New Year, Old Conflicts: Nuclear crises in 2011 and their implications for US-China relations
Rob van Riet follows three conflicts with nuclear potential — rising tensions on the Korean peninsula, continued animosity between the US and Iran, and the persistent India-Pakistan dispute — set against the backdrop of shifting Sino-American relations. While each of these conflicts has a potential to undermine efforts toward international security, and may trigger war on a nuclear scale, van Riet argues, much will depend on the willingness and ability of US and Chinese leaders to work together towards their resolution.
Narratives of streets that do not betray
Ameena Alrasheed Nayel reflects on the protests in Egypt, particularly in light of Egypt’s historical relationship to the Sudan.
My UPEACE Experience
My UPEACE Experience Author: Gale Mohammed-Oxley Originally Published at Peace and Conflict Monitor on: 02/02/2011 An Organisation of American States and a University of Peace Scholarship brought me to the shores of Costa Rica. Having heard little of this University I did not have any idea of what to expect and held no expectations. […]
My Life Story with UPEACE-DIPS
My Life Story with UPEACE-DIPS Author: Sopheada Phy Originally Published at Peace and Conflict Monitor on: 03/01/2011 It was a mixture of my dream, careful decision, endeavor, opportunity, luck, qualification, and particularly family’s inspiration, encouragement, and support that I could pursue this MA in International Peace Studies Dual Campus. As an international student studying […]
Music Has No Boundaries: A Conversation With Emmanuel Jal
Musician and peace practitioner Jesaka Saylove speaks with artist, activist, and former child soldier Emmanuel Jal about the music he heard growing up, leaving his gun in Sudan, finding his voice in hip-hop, the power of art, the beauty of peace, the music that continues to inspire him, and the projects he’s working on now.
Mahmoud El Zain Hamid
A reflection on the life and scholarship of Mahmoud El Zain Hamid (1963-2011), reviewing some of his major works and providing a selected bibliography for further reading.
Reaching the World’s Young People with Education for Peace
UPEACE Rector John J. Maresca discusses the potential of new communication technologies to transform higher education, emphasizing the particular opportunity that these changes bring for the University for Peace to fulfil its mission of offering higher education for peace “to humanity”.
Re-Valuating Gender and the Environment: Paradigm Shifting toward a Human Rights Based Approach to Development
In her highly nuanced academic analysis, UPeace alumna Ani Colekessian delves into the historical-theoretical links between concepts of gender and the environment. She calls for a gendered, human rights based approach to development as the means to overcome the dangers of relegating both women and the environment to the misplaced patriarchal construct of an undervalued “feminine” at the disposal of the dominant “masculine”.
Prosecution or Impunity? Is there an Alternative?
Marco Fanara analyzes the justice and peace relationship between prosecution and impunity, weighing the costs and benefits of both, seeking answers to the questions of whether states should seek ‘justice’ and prosecute, or grant impunity in the name of ‘reconciliation’? Are there alternatives? Utilizing the case study of Uganda and the ICC’s involvement therein, Fanara’s essay presents arguments for and against both camps, working to answer the question of whether impunity acts as a barrier to lasting peace, or is it a crucial prerequisite?
People Power: Between Reality and Conjecture
The successful overthrow of unpopular regimes in many political communities through popular uprising is often adduced as evidence of the potency of people power. Oftentimes, such changes have occurred without any real social transformation. Alozieuwa argues that a change in the political leadership without corresponding takeover of the mantle exposes the contradiction in the concept of people power as a catalyst for social transformation. Alozieuwa concludes that the people, in addition to stimulating the change, must be able to take over power in order to institute the desired social order. Absence of a coherent strategy has often hindered this.