Items related to "Human Security Gateway: Natural Resources and Armed Conflict". Sat, 17 May 2008 0:30:33 +0000 Sat, 17 May 2008 0:30:33 +0000 robert_hartfiel@sfu.ca (Robert Hartfiel) Fri, 16 May 2008 15:30:10 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24416 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24416 Sharp increases in food prices have generated a new wave of anti-occupation and anti-U.S. sentiment in Fallujah. "This is a country that was damned by the Americans the moment they stepped on our soil," Burhan Jassim, a farmer from Sichir village just outside Fallujah told IPS. "This is Iraqi land that has always been blessed by Allah with the best production in quality and quantity, but now see how it has been turned into a wasteland." Fallujah faces this new crisis after much of the city was destroyed by U.S. military operations in 2004. The area around Fallujah city, which lies 70 km west of Baghdad, has traditionally been one of the most agriculturally productive in Iraq. Farmers planted tomatoes and cucumbers north of Fallujah, others grew potatoes south of the city near Amiriya. Both areas had plenty of date palm trees and small fruit plantations. Now production is down to a fraction of what it was. SOURCE: Inter Press Service // Global Policy Forum Inter Press Service // Global Policy Forum Fri, 16 May 2008 15:29:10 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24415 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24415 Several hundred kilometres from the simmering conflicts between pastoralists and farmers [over natural resources] in Sudan's Darfur region, the two communities in the village of Gereigikh in North Kordofan State have learnt to cool the tension with watermelons. "Our farmers discovered that whenever the Kawahla tribe [traditionally pastoral] brought their livestock into the fields, the animal droppings helped improve production, so the members of the Gawamha [traditionally farmers] started planting watermelons to attract the livestock to the field," recalled Ad-Dukhri Al-Sayed, a community leader in Gereigikh, about 100km northeast of the state capital, El Obeid. "The situation has improved so much. Now everyone lives in peace, we never have problems." Most of Sudan comprises arid land or desert, and lies in the Sahel, a region described by the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) as the most vulnerable in the world to droughts. Historically, there has always been tension over land and grazing rights between nomads and farmers, according to a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) conflict resolution project document . "But recently, some parts of the country have been caught in a complex tangle of severe droughts and dwindling resources." As a result, the pressure on scarce resources like water and pasture has become the trigger of most conflicts, and climate change is set to exacerbate the situation. SOURCE: Integrated Regional Information Networks // Global Policy Forum Integrated Regional Information Networks // Global Policy Forum Fri, 16 May 2008 15:22:12 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24412 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24412 The cost of food is soaring, threatening many poor countries with famine. Among the most acute cases is Myanmar, where Cyclone Nargis has rendered an estimated 1.5 million homeless and destroyed vast tracts of agricultural land. Political leaders in the capitals of Europe, Asia, and North America understandably feel the need to take action, moving millions of tons of rice and other foodstuffs into hard-hit areas. But the roots of the global food crisis run deep, and many of the quickest responses could do great harm in the long run. Without appropriately diagnosing the causes of the crisis, well-intentioned treatments could fail or even exacerbate the situation. SOURCE: Council on Foreign Relations Council on Foreign Relations Wed, 14 May 2008 16:42:43 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24372 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24372 Haiti connaît actuellement une grande insécurité alimentaire. Celle-ci a surtout été causée par la mauvaise performance de la dernière saison agricole (août à décembre 2007) et par une très forte hausse des prix des céréales sur le marché international. Bien que le niveau très élevé des prix des aliments ait affecté tout le pays, certaines communes sont plus affectées (voir Figure 1-a). Les quartiers pauvres des villes n’ont pas été épargnés. La flambée des prix conduit à des stratégies de survie inacceptables (réduction des repas, vente effrénée de charbon de bois, migrations,….). Elle a aussi été à la base des manifestations violentes survenues début avril dans les villes. L’insécurité alimentaire devrait évoluer négativement durant la période d’avril à juin 2008. SOURCE: Famine Early Warning Systems Network - USAID Famine Early Warning Systems Network - USAID Wed, 14 May 2008 12:38:00 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24352 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24352 Since the horrific events of 9/11, Western leaders have held up international terrorism as the greatest threat to world security. However, it is not enough to simply insist that terrorism is the greatest threat to the world, when the evidence does not support this claim. In fact, our research paints a very different picture of the fundamental threats that we all face, with these threats coming from four interconnected trends: 1) Climate change Displacement of peoples, severe natural disasters and food shortages, leading to much higher levels of migration, increased human suffering and greater social unrest. 