Blogs & Opinions
The Climate Wars Are Coming – And More Refugees with Them
Sep 17, 2015
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Paul Hockenos
In his State of the European Union address on Sept. 9, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker broached a topic that until now has been virtually…
Planning Matters
Sep 16, 2015
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Kashmir Images
In 1961, diamond-rich Botswana and Sierra Leone had approximately the same per capita income of about US$1,070, when both these countries in Africa adopted and…
Introducing the Toxic Remnants of War Network
Sep 15, 2015
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Doug Weir
Damage to the natural environment has long been a hallmark of conflict. But technological developments, both in terms of how hostilities are conducted, and the…
The Losing Battle Against Conflict Minerals
Sep 14, 2015
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Natasja Sheriff
United States regulations concerning the trade in conflict minerals, aimed at reducing the devastating violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), are proving difficult…
The Next Genocide
Sep 12, 2015
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Timothy Snyder
New Haven — Before he fired the shot, the Einsatzgruppe commander lifted the Jewish child in the air and said, “You must die so that…
Myanmar: Shan Villagers and the Salween Dam Fight
Sep 11, 2015
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Dana MacLean
The increasing army presence to defend the construction of a controversial Salween river dam in southeastern Myanmar’s Shan state has sparked heightened concerns among rural…
Don't Be Fooled by Dialogue -- Argentina Only Wants One Answer to 'the Falklands Question'
Sep 8, 2015
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Jan Cheek
On Friday 4th, Ms Cecilia Nahón, Argentina Ambassador to the United States, wrote an article for the Huffington Post, titled 'Malvinas: All Argentina Is Saying…
Coffee: A Pillar of Peace in South Sudan and Africa
Sep 7, 2015
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John Prendergast
Four years after independence there is very little to celebrate in South Sudan. Border and land disputes continue to strain ties, and given other high-visibility…
The Improbability of a Water War in South Asia
Sep 6, 2015
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Manu Moudgil
Water wars in South Asia are unlikely due to well-etched treaties and economic compulsions. If there is ever to be a Third World War, many believe it…
Red Cross: Water Continues to Be Used as Weapon of War in Syria
Sep 3, 2015
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Schuyler Null
Water is being used as a weapon of war on one of Syria’s deadliest battlegrounds, says the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and its…
Gold Fever Grips Uganda
Sep 3, 2015
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Rodney Muhumuza
The hunt for gold takes the men 100 metres underground, past contraptions of wood and rope rigged to function like pulleys, past hard rock that…
How History Shaped China's Water Crisis
Sep 3, 2015
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David Pietz
During the hot, dry month of August 1992 the farmers of Baishan village in Hebei province and Panyang village in Henan came to blows. Residents…
The Turkish-Kurdish Energy Deal Could Pave Way for Iraq’s Breakup
Aug 31, 2015
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Ozan Serdaroglu
When they signed an energy agreement in November 2013, the Turkish AKP (Justice and Development) government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of Northern Iraq…
KRG Oil Sales and its Bid for Independence
Aug 30, 2015
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Paul Iddon
A report in the Financial Times last week indicated that in recent months most of Israel's oil has come from the oil fields of Iraqi Kurdistan, part…
Oil is Islamic State’s Lifeblood
Aug 28, 2015
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Noah Feldman
The battle for Baiji, site of one of Iraq’s major oil refineries, is heating up again. Since May, Islamic State fighters have been chipping away…
Which States Are Progressive on Conflict and the Environment?
Aug 28, 2015
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Doug Weir
The first tentative moves to strengthen legal protection for the environment before, during and after armed conflict are underway – and not before time. With…
Could Natural Resource Revenue Sharing Help Secure Peace in Myanmar?
Aug 27, 2015
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Andrew Bauer and Maw Htun Aung
On 8 November, Myanmar will vote for a new government. Much is at stake.
Many analysts expect Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) to win the…
How Natural Resources Breed Violence
Aug 27, 2015
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Economist
Africa is home to a tenth of the planet’s oil, a third of its mineral reserves and produces two-thirds of its diamonds. High prices may…
What Does Climate Change Mean to China's Security?
Aug 26, 2015
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RP Siegel
A recent report by Zheng Haibin, a professor at Peking University, highlights the potential impact of climate change on China’s national security. Haibin claims that climate…
Conservation in Conflict Zones: Protecting Peace and Biodiversity in Colombia
Aug 25, 2015
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Brittany Ajroud
With a new peace process underway between the Colombian government and leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in Cuba, the spotlight is back on…
Violence Over Land in Darfur Demands We Look Again at Links Between Natural Resources and Conflict
Aug 24, 2015
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Brendan Bromwich
Given that there have been three major peace processes in Sudan’s troubled western province of Darfur, the current escalation of violence indicates that perhaps something…
Tin is the Biggest Conflict Mineral: GAO
Aug 21, 2015
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Emily Chasan
Tin may pose the biggest challenge for companies looking to rid their supply chains of “conflict minerals” blamed for funding violence in the Democratic Republic…
Water Wars and Migration of Peoples Go to Eastern Europe?
Aug 20, 2015
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ABC
In 2015 it became apparent that the Middle East syndrome (increased tension and conflict in connection with the reduction of water resources) begins to spread…
China’s Ongoing Game of Chess in Southeast Asia
Aug 20, 2015
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Eliza King
As China continues to expand into a superpower large enough to one day rival the United States, the support and cooperation of Southeast Asian countries…
Decentralisation Key to Ending Water Wars
Aug 19, 2015
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Nipon Poapongsakorn and Nujpanit Narkpitaks
Water is the lifeblood of agriculture. It has significant impacts on the livelihood of millions of Thai farmers. Early on in rainy season this year,…
The World’s Hot Spot
Aug 19, 2015
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Thomas Friedman
Here’s a bet about the future of Sunni, Shiite, Arab, Turkish, Kurdish and Israeli relations: If they don’t end their long-running conflicts, Mother Nature is…
D.C. Circuit Voids SEC “Conflict Minerals” Policy on First Amendment Grounds (Again)
Aug 18, 2015
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Jonathan H. Adler
This morning, a divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit again concluded that the Securities and Exchange Commission’s “conflict minerals”…
Healing Waters From Hebron to Gaza
Aug 17, 2015
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Kate Rothschild
For millennia the Holy Land has attracted pilgrims from all corners of the Earth, devoutly following in the footsteps of Abraham and the patriarchs of…
Over 140 Mines in Congo are Now Officially Conflict-Free: the Latest List
Aug 17, 2015
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Sasha Lezhnev
Over the past three years, teams of business persons, government officials, and civil society members have been traveling to mines in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to assess whether or not the…
Tensions in the South China Sea: The Nuclear Dimension
Aug 15, 2015
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Mathieu Duchâtel and Eugenia Kazakova
Ever since China started constructing artificial islands in the South China Sea (SCS) on an unprecedented scale and speed by the standards of the region,…