Environmental Peacebuilding Association

Blogs & Opinions

COOL, Conflict Minerals, GMOs & Beyond: Much Hangs in the Balance of DC Circuit En Banc Rehearing in Commercial Speech Case

May 16, 2014 | Chip English

Americans are naturally curious and interested about the food we eat and the products we buy—e.g., non-GMO labeling, country of origin labeling (“COOL”) and “conflicts…

Responsible Sourcing of Minerals from Conflict Zones: Is the EU Doing Enough?

May 15, 2014 | Anna Bulzomi

On March 5, 2014, the European Commission released its long-awaited responsible tradingstrategy for minerals from conflict zones. The strategy is composed of a draft Regulation setting up an…

Nepal’s Micro-Hydropower Projects Have Surprising Effect on Peace Process

May 14, 2014 | Florian Krampe

Development, and human development in particular, is frequently considered a ground condition for peace by the development community. It follows that, because they provide rural…

Second Conflict Minerals Report Filed

May 12, 2014 | Steve Quinlivan, Stinson Leonard Street

The second Form SD and related conflicts minerals report has been filed. They are interesting documents but may still not be the holy grail of precedents because of, among…

What Water Wars? 'Think Water Cooperation', Expert Says

May 8, 2014 | Anastasia Moloney

Back in 1995, Ismail Serageldin, then World Bank vice president, warned that: "Many of the wars this century were about oil but those of the…

Jus Post Bellum Symposium: The Norm of Environmental Integrity in Post-Conflict Legal Regimes

May 7, 2014 | Cymie R. Payne

The standard for illegality of harm to the environment is “too restricted, incomplete, inadequately integrated into military activities, and too rarely enforced.” Cymie R. Payne…

DVB Debate: When Does the Government Have the Right to Take Land?

May 6, 2014 | DVB

Wealthy Burmese companies with political leverage, often financially backed by foreign investors, have been claiming farmlands around the country for development projects over the past…

Oil in South Sudan: Turning Crisis Into Opportunity

May 6, 2014 | Jill Shankleman, New Security Beat

Outside of donor and humanitarian aid, South Sudan’s economy is almost entirely dependent on the oil sector – and that sector is in crisis.

After a…

In a Troubled African Park, A Battle Over Oil Exploration

May 1, 2014 | Fred Pearce

Congo's Virunga National Park has long been known for its mountain gorillas and for the lawless militias that operate there. But the recent shooting of…

An Early Look at the EU Rule on Conflict Minerals

Apr 30, 2014 | Harrison Mitchell

On March 5th, 2014 the EU released a new proposal for a regulation governing the “responsible trading strategy for minerals from conflict zones”. Indications from…

Six Years After Cyclone Nargis

Apr 28, 2014 | Robin Lustig, The Huffington Post

Next week will mark the sixth anniversary of Cyclone Nargis, which swept through the Irrawaddy Delta in Burma and killed at least 140,000 people. I've…

DRC: New Troubles at the Gates of Virunga

Apr 27, 2014 | Richard Branson, Desmond Tutu, and Howard G. Buffett, The Huffington Post

The British company SOCO International has recently begun surveying for oil in Virunga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site located in Africa's eastern Democratic…

Turkey: Whose Side Will Turkey Take in an Arab-Israeli Face Off?

Apr 26, 2014 | Ceylan Ozbudak, Al Arabiya Network

This week, as the Arab-Israeli peace talks continue, Hamas and Fatah agreed to a unity government and announced that it will take form in five…

Underground Water Storage Can Mitigate Cross-Basin Tensions

Apr 25, 2014 | Russel Sticklor

As the earth’s surface grows hotter and precipitation becomes more variable due to the impacts of climate change, the world is in need of solutions…

South Sudan: Why Newest Nation Could Become the Bloodiest

Apr 23, 2014 | Mick Krever, CNN

Fears of all-out civil war in the world’s newest country, South Sudan, are at an all-time high a week after rebels slaughtered at least 400…

Water Wars? Think Again: Conflict Over Freshwater Structural Rather Than Strategic

Apr 22, 2014 | Cameron Harrington

The global water wars are almost upon us!

At least that’s how it seems to many. The signs are troubling: Egypt and Ethiopia have recently increased…

Beyond Greed or Grievance: Understanding Conflict in Resource-rich States

Apr 22, 2014 | Christoph Vogel and Joschka Havenith

Diamonds and Rubber in Sierra Leone, oil in Angola and Sudan, tantalum and gold in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, copper in Zambia –…

Not There Yet: Burma’s Fragile Ecosystems Show Challenges for Continued Progress

Apr 21, 2014 | Tim Kovach

Political and economic changes in Burma have been as rapid as they are surprising. In just three years, the country has gone from an isolated…

Ukraine: Crisis in Ukraine Has Far-Reaching Implications

Apr 17, 2014 | James A. Baker III, Houston Chronicle

Though headlines focus on the latest developments in Ukraine, the crisis has created a ripple effect around the world. The escalating conflict has even impacted…

The Complex World of Big Land Deals

Apr 14, 2014 | Fiona Harvey, Ensia Magazine

“When [the trucks] came through they could not get access to their objective. They really had to push their way through here. The people did…

Climate Change Mitigation, Peacebuilding, and Resilience

Apr 11, 2014 | Florian Krampe, Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs

How are our efforts to reduce the impact of climate change affecting post-conflict societies? Thinking and research about the possible impacts of climate change adaptation…

Land and Post-Conflict Peacebuilding: The Peace Deal for Mindanao and its lessons for practitioners of environmental peacebuilding

Apr 10, 2014 | Paula Defensor Knack, Terra Nullius

This blog provides a guide to peace-builders in analyzing developments in the Mindanao peace process that occurred since the publication of Knack's chapter on “Legal…