May 2019 review
TransConflict is pleased to present a selection of articles published during May, plus updates from the Global Coalition for Conflict Transformation.
| Suggested Reading | Conflict Background | GCCT |
1) To prevent brain drain, Kosovo must eradicate corruption
Dr. Alon Ben-Meir and Arbana Xharra – The US and EU “pressure” to fight corruption and deal with the country’s socio-political and economic ailments have largely failed. The US and the EU must now change their approach because their strategic interest aligns with the Balkans’ and Kosovo’s strong desire to integrate with the EU and NATO. Read on…
2) Sri Lanka – ten years on
Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice – May 18th marks ten years since the end of the civil war in Sri Lanka, the final stages of which were scene to some of the worst mass atrocities of the 21st century.Read on…
3) Weaponizing white terrorism – the boomerang effect on the Balkans
Mladen Mrdalj – Attempts by Balkan nationalists to weaponize links of international terrorism with the Bosnian war have had a boomerang effect. The simplifications are the boomerang; and here is why. Read on…
4) Risk of Israeli-Iranian war still looms high
Dr. Alon Ben-Meir – There is nothing in the current crises with Iran that cannot be resolved through negotiations. But the continuing threats and counter-threats will gain increasing traction and make the risk of waging a war preferable to the consequences of allowing Iran to continue its destructive behavior. Read on…
5) Cameroon – moving fast when there are short windows of opportunity
Rene Wadlow – There are two separate and not directly related crisis areas in Cameroon. One is a spillover of instability and conflict in Nigeria and the Central African Republic. The second crisis area concerns the Anglophone area of Cameroon to the south and west on the frontier with Nigeria. This armed conflict depends on the ability of Cameroonese to find compromise forms of government, perhaps in a con-federal structure. Read on…
6) On Resolution 2467
Kirthi Jayakumar – That the US successfully imposed itself in the wording of a document that addresses women’s rights the world over and managed to force a regressive idea onto a globally applicable document is alarming. It suggests a tendency that is likely only to continue: one that is progressively eliminating the rights of women, one phrase at a time. Read on…
7) Qatari realignment
Christian Kurzydlowski – The Qatari crisis has turned the idea of a unified GCC, or Persian Gulf region on its head. The myth of Gulf Arab, and Sunni unity, has been shattered, if it ever existed. Regional fragmentation, and lack of consensus are part of the new narrative of the Gulf region. The Qatar crisis, has forced Qatari dynamism, and with no end in sight, will see additional and innovative new elements being brought into existing political, security, and economic structures of the Gulf region. Read on…
8) Sri Lanka – sectarian violence and the higher self
Rene Wadlow – While Christian-Muslim dialogue is necessary in Sri Lanka, as elsewhere, it is only as the individual person moves beyond their self-identification as Christians or Muslims that a true harmonious society can grow. Read on…
9) Dveri and the protests in Serbia
Christian Kurzydlowski – Nationalism in Serbia, like in most countries, cannot be reduced to a single current or strand of thought. Where Dveri stands out is in its adaptability. It has remoulded its image, as well as attempting to widen its appeal. It has been able to adopt the rhetoric of both resentment and real grievances, and then turn it against a specific political actor, or “other”, while creating a political platform. Read on…
10) Netanyahu’s defunct strategy to keep Hamas at bay
Dr. Alon Ben-Meir – There are many cynics who believe that peace between Israel and Hamas is nothing but an illusion. On the contrary, anyone who maintains that the current situation is sustainable is misguided, as they ignore both the turmoil and the bloodshed over the past 12 years, and the reality on the ground that cannot be changed. Read on…
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