2) Competition over resources Competition for increasingly scarce resources, especially from unstable parts of the world – such as oil from the Persian Gulf. 3) Marginalisation of the majority world Increasing socio-economic divisions and the marginalisation of the vast majority of the world’s population. 4) Global militarisation The increased use of military force and the further spread of military technologies (including weapons of WMD). SOURCE: Oxford Research Group Oxford Research Group Wed, 14 May 2008 12:22:22 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24350 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24350 Le risque d’une reprise des violences en Ituri est aujourd’hui limité du fait de la présence de la Mission des Nations unies (MONUC), du démantèlement de la plu­part des groupes armés et de la lassitude de la popu­la­tion après des années de souffrance et de destructions. Cependant, les problèmes de fond à l’origine des violences extrêmes qu’a connu le district pendant la guerre – un accès équitable à la terre et une gestion transparente des revenus issus de l’exploitation des ressources naturelles et minières – restent entiers. L’absence de réconciliation intercommunautaire et l’impunité pour la grande majorité des crimes commis pendant la guerre sont également extrêmement inquié­tants en perspective d’élections locales en 2009. Afin d’éviter toute reprise de la violence, dont les femmes seraient les premières à souffrir, les éléments fonda­men­taux d’une paix durable doivent être urgemment mis en place dans le cadre d’une stratégie intégrée impliquant les institutions nationales et provinciales avec le soutien actif de la MONUC et des bailleurs de fonds du Congo. SOURCE: International Crisis Group International Crisis Group Wed, 14 May 2008 11:39:02 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24339 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24339 Pour sa première visite à New Delhi, le 29 avril 2008, le président iranien Mahmoud Ahmadinejad n’est resté que quelques heures, mais son passage a marqué les esprits. D’abord par la qualité de ses rencontres : la présidente de la République Pratibha Patil et le premier ministre Manmohan Singh. Ensuite par la relance du projet de gazoduc reliant l’Iran à l’Inde en passant par le Pakistan. Ce dernier semble désormais sur les rails, la construction devant commencer d’ici à 2010. Tous les détails ne sont pas encore réglés - il s’en faut de beaucoup. Mais le principe est retenu. « Le gazoduc est faisable, a déclaré lors d’une conférence de presse le ministre indien des affaires étrangères, M. Shiv Shankar Menon, et c‘est plus qu’un accord commercial. » (Agence France-Presse, 29 avril 2008.) SOURCE: Le Monde Diplomatique Le Monde Diplomatique Wed, 14 May 2008 11:33:02 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24337 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24337 Is there any end to Chinese ambitions in Asia? China wishes to dominate Asia with blockades, blockages, military diplomacy and political Machiavellism. China’s building of the port of Gwadar at the mouth of the Persian Gulf in fact is meant to blockade the oil supplies of the world. Its military diplomacy is on display at the Tibet-India border, where for the last ten years it has strengthened its military infrastructure to intimidate India. In its blockage diplomacy, it is planning to divert the flow of the River Brahmaputra, also called the Tsandpo in Tibet, toward China’s northeast, hence in the process starve 100 million people in India. SOURCE: United Press International Asia United Press International Asia Wed, 14 May 2008 10:25:02 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24332 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24332 Ce document porte sur le conflit des Grands Lacs en Afrique, qui a donné naissance au génocide rwandais en 1994 avant d'aboutir à l'affrontement de sept pays sur le même sol de la république démocratique du congo. Ces nombreux affrontements de plus de quarante ans qui ont opposé les hutu et les tutsi ont coûté beaucoup à l'Afrique, particulièrement sur le plan économique. Il a fallu attendre les années 2004 pour qu'un espoir de paix se fasse jour ; une paix à laquelle la communauté internationale veut apporter un timide soutien. Le portail propose également une rubrique "Repères", ainsi qu'une carte géographique du continent africain. Table des matières : Introduction I- Un conflit ancien 1.Hutu et Tutsi : 40 ans