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.
Crucitas gold mine controversy: a lopsided roundtable
Jessica Barran reports on the Crucitas gold mine roundtable, recently held on UPEACE campus. Representatives from Industrias Infinito, the Costa Rican government, two environmental NGOs (FECON and AIDA), and the University of Costa Rica, were all given a chance to clarify their positions and field questions on this controversial issue.
Education for water rights and environmental justice
This essay discusses an abbreviated model of education for peace and water rights.
Parts of this essay are adapted from the author’s earlier
book: The Young Ecologist Initiative: Water Manual: Lesson Plans for Building Earth Democracy (Navdanya, 2007), co-authored with Vandana Shiva and Shreya Jani.
Environmental Refugees: the human rights implications of global climate change
Key words: UN, UNHCR, human rights, environmental security, climate change, small island states, ethnic conflict, environmental refugees, internally/externally displaced people, international law.
Fixing Obama’s Crooked Cabinet
Fixing Obama’s Crooked Cabinet Author: Pandora Hopkins Originally Published at Peace and Conflict Monitor on: 08/15/2009 Category: Opinion I am a true-blue American citizen, I am a passionate believer in the two-party system, I am a proud Democrat, a member of the reach-across-the-aisle party that is showing the world how the two-party system can naturally […]
Peace Parks: a Natural Alternative
Peace Parks: a Natural Alternative Author: Elaine Hsiao Originally Published at Peace and Conflict Monitor on: 11/02/2007 Category: Analysis II Peace Parks are essentially a type of protected area (PA) with an additional focus or objective of obtaining or maintaining peace within its boundaries. Oftentimes, you will also see it referred to as a “Transfrontier […]
Priestess of the Green Gospel
In this issue’s editorial, Dr. Edith Natukunda-Togboa offers tam-tams and ululations as Professor Wangari Maathai joins the select club of Nobel Peace Laureates.
Ethical challenges in media coverage of the Zimbabwe crisis
This paper examines some ethical challenges manifested in the media coverage of the Zimbabwe land crisis since it escalated in 2002. The crisis has mainly been around issues of land; with seizure of land from dominating white-minority farmers, for redistribution amongst the black-majority population. Beyond the re-settlement policy, a sky-rocketing inflation, a deteriorating economy, gross human rights violations, poor governance and the dictatorial tendencies of 27-year serving President Robert Mugabe have only help to weaken the country. Within this context, the media are muscled, constrained and operated under draconian press laws. Yet, domestic and international media remain the battle ground for conflicting parties, both within and beyond the national frontiers. A brief recollection of Zimbabwe’s political history, its recent socio-political context and stakeholders as well as the evolution and media landscape put the ethical challenges in context.
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 Nuts and Bolts of Sustainable Development
“Sustainable development” has become a popular catchphrase in recent years, used by everyone from environmentalists to big-business entrepreneurs. But what, exactly, is it? And where did the term come from? Benjamin Goldstein examines the value of sustainable development and explains danger of corrupting the term’s original meaning.