Military Intervention and the Return of Absolute Monarchy: an Impediment to Political Security in Thailand
Thailand is encountering the problematic situation of military intervention and the return of absolute monarchy. Those incidents violate human security, particularly, political security.
Conflict, Climate Change, and Water Security in Sub-Saharan Africa
The paper is a review of literature on conflict, climate change and water security on Sub-Saharan Africa. It identifies poverty as a threat in Sub-Saharan African countries that may have effect on its water security. It analyses in Sub-Saharan Africa region, the conflict trend of water security in correlation with climate change impacts. It advocates sustainable water management as the ameliorative and mitigation approaches to the negative effects of climate change on water security in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Regional Water Congress, City of Guápiles, Costa Rica
Jorge Tortós Barquero reports on the main ideas, arguments, and visions shared and discussed in the recent Regional Water Congress held in the City of Guápiles, Costa Rica.
The Prospects of the African Mechanisms for Preventing, Managing and Resolving Conflict
This article discusses the potential of African mechanisms for peace, especially the African Union’s Peace and Security Council, to prevent, manage, and resolve violent conflict on the continent, both within and between states. While various criticisms and challenges are discussed, the author ends on an optimistic note and makes a series of practical recommendations for AU member states, pointing a way forward, toward a peaceful and prosperous Africa.
War on terrorism versus civil liberties of individuals: An analysis of the Malaysian Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012
This article, written during the author’s internship with the Malaysian Human Rights Commission, presents an analysis of the Malaysian “Special Measures” Act (2012), which compromises the civil liberties of individuals, through such powers as identifying anonymous authors on the Internet and intercepting personal communications, in an effort to ensure the security of the state against terrorist acts.
Voices from the Narmada River
Leon Mach shares his reflections after a study tour of the Narmada River Valley with Medha Patkar, a community organizer and tireless advocate of “people oriented development”, illustrated by the beautiful photography of Kelsea Schumacher.
Tags: Medha Patkar, Narma River, conservation, development, community, justice, livelihoods, ecosystem services, Sardar Sarovar Dam, globalization.
Challenges and prospects of AU to implement the Ezulwini Consensus: The case of collective security and the use of force
The “Ezulwini Consensus” has endorsed the Responsibility to protect (R2P) that recognizes the “right to intervene when a State is unwilling or unable to protect its populations” from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. In such situations, the Ezulwini Consensus emphasizes that regional organizations in areas of proximity to conflicts should be empowered to take action. However, the conflict situation in the Eastern DRC has challenged the ICGLR to implement the Ezulwini Consensus. The ICGLR was unable to take appropriate action against Member States who were providing support to armed groups destabilizing other Member States. In order to protect the population under imminent threat and maintain the Great Lakes Region as a specific zone of reconstruction and development, Member States of the ICGLR could demonstrate their political will to respect the fundamental principles particularly of the territorial integrity, national sovereignty, non-interference and non-aggression against another Member State. Besides, the AU could have taken its own responsibility by sending African Experts in order to help the ICGLR to resolve the crisis as the mediator between the Government of the DRC and M23 was no longer neutral.
This paper was presented at the South African Association of Political Studies (SAAPS) 2013 Regional Colloquium on “The African Union: Quo Vadis – the next 50 years” at the University of South Africa on 4 October 2013.
Afghanistan after the US withdrawl
This paper analyses the role of Afghanistan’s regional neighbours in securing it’s recovery and stability, as well as the wider implications of America’s strategic policies in the region. Will things fall apart or hold together in Afghanistan after December 2014?
Water Security in the Sixaola River Basin
The Sixaola River Basin crosses the border between Costa Rica and Panama, and is home to Yorkín and Bribrí communities, raising legal and social challenges for equitable and secure water management. This paper outlines some of these challenges and makes recommendations for reducing human vulnerability to hazards (particularly floods) and for improving relationships among stakeholders.
ASEAN Vision: Peace or Conflict?
Kyi Kyi Seinn discusses ASEAN Vision 2020, and looks beneath the rhetoric of peace and harmony to reveal the tensions of economic exploitation and international migration. She argues that the significant power imbalances between the original ASEAN 6 countries and the newer, less developed member states (Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines) have not been adequately addressed in the plans of economic cooperation.
Key words: regional integration, economic exploitation, migration, displacement, ASEAN Vision 2020, CLMV countries, AFTA, CEPT, ASC, AEC