Security Concerns in Georgia
The BBC reports (May 5, 2004) that the “Georgian leader Mikhail Saakashvili has imposed direct presidential rule in the rebel region of Ajaria. The moves came amid growing pressure on Ajaria’s leader Aslan Abashidze to accept Tbilisi’s authority or resign. The Georgian government has warned Aslan Abashidze that he has only a few hours to step down and avoid bloodshed.” We offer Vahagn Muradyan’s article on the problems of identity in Georgia in explaining its Security Policies.
The Mizrahi-Palestinian Connection, Part II
Scholarly analysis of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has depicted it as a conflict between two homogenous entities, namely Israel and the Palestinians. However, scholars largely ignore the impact of the “inner-Israeli” conflict between Mizrahim and Ashkenazim on the “external” conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Not only are the Mizrahim excluded from the peace process itself, but academics also fail to research the role they play in the conflict, while their occasional public role is that of extremely right-wing “Arab-haters” who prevent the Ashkenazi-dominated “liberal peace camp” from reaching a solution– hence they are portrayed as an obstacle to peace. Part II of a three-part series. Part I
Georgia-South Ossetia-Russia: Proposals for Immediate Steps to be taken to End Hostilities and Address Humanitarian Impacts
Kai Brand-Jacobson outines some recommendations for various actors and interest groups, including the Joint Control Commission, the EU, the US, the UN, and the Media. Rather than escalating and intensifying this conflict, these groups must realize that a peaceful resolution and a return to dialogue is in everyone’s best interest.
Peacekeping and the New World Order
The collapse and disintegration of the Soviet Union fundamentally altered the structure of international relations and the expression of violent conflict. Where war was once considered the business of nation states, non-state actors and intrastate wars have come to the forefront of global security concerns. Givi Amiranashvili analyses the legal and political aspects of UN peacekeeping operations in this new geopolitical landscape.
Article 2(4) of the UN Charter: Alive and Well
Some have argued that the continued use of force in international relations demonstrates that the prohibition of the use of force in Article 2(4) of the UN Charter is meaningless and outdated. Kanade counters this position with a discourse on the purpose and interpretation of international law, and argues that the UN Charter continues to offer a meaninful and effctive legal framework for confronting threats to global peace and security.
The Orange Revolution
Some doubted that the opposition could pull off the so-called “Orange Revolution” in the Ukraine. But with the elections complete and the dust clearing, pro-democracy reformer Viktor Yushchenko sits in the presidency. Here Suleymanov explores what went right for the opposition, what went wrong for the establishment, and why Russian influence just wasn’t strong enough.
The state of the field. An interview with Christopher Mitchell
The state of the field. An interview with Christopher Mitchell Author: Ross Ryan Originally Published at Peace and Conflict Monitor on 09/19/2008 Christopher Mitchell is currently Professor Emeritus at theInstitute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University, Virginia, where he was the Drucie French Cumbie Professor of Conflict Analysis for fifteen years. Previously, […]
Georgia: “Rose revolutions”
Amid rising tension with the leadership of the autonomous region of Ajaria, which did not fully recognize the authority of Mr. Saakashvili, Georgia’s elected president, on March 2004 Tbilisi briefly imposes sanctions on Ajaria and closed the border. On May, Ajarian leader Aslan Abashidze, claiming that Georgian forces were about to invade, blows up bridges connecting the region with the rest of Georgia. President Saakashvili ordered Mr. Abashidze to comply with Georgian constitution and disarm his forces or face removal. After thousands took to the streets of Ajaria’s capital, demanding Aslan Abashidze to resign, Mr. Abashidze resigned and left Georgia. Elections to a new administration are expected in June.
Assessing the Georgian conflict
Richard Falk discusses the recent violence in Georgia in light of the geopolitical context, involving NATO, Russia, the EU, and the US.
The Role of Identity in Georgia s Security Policies: Critique of Realism
The BBC reports (May 5, 2004) that the “Georgian leader Mikhail Saakashvili has imposed direct presidential rule in the rebel region of Ajaria. The moves came amid growing pressure on Ajaria’s leader Aslan Abashidze to accept Tbilisi’s authority or resign. The Georgian government has warned Aslan Abashidze that he has only a few hours to step down and avoid bloodshed.” We offer Vahagn Muradyan’s article on the problems of identity in Georgia in explaining its Security Policies.