Month: March 2018

Monitoring South Sudan Week 12

Tuesday 20. March The Government of South Sudan (GoSS) protested against last week’s decision by the UN Security Council to renew UNMISS’ mandate, saying they were not consulted on the matter. GoSS has suspended Vivacell’s licence, one of the largest telecommunication companies in the country, for failing to comply with government regulations. Former SPLA chief… Read more »

On Militarism and Security: a Special Issue Introduction

This blog post briefly introduces the Security Dialogue Special Issue on Militarism and Security: Dialogue, Possibilities and Limits, guest edited by Anna Stavrianakis and Maria Stern (Volume 49, Issue 1-2, February-April 2018). Here they talk about their own article for the special issue, which also serves as its introduction.  By Anna Stavrianakis and Maria Stern If your child… Read more »

Measuring Women, Peace and Security

Last week, GIWPS together with the International Peace Institute and the Government of Norway cohosted a discussion on linking the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Index to WPS in practice. The WPS Index, launched in October 2017 by GIWPS and PRIO at the United Nations, draws on recognized international data sources to rank 153 countries on peace and… Read more »

This Week in South Sudan – Week 11

Tuesday 13 March Salvatore Garang Mabiordit, a former undersecretary in the finance ministry, has been appointed as the new Minister of Finance following President Salva Kiir’s dismissal of Stephen Dhieu Dau. Radio Tamazuj: “Profile: South Sudan’s new finance minister Salvatore Garang” At least 16 people were killed during inter-communal clashes in Jalwau, Warrap State, between… Read more »

The State of the Field in Climate and Security

This blog post was first posted on the Duck of Minerva. After nearly fifteen years of study, what do we know about the relationship between climate change and security? I recently attended a Woodrow Wilson Center event organized by the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) on the state of the field. Along with Geoff Dabelko,… Read more »

Science Meets Policy, Practice, and the Public

Last week, PRIO co-hosted a set of meetings for peers, policy, and the general public at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC. These events marked the end of Climate Anomalies and Violent Environments (CAVE), a three-year research project supported by the Research Council of Norway’s FRIPRO program. The project has contributed… Read more »

Will the “October Children” from Afghanistan Get Fair Treatment?

Is Norway’s asylum policy simply strict – or is it also fair and humane? In the coming weeks, approximately 200 young Afghans – the so-called “October children” – will have their cases re-assessed. Originally these children were granted temporary residence permits until they turned 18. Thereafter they were to be returned to life as internally… Read more »

This Week in South Sudan – Week 10

 Tuesday 6 March The New York Times op-ed on the on-going food crisis: “Famine Stalks South Sudan” Wednesday 7 March According to a GoSS representative, South Sudan has formally applied for observer status in the Arab League, a 22-nation regional organization. Friday 9 March GoSS has suspended the operations of Radio Miraya, owned by UNMISS,… Read more »

The Taliban’s Choice

The Taliban have, for the first time, been presented with a comprehensive peace initiative. This is an invitation they can not turn down. President Ashraf Ghani’s proposal at the conclusion of the recent meeting of the Kabul Process on Peace and Security Cooperation was as bold as it was surprising. The package contains many new… Read more »

Putin’s virtual missiles create real risks

Surprise is a political technique Russia’s President Vladimir Putin excels at, and he did not miss the occasion to spring big surprises during his annual address to the parliament, on 1 March. The first half of the speech contained a rich menu of economic and social promises, but Putin’s delivery was uninspired, as if he was… Read more »