by LINDA GRADSTEIN
"Morning Edition"
February 22, 2008
National Public Radio
This National Public Radio story on the Seeds for Peace project provides an account of Seeds of Peace' continuing efforts to cultivate the basis for a long-term reconciliation effort. Given the current difficulties, this may be the most that can be realistically pursued. Still, it's good to see people trying.
In Israel and the West Bank, there are dozens of organizations promoting Israeli and Palestinian cooperation on a wide range of issues. Members say they're laying the groundwork for a future Israeli and Palestinian peace deal.
The rest of the article is available from National Public Radio.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Preview of Post-Election Conflicts
"When Reality Bites"
By DAVID BROOKS
February 12, 2008
New York Times
In an earlier post, we expressed both an admiration of Obama's efforts to build a coalition that crosses partisan divides and an appreciation of the difficulties involved. In this article, David Brooks, of the New York Times, offers a clear and succinct statement of these difficulties. What does our field have to say about strategies for meeting this challenge?
There's a big difference between the Republican and Democratic campaigns: The Republicans have split on policy grounds; the Democrats haven't. There's been a Republican divide between center and right, yet no Democratic divide between center and left.
But when you think about it, the Democratic policy unity is a mirage. If the Democrats actually win the White House, the tensions would resurface with a vengeance.
The rest of the article is available from the New York Times.
By DAVID BROOKS
February 12, 2008
New York Times
In an earlier post, we expressed both an admiration of Obama's efforts to build a coalition that crosses partisan divides and an appreciation of the difficulties involved. In this article, David Brooks, of the New York Times, offers a clear and succinct statement of these difficulties. What does our field have to say about strategies for meeting this challenge?
There's a big difference between the Republican and Democratic campaigns: The Republicans have split on policy grounds; the Democrats haven't. There's been a Republican divide between center and right, yet no Democratic divide between center and left.
But when you think about it, the Democratic policy unity is a mirage. If the Democrats actually win the White House, the tensions would resurface with a vengeance.
The rest of the article is available from the New York Times.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Two for the Road
Nicholas Kristof, of the New York Times, is one of the most eloquent defenders of the poor and powerless around the world. His columns are essential reading, even though his subjects may be disagreeable and hard to think about.
He also sponsored a fascinating essay contest, in which the two winners got to accompany Kristof on a reporting trip to Africa. "Two for the Road" (the blog that the winners maintained) provides a wonderful window into what it's like to cover and try to do something about some of the world's most difficult problems.
He also sponsored a fascinating essay contest, in which the two winners got to accompany Kristof on a reporting trip to Africa. "Two for the Road" (the blog that the winners maintained) provides a wonderful window into what it's like to cover and try to do something about some of the world's most difficult problems.
Non-Violent Protest in the Middle East?
We have long thought that the history of the Palestinians, and the Middle East more generally, would have been vastly less tragic had there been more frequent use of nonviolent strategies for addressing social injustice. Recently, we've begun to notice largely neglected stories of nonviolent protests coming out of the Middle East. With this blog posting we will try to start to keep track of some of these.
There are very interesting research questions here. How often are nonviolent strategies being used? How effective are they? And, most importantly, might the level of violence be reduced if the more powerful side of these conflicts acted in ways which would increase the success rate of nonviolent protest.
Gaza protesters form human chain
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7262089.stm
A Palestinian Intifada Icon Chooses Art over War
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19239928
America's Sunni Allies Go On Strike in Iraq's Diyala Province
By STEVE LANNEN
February 8, 2008
McClatchy Newspapers
Members of U.S.-allied citizen brigades, which are credited with helping to tamp down violence in many parts of Iraq, went on strike Friday in Diyala province, alleging that the provincial police chief there is running a death squad.
A leader of the group said that brigade members, most of them Sunni Muslims, wouldn't resume working with U.S. and Iraqi government forces until the Shiite police chief resigns or is indicted.
A curfew was imposed, and police throughout the province ended their patrols early to avoid clashes with the U.S.-funded concerned local citizens, or "popular committees" as they're known in Diyala, who staged demonstrations against the police chief. No casualties were reported.
The rest of the article is available from the McClatchy Washington Bureau.
There are very interesting research questions here. How often are nonviolent strategies being used? How effective are they? And, most importantly, might the level of violence be reduced if the more powerful side of these conflicts acted in ways which would increase the success rate of nonviolent protest.
Gaza protesters form human chain
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7262089.stm
A Palestinian Intifada Icon Chooses Art over War
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19239928
America's Sunni Allies Go On Strike in Iraq's Diyala Province
By STEVE LANNEN
February 8, 2008
McClatchy Newspapers
Members of U.S.-allied citizen brigades, which are credited with helping to tamp down violence in many parts of Iraq, went on strike Friday in Diyala province, alleging that the provincial police chief there is running a death squad.
