Rape is now recognized by the U.N. as a war crime and is one of the charges that can be brought to the International Criminal Court in the Hague. In practice, there are few convictions either at the national or the international level. Thus there must be an emphasis on the conscience of the individual soldier and his commanders that rape as a policy is morally wrong as well as illegal under international law. Read on…

7) Kosovo and Erdogan’s dangerous Islamic agenda

Alon Ben-Meir and Arbana Xharra – The US and the EU must come to their senses and warn Erdogan that his insidious ambition to dominate Kosovo by whatever means at his disposal will not be tolerated, because it is nothing but a recipe for destabilization and violent conflict that transcends the Balkans. Read on…

8) Sri Lanka – we need to talk about impunity

Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice – Growing timidity around the issue of impunity from among members of the international community, including those countries who played a pivotal role in putting it on the agenda in Geneva, is deeply concerning. Unchecked, it is a trend which could fatally undermine the already slender prospects for meaningful action on the issue over the next 12 months – the timeframe for implementation currently envisaged by Resolution 30/1. Read on…

9) The 2016 GA Declaration on the Right to Peace – an assessment

We invite the HR Council to appoint a Special Rapporteur on the Human Right to Peace, with the mandate of revising the 2016 Declaration in consultation with CSO and all interested stake-holders, so that the human right to peace and all its essential components be recognized. Read on…

10) Sisi’s socioeconomic agenda and human rights

Dr. Alon Ben-Meir – There is a common Egyptian proverb, al-Sabru Taieb, which translates to “patience is sweet.” Yes, the Egyptian people are very patient, and they will endure hardship, but now in the wake of back-to-back revolutions, they want to see results. I believe that Sisi will be able to deliver if he is provided the means, as he arguably remains Egypt’s most popular and trusted leader and has vested interests in eradicating human rights violations. Read on…

Interested in writing for TransConflict? Contact us now by clicking here!