Blogs & Opinions

Calming the Waters: Why We Need to Better Integrate Climate and Water Policy

Aug 23, 2016 | Sabine Blumstein

The Nile River is shared by 11 countries, for which it is vital for food and energy production, freshwater, and as a means of transportation.…

Hope for Resolving the Water Conflict in the Middle East

Aug 22, 2016 | Marwa Osman

The severity of the water issue in the Middle East is a key strategic issue in understanding future security decisions within the region. Nations in…

Rivers of Conflict Between India and Pakistan

Aug 19, 2016 | Brahma Chellaney

Just as the Philippines hauled China before an international arbitral tribunal in The Hague over Beijing's expansive claims in the South China Sea, Pakistan recently…

Every Humanitarian is an Environmentalist

Aug 19, 2016 | Erik Solheim

More than 130 million people worldwide need humanitarian assistance to survive. Some are caught in conflict. Some are caught in disasters beyond human control. Others…

From Machetes to Maps: How a ‘Red Line’ Eased Conflict in Bolivia’s Amazon

Aug 19, 2016 | Candido Pastor

Over the past 30 years, Bolivia has tried to protect its valuable forests from agricultural clear-cutting by establishing a protected area system that covers more than 16…

Peace Paves the Way for Environmental Gains in Colombia

Aug 18, 2016 | Arnaud Peral

The armed conflict has left an immense ecological footprint and has limited the extent to which Colombia can achieve development through biodiversity.

There are many examples…

Guatemala’s Indigenous Peoples Endure Poverty and Contested Land Rights

Aug 17, 2016 | World Politics Review

Individuals who self-identify as indigenous—about half the population—are recognized as full citizens, even though they may face many types of de facto discrimination. As collective…

Beware the Illusion of China-ASEAN South China Sea Breakthroughs

Aug 17, 2016 | Prashanth Parameswaran

According to China Daily, the 13th senior officials’ meeting on the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea ended…

Why Liberia Could Plunge Back into Conflict if a Historic Land Rights Bill isn't Passed

Aug 17, 2016 | Elsa Buchanan

Liberia could plunge back into civil war if the nation does not pass a historic bill protecting community land rights in a region where weak…

Africa: War On Climate Terror - Fleeing Disasters, Escaping Drought, Migrating

Aug 11, 2016 | Baher Kamal

While widespread violence and climate catastrophes are common to all continents and countries, there is an overwhelming consensus among experts, scientific community and international specialised…

A Resourceful Solution to Rapacious Mining Projects

Aug 11, 2016 | Frontier Myanmar

Just weeks before last year’s election, Global Witness dropped a bombshell. In a report on the jade industry, Jade: Myanmar’s ‘Big State Secret’, it alleged that…

Vietnam’s Rocket Launchers May Prompt China to Declare Air Defense Zone

Aug 11, 2016 | Harry Kazianis

It was inevitable, but nations in the South China Sea that have overlapping claims with the People’s Republic of China are now beginning to push…

On the Humanitarian and Environmental Frontline in Iraq

Aug 10, 2016 | Rene Nijenhuis

As the country battles the so-called Islamic State (IS) on multiple fronts, Iraq is also trying to prevent what could be one of the worst…

Deep Trouble: Emerging Resource Competition in the Deep Sea

Aug 10, 2016 | Scott Moore & Dale Squires

It might seem strange to say that the deep sea, the vast expanse of the world’s oceans beyond the continental shelf, is at risk of…

The Middle East: From Oil Wars to Water Wars?

Aug 10, 2016 | Mike Safadi

In 1988, Egyptian Foreign Minister Boutros Boutros-Ghali said that the next war in the Middle East would be fought over water, not politics. What is…

Liberia is at a Crossroads: Recognising Land Rights Can Safeguard Against Violence

Aug 10, 2016 | Jennifer Duncan and Jaron Vogelsang

The government of Liberia has an unprecedented opportunity to pass progressive land reform legislation that could positively impact millions of people, but the window of…

Friendships Rescue DRC’s Gorilla Reserve from Ruin

Aug 5, 2016 | Eugene Yiga

Launched in 2013, the Virunga Alliance invests at least 30% of the Virunga National Park revenues into community development projects such as clinics, schools and…

Oil Won't Save Libya

Aug 4, 2016 | George Ward

Libya is precariously split between several factions vying for control. The UN-backed Government of National Accord, also called the unity government, formed in early 2016…

How the Paris Climate Agreement Can Drive Colombia’s Fledgling Peace – and Keep Liberia’s Peace Alive

Jul 28, 2016 | Steve Zwick

For as long as Pablo Vieira Samper can remember, his native Colombia has been in a state of civil war – sometimes raging and sometimes…

Governance in Focus: Insights from the International Expert Forum on Climate Change and Conflict

Jul 28, 2016 | Austin Miles

The International Expert Forum (IEF) is a series of seminars meant to facilitate dialogue between experts and policymakers on peace and security. Meeting in Stockholm…

Human Conflict is Pushing Gorillas Into Extinction – What You Can Do to Save These Animals

Jul 26, 2016 | Jerald Pinson

The DRC contains two-thirds of the Congo rainforest, and the many years of governmental neglect and conflict has led to the near extinction of one…

At the Eye of the Storm: Women and Climate Change

Jul 26, 2016 | Aimee Jakeman

Struggling to save their failing crops. Walking farther afield to fetch clean water. Protecting their families from devastating storms and violent conflicts. “Women are usually…

Does Egypt Need Israel to Help Negotiate Nile Water Allocation from Ethiopian Dam?

Jul 26, 2016 | Dana Sanchez

After Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned from a four-country trip to Africa, he got a visit from the Egyptian foreign minister, and those familiar with Israeli-Egyptian…

Countering Drug-Gun Nexus Vital

Jul 26, 2016 | S. M. Tanoli

Pakistan and Afghanistan have recently observed the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. The day was established by the UN General Assembly, in…

How Infrastructure Helps Determine the Risk of Violence Following Drought

Jul 25, 2016 | Adrien Detges

One fear of climate change is that more variable weather conditions will lead to violence and chaos in some places. But looking at it methodically,…

Returning to Everyday Life

Jul 23, 2016 | Gregor Maaß and Mario Pilz

The success of Colombia’s peace talks will depend substantially on how the state chooses to address the needs of the 8 million people who were…

Myanmar: China Gets the Wrong Answer

Jul 23, 2016 | Strategy Page

There is general agreement that there should be a major effort to expand the 2015 NCA (nationwide ceasefire agreement) to include all rebel groups operating…

Sorting Through Water Wars Rhetoric

Jul 22, 2016 | Geoffrey Dabelko

The eye catching headlines are familiar.  “Water Wars” are imminent or already underway in the latest drought or dam-building hotspot. Such “wars” often extend to…

EU’s Conflict Minerals Framework a 'Missed Opportunity'

Jul 20, 2016 | Leigh Stringer

Trade body and NGOs criticise plan for excluding end products

A Decades-Old Idea for the South China Sea Resurfaces: Make a Contested Area a Marine Park, Instead

Jul 20, 2016 | Steve Mollman

One of the sea’s main areas of contention is the Spratly archipelago, an area the size of Tunisia featuring emerged rocks, tiny islands, and hundreds…