Dutch peacekeepers in Gao, Mali

“If you keep Mali as such, it will turn into a black hole – a country where jihadists can do whatever they like. One way or another, these people will come to Europe… Continue reading

The UN in Mali: Colonel de Wolf on the conflict, the Tuareg and MINUSMA’s role

“MINUSMA is waiting for more enablers – technologically advanced military forces – before they can move up to Kidal. After the Dutch and the Swedes have arrived, we can move up to Kidal… Continue reading

Russian diplomacy and the need of talking with Assad

Dan Smith (Secretary General of International Alert) reflects on the Russian diplomacy around the Syrian crisis. Mr Smith urges Western leaders to talk with Iran, Russia and Assad. On September 13th, Dan Smith (Secretary General… Continue reading

On getting ‘dirty hands’ when supplying aid in crisis situations

In ‘War Games‘, Linda Polman argues that humanitarian aid can perpetuate conflict. Arjan Hehenkamp (general director of Médecines Sans Frontières NL) agrees in part with Polman’s critique and explains how his organization tries to… Continue reading

On Blue Helmets and Cynicism, Linda Polman on UN Peace Operations

“UN peacekeepers can do a lot of good in situations when you need traffic cops.” Linda Polman is a critical freelance journalist who has been covering peacebuilding and humanitarian aid in the aftermath of… Continue reading

Harmful Humanitarian Aid: Dilemmas and Solutions

Bringing aid has a price. Linda Polman is a freelance journalist who has been covering peacebuilding and humanitarian aid in the aftermath of war for over 20 years. She explains how aid organizations… Continue reading

How to stop aid from helping warlords?

Could an aid organization be tried bythe International Criminal Court (ICC) for aiding warlords? Linda Polman is a freelance journalist who has been covering peacebuilding and humanitarian aid in the aftermath of war… Continue reading

Drones: setting a Precedent?

The use of drones has increased tremendously. Willemijn Verkoren (director at CICAM) argues that the current use of drones by America for targeted killings is clearly in violation of regular international and military… Continue reading

Drones as Self-Defense: the need for a Drone Court

How is the principle of self-defense used to legitimize the US drone strikes? Amos Guiora (Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Center for Global Justice at the S.J. Quinney College of Law) analyzes… Continue reading

Drones: weighing the pros and cons

The use of drones has grown immensely, with the American air force now training more drone operators than fighter and bomber pilots. Willemijn Verkoren (director at CICAM) problematizes the use of drones by… Continue reading

Four Lessons for Peacebuilding in Syria

What if the Syrian fighting factions reach a peace deal, and the United Nations are called in to help build the peace? What lessons should the UN bring from their previous peacebuilding experience?… Continue reading