Protection of Civilians by the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Mali
The UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA, was authorized in 2013 to support peace and stability in Mali. The core of MINUSMA’s mandate is to support the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali that resulted from the Algiers negotiations. This agreement was signed in May 2015 by the Malian government and two armed group […]
Shifting the Political Strategy of the UN Peacekeeping Mission in the Central African Republic
Violence against civilians in the Central African Republic (CAR) is complex, driven by numerous conflicts at different levels. A national-level peace agreement may contribute to stability, but cannot fully address these diverse conflict drivers. Efforts by the U.N. peacekeeping mission in CAR, MINUSCA, to support a political solution to the conflict have so far been […]
Ellen Laipson op-ed in World Politics Review on the norm of atrocity prevention against civilians
Will the next American president be able to save Syria? No. What about the international norm of preventing atrocities against civilians? Again, no. That’s ultimately the takeaway from the short exchange about Syria in Sunday’s mostly awful Town Hall-style debate between U.S. presidential hopefuls Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Read the full article here.
Stimson’s U.S. Child Soldiers Prevention Act: Five Year Review of Military Assistance Waivers report cited in Politico
When President Barack Obama leaves the White House next January, people around the world will debate his legacy for years to come. But for the children of South Sudan, his legacy is clear: He has failed them. Last week, the White House announced which countries will receive waivers to the prohibition on U.S. security assistance under the […]
Aditi Gorur quoted in US News & World Report on female UN peacekeepers
A 14-year-old pulled into the grass and gang raped as she walked by a United Nations base. An 18-year-old asking troops for money, only to be dragged into the bush and sexually assaulted. It’s been a rough year for the U.N. peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic, with more allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation seeming […]
Op-ed by Faiqa Mahmood in The Cipher Brief on Pakistani lawyers targeted by terrorists
On September 2, a suicide bomber struck a court in Pakistan’s northern city of Mardan, killing twelve. On August 8, a suicide bomber dressed in a lawyer’s uniform attacked a hospital in Quetta, Balochistan, killing 74, mostly lawyers who had gathered at the hospital to protest the targeted-killing of a colleague earlier that day. Both attacks were claimed by […]
Ellen Laipson op-ed in World Politics Review on Syria
Syria’s horrific crisis is now generating new insights into the fault lines and even falsehoods of international cooperation. Diplomatic efforts to find some minimal common ground to tamp down the war have repeatedly fallen short, as the external actors care more about preventing each other’s gains than saving Syria. It reminds us that old-fashioned, formal […]
South Sudan: Politics, Protection, and Peacekeeping
By Lisa Sharland: On 12 August, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 2304 authorising the deployment of a further 4,000 troops to the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) as part of a regional protection force. The mandate shift took place amidst recent reports of yet more failures by peacekeepers to come to the aid of […]