d'affrontements 2.Le génocide rwandais de 1994 3.Le premier conflit du Zaïre 1996-1997 II- La régionalisation du conflit 1998-2003 1.Sept pays en guerre sur le sol de la Rép. dém. du Congo (RDC) 2.Un conflit meurtrier 3.Le pillage des ressources naturelles III- La RDC entre paix et guerre depuis 2003 1.La transition démocratique 2.Persistance des violences SOURCE: La Documentation française, Paris, France La Documentation française, Paris, France Tue, 13 May 2008 09:47:26 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24316 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24316 Recently, the Trans-Afghan gas pipeline (TAP) project has been given new momentum, as Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan are pressing for the TAP project to go forward even though everyone concerned recognizes that fighting in Afghanistan casts serious questions over the entire project. Nevertheless, the project is now estimated to cost US$6 billion and is supposed to export some 33 billion cubic meters (BCM) of gas from the Dauletabad field in Turkmenistan annually. The field is not expected to be completed earlier than 2018, so this, like the Iran-Pakistan-India energy coalition, is a project for the future. American and Saudi Arabia governments initiated the TAP project in 1998 with active participation from a third party, Argentinean Company Bridas, and was intended to connect Turkmenistan to Pakistan and de-monopolize Russian presence in the Central Asia. SOURCE: The Georgian Times The Georgian Times Mon, 12 May 2008 12:20:46 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24286 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24286 The Indian government has been mining low-grade uranium on tribal lands for decades, but it plans to expand production so that nuclear power will eventually meet a quarter of India's energy needs. The risks of pursuing that policy made international headlines in 2006 when a uranium waste pipeline burst in the east of the country, creating a devastating spill. FRONTLINE/World reporter Sonia Narang travels to this remote area to find out how the mines are affecting the health and traditions of villagers, and forcing thousands off their lands. SOURCE: Public Broadcasting Service // Frontline World Public Broadcasting Service // Frontline World Fri, 09 May 2008 10:16:55 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24264 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24264 In the late 1990s and early 2000s, a curious export phenomenon occurred in the countries of Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi. In spite of the fact that none of these countries had major domestic mining operations, their exports of copper, gold, diamonds and coltan jumped drastically. Not coincidentally, these were the exact same minerals found in abundance in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and the jump in mineral exports coincided perfectly with the invasion of DRC by these three countries. While each country justified its invasion based on security concerns, the United Nations found that the battlefields were most commonly centered around areas that held large stocks of valuable minerals. SOURCE: World Politics Review World Politics Review Wed, 07 May 2008 15:07:42 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24224 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24224 Du fait de l’escalade du conflit et de l'insécurité civile en certains endroits du sud de la Somalie, en particulier à Mogadiscio, des milliers de personnes fuient vers les régions voisines. Ces déplacements aggravent la crise humanitaire déjà préoccupante. Selon des rapports récents, environ 20 000 personnes en moyenne quittent leur foyer chaque mois. La route qui relie Mogadiscio à Afgooye (29 kilomètres seulement) compte à elle seule quelque 250 000 personnes déplacées. La situation humanitaire s’est particulièrement dégradée dans les régions de Shabelle, d'Hiran et du Centre. Selon les estimations, près de deux millions de personnes en tout, dont environ un million de PDI ont besoin d'une aide humanitaire de base et d'un appui aux moyens de subsistance pendant les six prochains mois au moins. SOURCE: Système Mondial d'Information et d'Alerte Rapide sue l'Alimentation et l'Agriculture Système Mondial d'Information et d'Alerte Rapide sue l'Alimentation et l'Agriculture Wed, 07 May 2008 15:02:48 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24223 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24223 Chaque fois que la situation des approvisionnements menace de se détériorer dans un pays ou une région donnée, des alertes spéciales attirent l'attention des gouvernements et organismes d'aide sur l’évolution de la situation et les éventuelles mesures d'urgence à prendre. Les Rapports spéciaux sont généralement le résultat de missions d'évaluation sur le terrain et présentent un état des lieux détaillé de la situation agricole et alimentaire. Ils sont publiés par le Système Mondial d'Information et d'Alerte Rapide de la FAO. Une Mission conjointe CILSS/FAO/FEWSNet/SIMA/PAM d'évaluation des