The recent displacement of civilians and rebel fighters from the Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta signals an important victory for the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. In the face of these successes, it is worth remembering that the imminent downfall of Assad’s regime was proclaimed several times since the onset of violence in Syria in late 2011. Each time, Assad… Read more »
This Week in South Sudan – Week 15
Monday 9 April Paul Malong Awan announced the formation of a new opposition movement called South Sudan United Front. Tuesday 10 April Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir ordered the release of political prisoners. The Government of South Sudan (GoSS) granted ex-army chief Paul Malong $5 million to pursue the country’s opposition leader Riek Machar during… Read more »
A Path to Peace and Stability Through Food Aid
Constant war drove Fazle, his wife and four children away from their home and farm in the Khyber region of Pakistan eight years ago. They loved their home, but with all the shooting and the armed extremist groups, he had to leave or endure the death, destruction and instability that comes with war. But seven… Read more »
A Path to Peace and Stability Through Food Aid
Constant war drove Fazle, his wife and four children away from their home and farm in the Khyber region of Pakistan eight years ago. They loved their home, but with all the shooting and the armed extremist groups, he had to leave or endure the death, destruction and instability that comes with war.
David Beasley chatting with Fazle, a farmer and father of five who fled his home for 7 years because of conflict in Pakistan. Photo: WFP Asia-Pacific
But seven years later, Fazle came back home, where I talked to him while visiting the area shortly after Easter, and he’s doing well. After getting six months of food aid, he got into a program that helped him set up a nursery. Now he’s earning about (US)$130 a month, four times his previous income.
What’s happening to Fazle and the area where he lives is an important sign of progress for how humanitarian efforts can build peace and long-term stability in countries where conflict and hunger intertwine
In the year since I became the executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme, I’ve travelled to many of the areas with the highest food insecurity – Yemen, South Sudan, northeast Nigeria, Somalia. I have met many people who worry about food, but they often ask me first for help in creating peace.
It’s easy to see why. Ten out of the 13 largest hunger crises in the world are conflict-driven, and 60 percent of the people in the world who are food insecure live in conflict zones.
The price is highest on children. Hunger, malnutrition and poor health often lead to stunting – a phrase used to describe severely impaired growth in these young bodies. Three out of every four stunted children in the world lives in a conflict area
This Week in South Sudan – Week 14
Tuesday 3 April The government of Uganda will pay the remaining $41 million that the Government of South Sudan (GoSS) owes to ten Ugandan companies for their provision of maize and sorghum between 2008-2010. Wednesday 4 April Salva Kiir has pledged to concede defeat should he lose the upcoming election. Thursday 5 April The ministers… Read more »
Three PRIO Scholars Part of the Next IPCC Author Team
I reported in this Blog on 25 January on the prospects for coverage of the link between climate and conflict in the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), scheduled for release in 2021–22. The number of chapters in the report for Working Group II has been cut to 18,… Read more »
The Important Debate We’re Not Having
Foreign and security policy impacts everyone, and is therefore too important a topic to be silenced or restricted to the backrooms of government ministries.
In general Norwegians have a high level of knowledge on international affairs, not least reflected in a substantial societal interest in the subject. The world is changing rapidly, and Norway along with it, facing new challenges. As such, it is paradoxical that open debates on international affairs are so limited.
Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg visited the Norwegian Armed Forces Cyber Defence at Jørstadmoen. Photo: Anette Ask / Forsvaret
Why is this? One common explanation for this is that there is so much consensus on foreign and security policy that there is little to discuss.
Another frequently heard explanation is that, despite a relatively high level of knowledge, much of the population still lacks the understanding that is required for decision-making in this field, so it is best to just keep quiet.
We also often hear a third explanation, which is that most people – voters – actually have little to no interest in the topic, despite evidence of the contrary.
Hungary (Re)Elects in April
Looking at the most recent polls, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán can be calm about the upcoming elections on the 8th of April. The only real question is whether his Fidesz party will win with a simple or a constitutional majority.
Viktor Orbán. Photo: European People’s Party. CC BY 2.0 / Flickr
But what is the secret of this football enthusiast? A seasoned politician with a background as a jurist, Orbán is an outstanding communicator, and comes across as a man who understands the average Hungarian citizen better than anyone.
This Week in South Sudan – Week 13
Tuesday 27 March The President of the United States, Donald Trump, issued a “Notice Regarding the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to South Sudan”. This has been renewed on an annual basis since 2014 and opens for US sanctions against South Sudan. Unknown gunmen shot and killed a senior SPLA officer, Colonel John… Read more »
Popular Anti-Immigration Movements – and the Response of Democracy
All across Europe, we see growing opposition to immigration. Tough measures imposed by governments are limiting immigration but are not having the same effect on opposition to immigration.
Mounting polarization is putting Europe’s democracies as well as European cooperation to the test.
Hungarian-Serbian border barrier being built in 2015. Photo: Délmagyarország / Schmidt Andrea. CC BY-SA 3.0
I recently visited Warsaw, and then travelled on to Berlin. The capitals of two countries with a common border, but distinct political histories.Read More