In the last five days of the conflict between Georgia and Russia, there have been innumerable opinions about which is right/wrong, which is the aggressor/victim. Confusion will reign on those questions for some time. One thing is clear, there is a true point of success for Georgia in communications.
At every turn, Georgia’s President Saakashvili has been live, at the top of the news hour in all forms of media, all around the globe. Journalists are being generously offered one on one interviews with Saakashvili, who appears with a slide show, updated for each appearance. He mobilized Presidents of neighboring nations to travel to Tblisi, and the rally of citizens was (succesfully) planned to maximize press coverage.
In contrast, Russia has relied primarily on unnamed...
My next piece, co-written with John Liebhardt, is up at Global Voices Online:Bloggers from around the world are reacting to the International Criminal Court's recent decision to charge Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir with multiple counts of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Many of those bloggers are criticizing the indictments, claiming they are difficult to enforce and that they will bring more unrest to an already unstable nation.Read more»Featured in this round-up are Too Huge World, Sudanese Thinker, Sudan Watch, Emmanuel Abalo, Codrin Arsene, Nairobi Notebook, The Angry African, Victor Ngeny, Chris Blattman, Ugandabeat, Gay Uganda, Making Sense of Darfur, Daniel Sturgis and Ali...
Everyone told me Dubrovnik would be the highlight of my trip to the Balkans last week. The Adriatic is what seas should be, they said. The city walls are beautiful. Croatians are so nice. You'll fall in love.In some ways, they were right. The Adriatic is what seas should be, and the walls are beautiful, but Dubrovnik wasn't perfect. The city was overrun with cruise ship crowds and tour buses, and everything was pretty in a postcard way, complete with designated photo opportunities. And I didn't fall in love until I got to Sarajevo.Sarajevo is not pretty, at least not conventionally so. Buildings still bear the scars of the four-year-long siege during the Yugoslav wars, and the pavement is pockmarked with Sarajevo roses, places where mortar shells wiped out concrete and, sometimes,...
Civil Wars beyond their Borders: The Human Capital and Health Consequences of Hosting Refugees (Institute for the Study of Labor, April 2008) [text via Human Security Gateway)
Climate Change and Human Rights: A Rough Guide (International Council on Human Rights Policy, June 2008) [text]
Disabilities among Refugees and Conflict-Affected Populations (Women's Commission, June 2008) [access to...
In
Environment,
Health,
netherlands,
Mauritania,
detention,
sexual abuse,
humanitarian personnel,
climate,
expulsion,
disabled refugees,
family,
receiving country,
Human Rights,
conflict
2008 Peace Process Yearbook (Escola de cultura de pau, June 2008) [text]
Alert 2008! Report on conflicts, human rights and peacebuilding (Escola de cultura de pau, June 2008) [text]
Annual Disaster Statistical Review: The Numbers and Trends 2007 (CRED, ISDR & UCL, 2008) [text]
Humanitarian Action Report 2008 (UNICEF, June 2008) [text]
Posted in...
Six months after the 2007 edition was published, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has launched its World Disasters Report 2008. The theme of this issue is "Rising to the challenge of HIV in disasters and crises." The complete text of the book is provided online in English, while chapter summaries are available in French and Spanish; Arabic summaries...
In my efforts to pay more regular attention to the ongoing conflict in northern Uganda, I've been spending a lot of time on these web sites:The Uganda Conflict Action Network has been posting near-daily updates about the conflict since June 2005.A month-by-month description of the peace talk process and of the status of peace and reconciliation (these overlap a lot; anyone know why they aren't merged?) can be found at USAID's Virtual Presence Post: Northern Uganda.The Beyond Juba Project looks beyond the peace talks and the conflict in northern Uganda to address larger issues of sustainable national reconciliation. It is a joint initiative of the Refugee Law Project, the Human Rights and Peace Center and the Makerere University Faculty of Law.A photo essay about the six days photographer...
One of my strongest memories from Uganda is riding the bus between Kampala and Gulu, watching the land — green, thick, damp and hilly in Kampala, at times stifling and claustrophobic — flatten out to meet the bright, open sky. It always felt good, no matter what meetings I had ahead of me or what I had left behind in Kampala. from Flickr via SnaptographyIn an essay titled "Landscape and Character," Lawrence Durrell, a novelist and travel writer whose works I devoured in Uganda, claimed that "human beings are expressions of their landscape." Land is a central part of the northern Ugandan conflict; the Acholi, for the most part, are subsistence farmers, and being separated from their land and herded into Internally Displaced Persons camps has ruined their economy and their...
I feel duty-bound to direct you towards two exciting articles which are also quite brief, so they won’t take up too much of your day. I realise that you’re busy.
First up, it’s Sahana getting a mention in the Wall Street Journal, in an article with the snappy title of (sigh) Managing Disaster. Actually it’s just [...]...
I leave town for ONE WEEK, and Joseph Kony has to go and announce a new...