marchés s'est rendu sur des marchés céréaliers clés du Bénin, du Niger et du Nigéria du 13 février au 9 mars, afin d'estimer les stocks actuels et le niveau des prix ainsi que le flux des échanges au sein des pays et entre eux, et d'analyser les implications pour la sécurité alimentaire des pays les plus vulnérables. SOURCE: Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture // Système Mondial d'Information et d'Alerte Rapide Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture // Système Mondial d'Information et d'Alerte Rapide Wed, 07 May 2008 14:45:03 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24222 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24222 Selon la définition de l'Organisation Mondiale de la Santé (OMS) et de l'UNICEF : population n'ayant pas accès à un système de traitement des eaux usées ou des déchets, ou à des toilettes bien ventilées ou reliées à une fosse sceptique. SOURCE: Le Monde Diplomatique Le Monde Diplomatique Wed, 07 May 2008 13:53:20 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24217 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24217 Lorsque énergie rime avec diplomatie et (quasi) frénésie. Alors que la région bruisse en ce printemps 2008 du son redouté du canon, s’ébranle sous les coups de boutoir de la rébellion et des attentats terroristes (Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan) et s’interroge sur les facétieux coups d’arrêt portés au traitement de grands dossiers (cf. nucléaire nord-coréen), l’Asie se révèle également capable de soudaines avancées diplomatiques qu’il convient ici de saluer. Actuellement en visite en Asie méridionale (successivement au Pakistan lundi, puis au Sri Lanka et enfin en Inde), le président iranien Ahmadinejad en est un témoin privilégié... et intéressé. Dans la capitale pakistanaise Islamabad, en compagnie de son homologue Pervez Musharraf, le chef de l’Etat iranien s’est ainsi employé à rappeler la pertinence du projet régional de gazoduc IPI (Iran, Pakistan, Inde), dit « pipeline de la paix » par ses promoteurs en ce qu’il associe, dans une trame énergétique aux fortes implications stratégiques, les fébriles voisins iraniens, indiens et pakistanais. Ces 2 derniers entretiennent depuis 2004 des rapports certes apaisés et profiteraient, par la construction d’un pipeline long de 700 km, des généreux sous-sols du champ gazier de South Pars (Iran), pour satisfaire leurs demandes intérieures et, dans le cas indien tout particulièrement, alimenter une croissance économique particulièrement gourmande en énergies (l’Inde est déjà le 6e consommateur mondial de pétrole). SOURCE: Institut de Relations Internationales et Stratégiques Institut de Relations Internationales et Stratégiques Mon, 05 May 2008 14:24:40 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24132 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24132 Haiti has been hard hit by the global food crisis, which has culminated in riots all over the country, five people dead, gunshot victims, an attempt to invade the National Palace, and the removal from office of the Prime Minister just weeks ahead of the upcoming International Donor Conference in Port-au-Prince. Major progress had been made during the last year - violence had diminished and the UN peacekeeping operation (MINUSTAH) had reoriented its efforts to focus on state building. It is still too early to evaluate the real impact of the turmoil. With a new government to be sworn in, some observers already say the effects are catastrophic. The impact of a global food shortage in a country already suffering from a profound structural crisis could seriously undermine all achievements made to date by MINUSTAH and the international community. SOURCE: Fundación para las Relaciones Internacionales y el Diálogo Exterior Fundación para las Relaciones Internacionales y el Diálogo Exterior Mon, 05 May 2008 10:31:10 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24112 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24112 With the certainty of global warming, the term “climate refugees” is gaining popularity in public discourse. There seems to be some fear in the developed countries that they, if not flooded literally, will most certainly be flooded by ”climate refugees”. From a forced migration perspective, the term is flawed for several reasons. The term “climate refugees” implies a mono-causality that one rarely finds in human reality. No one factor, event or process, inevitably results in forced migration or conflict. It is very likely that climate change impacts will contribute to an increase in forced migration. Because one cannot completely isolate climate change as a cause however, it is difficult, if not impossible, to stipulate any numbers. Importantly, the impacts depend not only on natural exposure, but also on the vulnerability and resilience of the areas and people, including capacities to adapt. At best, we have “guesstimates” about the possible form and scope of forced migration related to climate change. SOURCE: Norwegian Refugee Council Norwegian Refugee Council Fri, 02 May 2008 