Tuesday 24 February The Juba-based Committee for Eradication of Abduction of Women and Children called on the AU and international community to intervene and rescue the 89 boys abducted last week. Foreign Policy Magazine:The United States is threatening sanctions against South Sudan, yet again. The Guardian, in Pictures: South Sudan battles kala azar as the… Read more »
Paving the Road to Democracy or Unleashing Big Brother? The Internet under Dictatorships
Today almost half of China’s 1.3 billion inhabitants are online, along with 85 million Russians and 17 million Saudis. The proportion of people with Internet access in these countries will soon be comparable to that of the United States, Germany and Japan. But what are the political consequences of allowing people living in dictatorships Internet access?
An internet café in Tongyang Town, the county seat of Tongshan County, Hubei. Photo: Vmenkov. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
This question has been hotly debated in recent years and for good reason. Access to the Internet fundamentally changes the way people obtain information and communicate with each other. Since authoritarian governments rely on controlling the information flow and restrictions on communication to stay in power, the introduction and proliferation of Internet access could either present a severe challenge to the foundations of their rule, or a promising opportunity to maintain and perhaps strengthen their grip on power.Read More
Between the Mosque and the Temple Mount
Unrest on and around the Al Aqsa Mosque/Temple Mount in Jerusalem last autumn caused the Palestinian president, Mahmood Abbas, to warn that the conflict between Israel and Palestine could escalate into a religious war.
The site has extremely powerful national and religious symbolic value for both Palestinians and Israelis.
Temple Mount Western Wall with Al Asqua mosque above. Photo: David Shankbone. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
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Dial ICT for Conflict? Four Lessons on Conflict and Contention in the Info Age
The past decade has witnessed an explosion of interest among political scientists in the outbreak and dynamics of civil wars. Much of this research has been facilitated by the rise of electronic media, including newspapers but extending to social media (Twitter, Facebook) that permit the collection of fine-grained data on patterns of civil war violence. At the same time, a parallel research program has emerged that centers on the effects of new information and communication technologies (ICTs).
2011 Egyptian protests. Photo: Essam Sharaf – Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
After Debaltsevo – Is there a Chance for Ceasefire?
The “patriotic” rally in Moscow was not pretty. Photo Novaya gazeta.
It is entirely correct to say that the “Minsk Two” agreement, reached on February 12, after painstakingly long talks between the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany, was broken inside the first week of implementation. Yet, as the battle for Debaltseve has drawn to its predictable end, the opposing parties may find it opportune to take a break from the trenches (RBC.ru, February 18). Ukraine has suffered another humiliating defeat, and President Petro Poroshenko needs time to deal with its consequences, though he would perhaps do better by not denying the scale of this tactical disaster (Kommersant, February 21). The rebels also need a few weeks to replenish supplies, and they depend entirely upon the arrival of new echelons of heavy arms and truckloads of “volunteers” from Russia (Kommersant, February 19). Most importantly, President Vladimir Putin needs to prove that his signature on the peace-of-sorts document is worth something and that he is in control of the oscillating crisis.
The rest of the article is in Eurasia Daily Monitor, February 23
Can Putin trust China?
The Ukraine crisis has made Russia more dependent on China. Putin is popular in Beijing, and Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are the best of friends. But can China save Russia from its crisis?
!["Yalta summit 1945 with Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin" by [1] The source web page include the following caption: Photo #: USA C-543 (Color). Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yalta_summit_1945_with_Churchill,_Roosevelt,_Stalin.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Yalta_summit_1945_with_Churchill,_Roosevelt,_Stalin.jpg](http://blogs.prio.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Yalta_summit_1945_with_Churchill_Roosevelt_Stalin-1-292x235.jpg)
Chiang Kai-shek was not informed. Yalta summit 1945 with Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin. (Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
This Week in South Sudan – Week 8
Tuesday 17 February South Sudan’s Information Minister, Michael Makuei warned media groups and journalists of harsh punishments if they publish or broadcast interviews with rebels inside South Sudan. New clashes in Upper Nile between government forces and the SPLA (IO) in Renk and Manyo. Lakes state parliamentary speaker, Baipath Majuec Relpuou, called on caretaker governor… Read more »
Conundrums in the Embrace of the Private Sector
The humanitarian sector faces an unprecedented number of crises globally. The growing operational and financial deficit in the capacity of governments and humanitarian organizations to respond has led to calls for changes in the way such crises are understood and managed. This involves a strong focus on cooperation and partnerships with the private sector. A large part of the allure is the notion that private-public partnerships will make humanitarian response faster by entrenching market-oriented rationalities, thus enhancing effectiveness.
This is also how the private sector presents itself:
One should never underestimate the power of private companies who offer aid. Companies are almost always focused on efficiency, good negotiation, building their reputation (their brand) and getting things done on time and on budget (Narfeldt 2007).
Here, I will try to complicate this narrative by pointing out some conundrums in the vigorous humanitarian embrace of the private sector.
Read the entire text at the blog of ATHA, where it was posted 18 Feb 2015.
Partnership of Contrarians
Russia connects with Turkey seeking opportunities in the Middle East.
Putin heeded to Erdoğan on 3 December 2012. Photo: The Presidential Press and Information Office
Violent conflicts in the Middle East gained new momentum in 2014, and the forceful multilateral efforts to contain them yielded far from satisfactory results. Both Russia and Turkey have remained aloof from these efforts, and often oppose US-led endeavors but they have major stakes in the overlapping regional conflicts and so are exploring opportunities to claim a key role in pro-active conflict management.
- Russia’s best opportunity to boost its role in the Middle East is by launching joint initiatives with Turkey.
- Energy ties are a less solid foundation for this partnership because of the drop in oil prices.
- Personal chemistry between Putin and Erdoğan is a major asset for the joint initiatives.
- Positions on the Syrian war remain far apart, but both states aim to undermine US leadership.
Read more in the new PRIO Policy Brief: Partnerhip of Contrarians
Who’s Afraid of “Waging Nonviolence”?
Since at least 2011, the Chinese government has censored numerous websites on the topic of nonviolent resistance, including websites for the Albert Einstein Institution, the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict, an online bibliography of scholarship of nonviolent action, and the website for the NAVCO data project, among others.
Hong Kong’s Umbrella Revolution. Photo: Pasu Au Yeung, via Flickr
A month ago, the Chinese government allegedly blocked Google, along with a variety of search terms such as the phrase “waging nonviolence.” It’s revealing that content related to nonviolent struggle would be so concerning to the Chinese government.
Read more at Political Violence @ a Glance, where the full text was posted 16 January 2015.