Blogs & Opinions
Natural Resources, Plunder and Reparations in the DRC: How the ICJ is Setting Precedents
May 19, 2016
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Eliana Cusato
What might reparations for the illegal exploitation of natural resources in armed conflict look like? This question may soon be answered by the International Court…
Global Security Efforts Must be a Post-Paris Climate Imperative
May 18, 2016
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Nick Mabey and Janani Vivekanada
It often feels as if the times we live in are unprecedented. Certainly, if we look back over the last 18 months, it is not…
A View from Myanmar: Exploring System-Scale Hydropower Planning
May 17, 2016
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Jeff Opperman
Myanmar’s rivers provide a reliable source of water for navigation and irrigation, and support food production and livelihoods. In fact, Myanmar’s freshwater fisheries produce more…
China's Uniformed, Navy-Trained Fishing "Militia"
May 17, 2016
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Conor M. Kennedy and Andrew S. Erickson
On 6 June 2014, Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense newspaper The People's Army stated that China was maintaining between 110 and 115 vessels around China…
Partitioning Iraq: Make a Detailed Case, or Cease and Desist
May 16, 2016
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Ben Connable
Iraq is once again in political turmoil, and once again we are hearing calls to partition the country into three ethno-sectarian cantonments: Shi’a, Sunni, and Kurd. The…
When Climate Change Exacerbates Conflict, Women Pay the Price Says Mayesha Alam
May 13, 2016
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Sean Peoples, New Security Beat
Climate change has the potential to exacerbate conflict and political instability, and women will pay a steeper price than their male counterparts when it does,…
How Climate Change is Driving Nigeria's Herdsmen Conflict
May 13, 2016
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Chidi Oguamanam
Forging national unity has been a perennial challenge to Nigeria’s evolution as a country. Since independence from Britain 56 years ago, the country continues to…
Water Wars: Known Unknowns in the South China Sea
May 13, 2016
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Chris Mirasola
The USS William Lawrence conducted a Freedom of Navigation Operation (FONOP) within 12 nautical miles of Fiery Cross Reef on Tuesday, May 10th. Chinese-controlled Fiery…
Daesh (IS) and Criminal Syndicates after the Gold of Central Asia
May 10, 2016
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Douglas Green
Recent reports from various sides concerning the increasing lack of cash flow for Daesh (IS) in the Near East due to difficulties in its Turkish…
My Park Rangers Protect Congo’s People and Ecosystems as War Rages all Around
May 7, 2016
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Emmanuel de Mérode
A ranger in Virunga national park has a 44% chance of suffering a violent death during their career, the highest rate of service deaths for…
War, Peace and Water: The Increasing Threat of Drought-Fuelled Conflicts
May 6, 2016
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Laura Tuck
In the past, droughts of this severity have led to conflict and even wars between neighbouring communities and states. One of the first in recorded…
Behind the Headlines, Emerging Security Threats in the Middle East
May 4, 2016
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Anders Jägerskog & Ashok Swain
The Middle East as a whole has the lowest per capita water availability in the world. At the same time it has also one of…
OECD Issues New Edition of OECD Due Diligence Guidance on Conflict Minerals and Declassifies Report on Implementation of Guidance
May 4, 2016
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Cydney Posner
Just in time for those Forms SD and conflict minerals reports, due May 31, the OECD has posted a new edition of the OECD Due…
South Sudan’s Broken Oil Industry Increasingly Becoming a Hazard
May 2, 2016
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Wim Zwijnenburg
The environment has long been a factor in violent conflict in South Sudan, especially with respect to control over oil. The first oil was discovered…
Water Wars: Looming Arbitration Decision Tests Regional Partnerships
Apr 29, 2016
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Chris Mirasola
China embarked on a sustained charm offensive this week to rally countries around its interests in the South China Sea. On Sunday, PRC Foreign Minister…
Water as a Strategy of War
Apr 27, 2016
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Mara Tignino
In times of war, lack of access to safe water can kill as many people as bombing.Inequality in the distribution of water resources and risks…
Pathways to Resilience: Evidence on Links Between Conflict Management, Natural Resources, and Food Security
Apr 26, 2016
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Gracie Cook
In 2015, the NGO Mercy Corps released some surprising findings from conflict management programs in the Horn of Africa. Interventions from 2013 to 2015 focused…
The South China Sea Dispute Isn't about Oil, at Least Not How You Think
Apr 25, 2016
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Jeremy Maxie
The geopolitical context in the South China Sea has evolved considerably on the implications of the territorial disputes on upstream oil and gas development in…
This Is Not the Time for an Independent Kurdistan
Apr 22, 2016
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Dov Friedman
Many have wondered when Iraqi Kurdistan, which already enjoys broad autonomy from Baghdad, might finally declare independence. The present moment doesn’t seem particularly auspicious for…
The West’s Campaign against Conflict Minerals Is Doing More Harm Than Good
Apr 20, 2016
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Ben Radly
In recent years Western advocacy groups have achieved unprecedented success in mobilizing Europeans and North Americans behind a “conflict minerals” campaign to help end the…
Turning the Impending Mosul Dam Disaster into Opportunity
Apr 19, 2016
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Azzam Alwash
Iraq has seen its share of calamities in recent years, but none is as dangerous as the impending failure of the Mosul Dam. A breach…
New Documentary Inspires Collaborative Action for Peace in Congo
Apr 19, 2016
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Annie Callaway
On Thursday, April 14, a crowd gathered in Washington DC for a private screening of the new documentary, Merci Congo, hosted by the Enough Project…
Food Security and Climate Change: New Frontiers in International Security
Apr 13, 2016
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Tom Daschle and Michael Werz
In 2010, President Barack Obama’s National Security Strategy, or NSS—the periodic planning document that assesses the risks facing the country and outlines the United States’…
No Petition for Certiorari in Natl Assoc. of Manufacturers V. SEC, The Conflict Minerals Case
Apr 13, 2016
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Cydney Posne
No reason to keep checking the SCOTUS website for the SEC’s cert petition in Natl Assoc. of Manufacturers v. SEC, the conflict minerals case. According…
Myanmar Can Flourish by Sowing Seeds of Agricultural Prosperity
Apr 11, 2016
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Deirdre May Culley and Martha Baxter
On 30 March, Htin Kyaw, a long-time adviser and ally of Aung San Suu Kyi – whose National League for Democracy party achieved a historic…
Use It or Lose It: China's Grand Strategy
Apr 9, 2016
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Parag Khanna
In 2010, Canada hosted the G7 finance ministers in Nunavut, the country's frigid Arctic province that is home to a mere 30,000 Inuit people. Canada's…
Fishing Disputes Could Spark a South China Sea Crisis
Apr 7, 2016
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Keith Johnson and Dan De Luce
The simmering maritime disputes and land grabs in the South China Sea have long been seen as a battle over its potentially vast undersea deposits…
Land Grabbing Is Killing Honduras' Indigenous Peoples
Apr 5, 2016
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Andrea Reyes Blanco and Tim Shenk
In its February 21 report on the Situation of Human Rights in Honduras, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights or IACHR expressed concern about the high levels of…
How to Stabilize the Central African Republic
Apr 5, 2016
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Kasper Agger
Think the ultimate victor in the U.S. presidential race faces a tough task? The effort to unite a divided America pales in comparison to what…
Water Wars: Fishermen Again Steer China into Hot Water
Apr 1, 2016
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Chris Mirasola
Malaysia joined the ranks of countries taking issue with Chinese fishermen last Thursday, as 100 trawlers were detected within Malaysia’s claimed EEZ. On Friday, National…