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42. Analysing Newroz in Diyarbakir: A Multi-Angle Approach
- Author:
- Rahman Dag
- Publication Date:
- 04-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Centre for Strategic Research and Analysis (CESRAN)
- Abstract:
- Once the Newroz on 21 March, 2013 in Diyarbakir would be the subject of any sort of conversation, academic discussion, journalistic research and daily bread on the lips of people, it would be absolutely considered as one of the most significant turning points in the history of politics in Turkey. Since, whether it will be successfully accomplished or dramatically failed and cause an internal high-level armed struggle, as a part of peace process initiated by AKP and assisted by BDP, the announcement of Öcalan calling for leaving the armed forces out of Turkey's border and superseded it with ideas and politics will be the inception of new horizons in Turkish politics. The main crux of Öcalan's most recent announcement should not be narrowly seen as part of the Kurdish question alone, but rather in my point of view, its consequences are expected to affect every tiny aspect of Turkey; ranging from the prime sphere of politics to social, cultural, and economic structures. When it comes to specific analysis of these aspects, the implication and strategy of peace process will be much clearer in minds.
- Topic:
- Political Violence, Economics, Politics, and Culture
- Political Geography:
- Turkey
43. Death Penalty Policy in Countries in Transition
- Author:
- Madoka Futamura
- Publication Date:
- 12-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- Countries under transition from war to peace or from an authoritarian to a democratic regime face fundamental political and social transformations and difficulties in emerging from a problematic past. The transition presents challenges but also opportunities for countries to reconsider their death penalty policies. It is in such a context that some countries abolish, retain or even actively resort to the death penalty to tackle transitional needs. Those who are working for abolition of the death penalty need to go beyond the human rights approach and take a more holistic approach to understand the fragile and complex local situation and needs in which the death penalty becomes a highly political issue.
- Topic:
- Political Violence, Democratization, Development, Human Rights, Political Economy, Prisons/Penal Systems, and Reform
44. Business and the Barrel of a Gun: Understanding Entrepreneurship and Violent Conflict in Developing Countries
- Author:
- Philip Verwimp, Wim Naudé, and Tilman Brück
- Publication Date:
- 04-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- Although the impacts of violent conflict on investment, production, incomes and inequality have been widely studied on an aggregate level, comparatively less is known about the more diverse impacts of such conflict at the micro (particularly firm) level. Understanding such impacts can improve policies to mitigate the human and financial costs of violent conflict in developing countries. This policy brief discusses lessons from recent studies to address this gap.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Political Violence, Economics, International Trade and Finance, and War
45. Post-revolutionary Politics in Libya: Inside the General National Congress
- Author:
- Karim Mezran, Fadel Laman, and Eric Knecht
- Publication Date:
- 05-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- Piecing together the nascent political picture in Libya is essential to understanding the current roadblocks to democracy. Unlike Egypt, no single party, force, or personality anchors the political scene. Unlike Tunisia, no coalition provides a gauge of the relative strength of political groups. In Libya, where parties were banned even before the reign of Muammar al-Qaddafi, post-revolution politics remain fluid, loyalties fleeting, and ideological fault lines less defined than in its North African neighbors. Nevertheless, ten months after the country's first free elections, an early snapshot of the contemporary political scene is coming into focus.
- Topic:
- Political Violence, Democratization, Regime Change, and Reform
- Political Geography:
- Libya, North Africa, and Tunisia
46. Beyond Spillover: Syria's Role in Lebanon's Drift Toward Political Violence
- Author:
- Faysal Itani and Sarah Grebowkski
- Publication Date:
- 07-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- To describe the increase in violence and instability in Lebanon since the civil war in Syria began as simply a spillover is misleading. it risks casting Lebanon as a victim to negative externalities divorced from its own political dysfunction. in truth, Lebanon's troubles long preceded the war in Syria, and the conflict's more complex and pernicious effect on Lebanon has been the exposure and deepening of pre-existing rifts among Lebanese.
- Topic:
- Political Violence, Human Rights, Terrorism, Armed Struggle, and Refugee Issues
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, Lebanon, and Syria
47. Women in Conflict Mediation: Why It Matters
- Author:
- Andrea Ó Súilleabháin and Marie O'Reilly
- Publication Date:
- 09-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- International Peace Institute
- Abstract:
- Traditional approaches to international conflict mediation—in which statesmen hammer out agreements between governments, or between governments and well-defined rebel movements—are falling short in the face of 21st century violence. Interstate conflict has decreased dramatically, and today one off civil wars with clearly defined parties are relatively rare: 90 percent of civil wars occur in countries already affected by conflict. Despite international efforts to mediate and implement peace agreements, between a quarter and a half of all civil wars recur within five years.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Political Violence, Gender Issues, Peace Studies, War, and Peacekeeping
48. Armenia and Azerbaijan: A Season of Risks
- Publication Date:
- 09-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- International Crisis Group
- Abstract:
- Confrontation, low-intensity but volatile, between Azerbaijan and Armenia has entered a period of heightened sensitivity. Peace talks on Nagorno-Karabakh bogged down in 2011, accelerating an arms race and intensifying strident rhetoric. Terms like “Blitzkrieg'', “pre-emptive strike'' and ''total war” have gained currency with both sides' planners. An immediate concern is military miscalculation, with implications that could far exceed those of a localised post-Soviet frozen conflict, as the South Caucasus, a region where big powers meet and compete, is now also a major energy corridor. Clashes increasingly occur along the Azerbaijani-Armenian frontier far from Nagorno-Karabakh, the conflict's original focus. Tensions have also spread to areas along the border with the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhichevan where Azerbaijani and Turkish exercised in July. A subsequent firefight produced casualties, and Armenia staged its own war games near the Azerbaijan border in September. Vigorous international engagement is needed to lessen chances of violent escalation during coming weeks and months.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Political Violence, International Cooperation, and War
- Political Geography:
- Caucasus, Armenia, and Azerbaijan
49. Kenya's elections: the peace lobotomy?
- Author:
- Jean-Christophe Host
- Publication Date:
- 06-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- EGMONT - The Royal Institute for International Relations
- Abstract:
- This Africa Policy Brief will look at the Kenyan elections of March 4th 2013 and examine what lessons can be learned from them. The argument that will be developed throughout this paper is that, although the violence was contained, the elections were not a success, because the drivers of conflict in Kenya remain untouched. The underlying reason being that the informal power of the political class still outweighs all the formal institutions and plans put in place. The ruling elite has acknowledged the drivers of conflict in Kenya for years but has shown very little interest in resolving them, because that could influence the drivers of their power.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Political Violence, Democratization, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Kenya and Africa
50. Mali: filling the void
- Author:
- Hans Hoebeke
- Publication Date:
- 06-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- EGMONT - The Royal Institute for International Relations
- Abstract:
- Mali, from model of democracy to a deep political, institutional crisis and war in the course of a few months. This policy brief offers an analysis of the Malian conflict looking into the national political dimension as well as the entire region where already present dynamics were reinforced by the Libyan war of 2011. It also looks into the regional and international response mechanisms.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Political Violence, Democratization, Islam, and Insurgency
- Political Geography:
- Africa, Libya, and North Africa