Memory and denial: The Rwandan genocide fifteen years on
While most of
the world is familiar with Rwandan genocide, fifteen years later the influence
of a small band of deniers is growing thanks to the embrace of the deniers’
arguments by a small but influential number of left-wing, anti-American
journals and websites, cautions Gerald Caplan.
This article is cross posted from Pambazuka News
Security and Economic Development: Masculinized Goals for Post-Conflict Reconstruction
The end of an armed conflict is the starting moment of a new period that creates space for transforming institutions, structures and relationships within society. In such historical moments the actors of peace negotiations and peace building processes have the window of chance and responsibility to create a new society based on gender equality. However, in what Cynthia Enloe calls“the morning after”, when the guns are silent, the persistent militarization and promotion of masculinity continue in postwar societies, in both the public and private sphere. This paper will attempt to track such political processes and identify the tools and factors contributing to militarization and masculinization in post conflict societies. Moreover, this paper will highlight reasons for failing to consolidate women’s gains deriving from their war-time experience and to promote gender equality in peace building processes.
Pride, Protests, and the Beijing Olympics
Pride, Protests, and the Beijing Olympics Author: Ross Ryan Originally Published at Peace and Conflict Monitor on 05/08/2008 It is terribly unfortunate, but pride and peace are not always easy to reconcile with one another. And short of international war, or the World Cup, it is hard to imagine a more ostentatious display of […]
Ignoring Genocide, One More Time
The world watched with a mixture of horror and lethargy during the various genocides of the 20th century, later wondering why no one tried to stop it. But as the grimness in Darfur, Sudan, continues to unfold, the cycle is repeating itself.
Crying out loud for the children
Catherine Onekalit asks the question can von-violent methods help to end the war that has lasted seventeen years in northern Uganda destroying the lives of thousands of children and young people. She notes that progress has been slow but that is no excuse for stopping. Quite the opposite, and one way of moving forward is to shout as loudly as possible. The Peace and Conflict Monitor is helping. Join in the cacophony.
Save Who from What? Exploring the Ethics of the Save Darfur Coalition
Save Darfur patently aims to “save Darfur” by raising awareness, not by providing on-the-ground humanitarian assistance. This is clearly defined on the organization’s website. Yet, through the advertising techniques employed in its media campaigns, the Save Darfur coalition misleads the public by giving off the image of a humanitarian relief organization. Maggie Schwalbach takes a closer look at the coalition’s media campaigns and investigates the assumptions present in the advertisements by exploring the moral consequences of raising awareness based on victimization and perpetuating stereotypes of Africans as helpless.
The Theory and Practice of Humanitarian Intervention and the Interest of Western Powers: Liberia, Darfur, Rwanda, Iraq, and Libya
After arguing for the importance and potential of humanitarian intervention to bring about a more just world, Jerry M’bartee Locula critically reviews its application (or lack thereof) by the United Nations Security Council in relation to political and economic interests, particularly those of the permanent five members — USA, UK, France, Russia, and China. As such, the discussion draws on the experiences of Liberia, Sudan (Darfur), Rwanda, Iraq, and, most recently, Libya.
Darfur Humanitarian Crisis: The Need for an Integrative Approach
Despite of the involvement of the international community in the Darfur conflict a decade ago, there has been no indicator of a workable agreement despite the diversity and multiplicity of interventions undertaken both at the political and non-governmental levels. And as the attention shifted to a different region, there is an urgency to revisit the approach to its resolution in order to reach a viable accord between the conflicting parties for the purpose of preventing further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the province, at a time where oblivion seems to prevail. In this essay I contend that an integrated strategy is needed to permanently resolve the conflict and put an end to the long lasting human tragedy. In order to, I will reexamine the main causes which lead to the worsening of the humanitarian condition while providing the necessary adjustments required for sustainable peace.
Gendered Language in the United Nations Secretary-General’s Report on Sudan
This article discusses the 2005 report of the UN Secretary-General calling for a “peace support operation” in Sudan (S/2005/57), a proposal subsequently supported by the Security Council in resolutions 1547 and 1574. Hala Eltom analyses the language of this report from a gender perspective and finds that it relies on generalities that lead to policy ambiguities, and reflects the persistent gender biases of the UN as an institution.
The slow peace process in Darfur: A call to turn to the local
Peace in whatever way it is perceived has remained both an aspiration and challenge in post-war international order. The combined effect of this struggle has led to constant engagement with and search for durable solutions to conflicts wherever they occur. Despite international interventions attempting to address the conflict in Darfur, and the humanitarian needs it has generated, peace remains elusive. In this article, Rose Mutayiza addresses the challenges that continue to frustrate the peace process and suggests more space be given for local voices and initiatives.The argument of this paper is that the challenges of peace in Darfur though not new, reflect to a considerable degree, institutional and normative faultiness inherent in contemporary neoliberal approaches to peacebuilding.