‘We Screwed Up’ – Clashes in Budapest
Demonstrations began on September 17 in Hungary after a speech by the Prime Minister had been leaked, in which he said that the government lied to the people to stay in power. The protests turned violent: a group of extreme rightists and football fans besieged the public service television, burned cars and fought with the police on the streets for three nights.
Unheard Voices from Syria and the Middle East
University for Peace PhD Candidate Harout Akdedian presents grassroots perspectives on the Syrian crisis and an analysis of today’s socio-political reality in the Middle East.
US influence in El Salvador’s civil war
US influence in El Salvador’s civil war Author: Oscar Alvarado Originally Published at Peace and Conflict Monitor on 03/06/2009 In El Salvador the rich and powerful have systematically defrauded the poor and denied eighty percent of the people any voice in the affairs of their country. A revolution is now underway and we are one […]
Uzbek Bloody Friday
When Uzbek soldiers fired on protestors this past May, it drew international attention from media groups, NGOs and governments around the globe. The incident, however, was only the latest of what has been a pattern of violence and oppression by Islam Karimov’s totalitarian regime. Meanwhile, as the incident has cooled relations with the US and Europe, China and Russia are approving of Karimov’s use of violence.
Vanunu is free: The campaign against Israeli nukes continues
As 50 years old Mordechai Vanunu was released last month after 18 years in prison, Aki Orr reminds us that the campaign to make the Middle East a zone free of all weapons of mass-destruction under international control continues.
Violence Next Door: “Third Party” People-to-People Initiatives in the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict
Violence Next Door: “Third Party” People-to-People Initiatives in the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict Author: Daniel Noah Moses Originally Published at Peace and Conflict Monitor on: 03/16/2007 This past Thursday, in Hebron, I stood on a hill, at the edge of the Old City. Looking down, I could see the place where, according to tradition, Abraham and Sarah […]
Waiting for the Rain
During my travels across Indonesia, I saw the ongoing devastation that these two bombings, along with other worldwide incidents have had on the people of Indonesia. I have traveled in Indonesia off and on, since 1997, just as Indonesia was undergoing the first pangs of its financial crisis and subsequent political upheaval. Strangely, most times I visited the country it was either facing elections or it was right in the middle of them so in the past there was certainly a thick air of tension. However, nothing I encountered in the past comes close to the feeling that now seems to sit in the deep burrows of its people. In most voices there is a sound of grief, confusion, and distress – yet, the innate resilence and optimism of the Indonesians also shines though; it is this smile, and its acknowledgement of hope that I have always loved coming back to.
War and Peace in El Salvador
Colette Hellenkamp delves into the complexity of violence in El Salvador, touching on both obstacles and potential pathways to constructing a culture of peace. Her analysis highlights the challenges of outflow migration, socio-economic and power inequalities, governmental ineptitude in addressing root causes of violence, rampant gang activity and organized crime, as well as El Salvador’s history of military dictatorship and violent civil war.
War Anniversaries: it’s all going so well, isn’t it?
War Anniversaries: it’s all going so well, isn’t it? Author: Jan Oberg and Annette Schiffmann Originally Published at Peace and Conflict Monitor on 03/20/2009 March 20 marks the 6th anniversary of the US-led invasion and ongoing occupation of Iraq – coming upon 12 years of the most cruel sanctions history has witnessed. About 2 million […]
We All Look Alike, But We Are Not the Same: The Root Cause of the Conflict in Sri Lanka
UPeace Asia Leaders Fellow Aingkaran analyzes the conflict in Sri Lanka within the framework of the relationship between political power and modern ethnic identities.