Common EU Guidelines for Processing Country of Origin Information (COI) (European Union, April 2008) [text via Refworld]
Concise Report - Prevention of Sexual and Gender-based Violence against Refugees in Europe: A Participatory Approach (ICRH, April 2008) [text]
Cyclone Nargis: Lessons for Operational Agencies (ALNAP, May 2008) [text]
Indigenous Routes: A Framework for Understanding...
In
Education,
Natural Disasters,
European Union,
guidelines,
country of origin conditions,
gender-based persecution,
emergency relief,
assistance programmes,
indigenous groups,
children,
conflict
I don't have the words to talk about what's happening in South Africa right now. These photos and these stories of the anti-immigrant violence are horrific.I don't know what else to...
Conflict and Health (March 2008) [access]
- Several full-text articles posted to this open access journal focus on infectious diseases in the displaced Burmese population.
Human Rights Quarterly, vol. 30, no. 2 (May 2008) [contents]
- Mix of articles.
International Migration, vol. 46, no. 2 (June 2008) [contents]
- Mix of articles including one on forced displacement in Darfur.
Refuge, vol....
European Journal of Migration and the Law, vol. 10, no. 1 (2008) [contents]
- Articles address different aspects of the war on terrorism.
Forced Migration Review, no. 30 (April 2008) [full-text]
- Theme of this issue is "Burma's Displaced People."
Government and Opposition, vol. 43, no. 2 (Spring 2008) [contents]
- Special issue on the "Refugee in Trans/national Politics and Society:...
As everybody realises by now, technology is neutral when it comes to issues of war and peace. A lot of the positive stories around the use of sms to mobilise activists need to be balanced out by a recognition that in many cases, the government and private sector are in a position to challenge that [...]...
In Science News, Julie Rehmeyer writes a short piece on Humanitarian Statistics, with a focus on the “controversial” Iraq war studies carried in the Lancet. I haven’t posted about the Lancet studies before; I recognise that the Lancet studies have an important role to play in tallying the cost of the Iraq war, but anything I could add to the debate would be largely redundant, since it’s been driven by political rather than humanitarian interests.
Although Deltoid characterises the article as being “about the Lancet studies” - and fair enough, that is his particular interest - it is thankfully wider than that, noting the increase in the use of statistics in the human rights (and to a lesser extent, humanitarian) sector while also being aware of the...
There’s been frequent discussion here - and blogs like MobileActive, of course - about how cellphones can be used in humanitarian responses. It’s worth remembering, however, that technology is neutral - both “good guys” and “bad guys” use it (if you can be bothered with that way of looking at the world) - and that, in conflict situations, communications technology is seen as a legitimate target. So for all the talk of how empowering mobile technology is, we haven’t had much discussion about the other side of the coin.
This bring us neatly to an amazingly interesting post by Barnett Rubin on Informed Comment, entitled Taliban and Telecoms — Secret Negotiations Just Got Easier, and at a Price You Can Afford! Rubin is interested mainly in...
The UN issued its list of 10 Stories the World Should Hear More About yesterday. These are stories that unfolded in 2007, and included among them is a reference to the plight of the stateless. For the first time, each story is also accompanied by useful web links to enable readers to find more information about an issue of interest. Previous 10 Stories listings are available at the above URL...
The White African faces a quandary:
Global tools that have real time read/write access are extremely powerful. Depending on ones motives, your impact can be good or bad. Even if your motives are good, your tool can be used for bad. How’s that for a quandry?
It’s certainly a quandary, but not a new one. It’s the same question that’s been asked about humanitarian aid since at least the 1970s, and has been one of the motors behind the humanitarian reform process. What’s more interesting is the assumption behind that question, an assumption that he describes quite clearly:
Just decades ago those who were not in close enough proximity to an event were unable to do much, if anything about it. Today, we can successfully effect change through digital tools and be...
Human Security Research, no. 38 (Feb. 2008) [text]
- Reviews recent studies on human security-related topics.
Monday Developments, vol. 25, no. 12 (Dec. 2007) [info.]
- Focus is "Tackling Accountability"; online version coming soon.
Programme on Conflict and Peacebuilding Monthly Newsletter, no. 23 (Jan. 2008) [text]
- Includes feature article on Kenya.
Refugee Rights News, vol. 4, no. 1...
Chris Blattman recently posted an excellent reading list on northern Uganda. I particularly recommend Alice Lakwena and the Holy Spirits (Kampalans: you can get this at Aristoc) and the reports published online by Survey of War Affected Youth.Trial Justice gave me a much better understanding of the International Criminal Court's role in the conflict, and I've been glued to the Uganda Conflict Action Network blog since it began in the summer of...