A leader of the group said that brigade members, most of them Sunni Muslims, wouldn't resume working with U.S. and Iraqi government forces until the Shiite police chief resigns or is indicted.
A curfew was imposed, and police throughout the province ended their patrols early to avoid clashes with the U.S.-funded concerned local citizens, or "popular committees" as they're known in Diyala, who staged demonstrations against the police chief. No casualties were reported.
The rest of the article is available from the McClatchy Washington Bureau.
Friday, February 08, 2008
After Hard-Won Lessons, Army Doctrine Revised
By MICHAEL R. GORDON
February 8, 2008
New York Times
A couple of years ago we started to attend meetings in which the military appeared to be talking seriously about efforts to enhance its ability to move beyond "kinetic" operations and start to work with civilian and nongovernment agencies to pursue something much closer to what we would call peacebuilding. This is, perhaps most famously referred to in Directive 3000.05 and NSPD-44. A lot of people were skeptical. This article, however, suggests that this trend is real and is continuing.
The Army has drafted a new operations manual that elevates the mission of stabilizing war-torn nations, making it equal in importance to defeating adversaries on the battlefield.
Military officials described the new document, the first new edition of the Army’s comprehensive doctrine since 2001, as a major development that draws on the hard-learned lessons of Iraq and Afghanistan, where initial military successes gave way to long, grueling struggles to establish control.
It is also an illustration of how far the Pentagon has moved beyond the Bush administration’s initial reluctance to use the military to support “nation-building” efforts when it came into office.
The rest of the article is available from the New York Times.
February 8, 2008
New York Times
A couple of years ago we started to attend meetings in which the military appeared to be talking seriously about efforts to enhance its ability to move beyond "kinetic" operations and start to work with civilian and nongovernment agencies to pursue something much closer to what we would call peacebuilding. This is, perhaps most famously referred to in Directive 3000.05 and NSPD-44. A lot of people were skeptical. This article, however, suggests that this trend is real and is continuing.
The Army has drafted a new operations manual that elevates the mission of stabilizing war-torn nations, making it equal in importance to defeating adversaries on the battlefield.
Military officials described the new document, the first new edition of the Army’s comprehensive doctrine since 2001, as a major development that draws on the hard-learned lessons of Iraq and Afghanistan, where initial military successes gave way to long, grueling struggles to establish control.
It is also an illustration of how far the Pentagon has moved beyond the Bush administration’s initial reluctance to use the military to support “nation-building” efforts when it came into office.
The rest of the article is available from the New York Times.
Girls For Sale
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
January 17, 2004
New York Times
This article, along with others written by the New York Times' Nicholas Kristof, serves as a powerful reminder of the stakes involved in intractable conflict. It also reminds us that our goal is justice -- not just the cessation of overt hostilities.
One thinks of slavery as an evil confined to musty sepia photographs. But there are 21st-century versions of slaves as well, girls like Srey Neth.
I met Srey Neth, a lovely, giggly wisp of a teenager, here in the wild smuggling town of Poipet in northwestern Cambodia. Girls here are bought and sold, but there is an important difference compared with the 19th century: many of these modern slaves will be dead of AIDS by their 20's.
Some 700,000 people are trafficked around the world each year, many of them just girls. They form part of what I believe will be the paramount moral challenge we will face in this century: to address the brutality that is the lot of so many women in the developing world. Yet it's an issue that gets little attention and that most American women's groups have done shamefully little to address.
The rest of the article is available from the New York Times.
January 17, 2004
New York Times
This article, along with others written by the New York Times' Nicholas Kristof, serves as a powerful reminder of the stakes involved in intractable conflict. It also reminds us that our goal is justice -- not just the cessation of overt hostilities.
One thinks of slavery as an evil confined to musty sepia photographs. But there are 21st-century versions of slaves as well, girls like Srey Neth.
I met Srey Neth, a lovely, giggly wisp of a teenager, here in the wild smuggling town of Poipet in northwestern Cambodia. Girls here are bought and sold, but there is an important difference compared with the 19th century: many of these modern slaves will be dead of AIDS by their 20's.
Some 700,000 people are trafficked around the world each year, many of them just girls. They form part of what I believe will be the paramount moral challenge we will face in this century: to address the brutality that is the lot of so many women in the developing world. Yet it's an issue that gets little attention and that most American women's groups have done shamefully little to address.
The rest of the article is available from the New York Times.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