Bialczyk, Agata, "‘Voluntary Repatriation’ and the Case of Afghanistan: A Critical Examination," RSC Working Paper, no. 46 (Refugee Studies Centre, Jan. 2008) [text]
Bitar, Maher, "Unprotected Among Brothers: Palestinians in the Arab World," RSC Working Paper, no. 44 (Refugee Studies Centre, Jan. 2008) [text]
Gonzalez Devant, Sara, "Displacement in the 2006 Dili Crisis: Dynamics of an Ongoing...
In
Timor-Leste,
Diaspora,
Research,
Palestinians,
asylum seekers,
asylum policy,
migrants,
return migration,
voluntary repatriation,
Afghanistan,
Europe,
conflict
Conflict Trends, no. 4/2007 [text]
- Focus is on peacekeeping in Africa.
Georgetown Immigration Law Journal, vol. 22, no. 1 (Fall 2007) [contents]
- Mix of articles including one on the difficulties Iraqis face seeking asylum in the U.S.
International Migration, vol. 46, no. 1 (March 2008) [contents]
- Mix of articles including one on hunger among asylum seekers and resettled refugees....
Some observations, upon examination of the peace agreement:
Order of articles:
Ceasefire
Disengagement [including army integration & demobilisation]
Humanitarian Principles and Respect for Human Rights
Political and Legal Guarantees
Order of signatories & witnesses:
Armed groups (CNDP, PARECO/FAP, 4 Mai Mai groups, UJPS, a 5th Mai Mai group, Simba)
Government (Minister of the Interior)
Conference (President, President of the Committee of the Wise, Coordinator of Moderators, delegations of North & South Kivu, Provincial Assembly)
International facilitators (UN, EU, USA, AU, Great Lakes Conference)
National witnesses (traditional chiefs x2, civil society x3, private sector x2, faith groups x8 (Catholic Church, Church of Christ, Orthodox Church, Kimbanguist Church, Born...
From Slate: Kenya's Problems Aren't Uniquely African: It's not just "tribal enmity plus poverty equals violence."Uganda, Rwanda, Liberia, Somalia, Sudan, Sierra Leone—tribal enmity plus poverty equals violence. Kenya is another country evolving into a failed state. Doesn't it prove, once again, that Africa is an exception to all the rules about global development, democratization, and "progress"?Actually, it doesn't. In fact, the closer one looks at Kenya, the less exceptional Africa seems. What was most striking to me about the recent violence in Kenya was not how much the country resembles Rwanda, but rather how much it resembles, say, Ukraine in 2004 or South Korea in the...
AWR Bulletin, no. 3/2007 [contents - scroll down]
- Mix of articles with several focusing on asylum in the EU.
Conflict and Health (Dec. 2007) [full-text]
- Three new articles in Dec. 2007.
Conflict Trends, no. 3/2007 [full-text]
- Theme is "Peace Agreements."
Development in Practice, vol. 18, no. 1 (2008) [contents]
- Mix of articles.
International Journal of Migration, Health and Social...
Following the collapse of the political process in Kenya, bloggers White African and Kenyan Pundit - both of whom are worth reading, by the way - have developed a Google Maps mash-up which deals with electoral violence in the country. Called Ushaidi (’witness’ in Swahili, I think?), it enables people to report events either online or via SMS. It’s not the first time something like this has been tried, but this an interesting organic attempt to pin down exactly what’s happening in the country. As anybody working in human rights knows, gathering this sort of information is extremely difficult - particularly later on when it might be needed. More explanation from White African in this blog post, coverage at Global Voices (with an interesting article on cyber...
Soundtrack for this post: Talk Talk Talk by Wunmi.
By some misfortune, politicians everywhere are suspected of lacking sincerity. This may have something to do with their habit of misleading voters in various ways, thus creating ideal conditions for the cultivation of cynicism.
Congo is no exception. Congolese people love to talk, and Congolese politicians are masters of a flowery rhetoric that would have sounded over-the-top in the Court of Louis XIV. Many seem convinced that if you can say something well, you don’t need to mean what you say. (’Straight talk’ isn’t traditionally a Francophone aspiration anyway, hence the fascination with the blunt delivery of Sarko l’Americain.)
So it is unsurprising that, given the opportunity to discuss peace in the...
Via Pernille:White African and Kenyan Pundit are presenting a new tool to chronicle the incidents of violence happening around Kenya. Check it out here: www.ushahidi.com. Ushahidi means witnessing in Kiswahili, and the website itself is quite and interesting way of using the Internet.Report Acts Of Violence In...
Global Eye on Trafficking, no. 1 (Dec. 2007) [text]
- From IOM.
Monthly Newsletter, no. 22 (Dec. 2007) [text]
- From the Programme on Conflict and Peacebuilding at the School for a Culture of Peace.
PeaceWatch, vol. 13, no. 4 (Dec. 2007) [text]
- From the U.S. Institute of Peace.
The Researcher, no. 8 (Dec. 2007) [text]
- Published by the Refugee Documentation Centre, Ireland.
VOICE Out...