14:40:13 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24106 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24106 On the 20th of March, the government of the DRC published on the website of its Ministry of Mines the long awaited final report of the interministerial commission charged with reviewing mining contracts signed between private companies and the state or state-owned enterprises. With this step, the DRC government gave in to a long-standing demand from Congolese and international civil society, who had been demanding publication of the report since the interministerial commission finished its work in mid-October 2007. The fact that the government published the whole report, and not only a summary as had been leaked earlier to the press, can be considered a small victory. Civil society welcomed the publication of the report (see Publication of Congo mining contract review welcome; renegotiations should be fair and transparent) but expressed at the same time concerns about the next phase of the review process, that of the actual renegotiations. A similar reaction came from the side of the Belgian government, who expressed in a press release its wish that the process of renegotiations proceed in an open manner, emphasizing that there should be “no taboos”. SOURCE: Global Policy Forum // International Appeal // A Fair Share for Congo Global Policy Forum // International Appeal // A Fair Share for Congo Fri, 02 May 2008 14:12:31 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24102 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24102 Until fairly recent times no one thought climate changed, let alone was influenced by human activities. By the 19th century, scientists were theorizing that temperatures were affected by what we now call greenhouse gasses. And in the late 19th century, the Swedish scientist Arrhenius suggested that human industry might cause the planet to warm. But this notion was generally scoffed at. Over the course of the 20th century, the scientific community gradually came to terms with this theory and began to regard climate change—even rapid climate change—as more than a distant possibility. SOURCE: Strategic Studies Institute // United States Army War College Strategic Studies Institute // United States Army War College Thu, 01 May 2008 15:07:26 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24065 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24065 There has been much fanfare about rising opium production in Afghanistan but little attention paid to Myanmar's Shan State. Nonetheless, the region has seen a spike in production levels of both heroin and amphetamines, with China presently bearing the brunt of this 'boom'. This may have a knock-on effect in Northeast India as well as Thailand. SOURCE: S Rajaratnam School of International Studies // Nanyang Technological University S Rajaratnam School of International Studies // Nanyang Technological University Thu, 01 May 2008 15:02:58 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24064 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24064 The remarkable stability of the cooperation among the members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has generally been explained by these members’ mutual dependency on high and stable oil revenues. Since the OPEC countries, however, face the double security dilemma of both domestic and external security threats, they are not simply eager to secure (absolute) oil revenues for the sake of domestic stability; they are also sensitive to the (relative) oil revenues of their competing or even conflicting partners. The existing approaches of rational egoism and defensive positionalism have proven to be rather inadequate in explaining this kind of gain-seeking behavior. This paper therefore develops the new theoretical approach of “gain-seeking mentalities,” with the objective of tracing variations in OPEC members’ gain-seeking behaviors. Using this approach, the empirical assessment of Iran and Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War and Iraq during the Gulf War of 1990/91 shows the extent to which Iran and Iraq altered their gain-seeking behavior as a result of a changing constellation of threats. SOURCE: German Institute of Global and Area Studies German Institute of Global and Area Studies Thu, 01 May 2008 12:33:40 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24051 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24051 In November 2002, before the invasion of Iraq, then secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld told Steve Kroft of CBS that U.S. saber-rattling toward Iraq had “nothing to do with oil, literally nothing to do with oil.” In 2003, Rumsfeld called the assertion that the United States had invaded Iraq to get at its oil “utter nonsense.” (“We don’t take our forces and go around the world and try to take other people’s . . . resources, their oil. That’s just not what the United States does.”) In 2005, speaking to American troops in Fallujah, Rumsfeld reiterated the point: “The United States, as you all know better than any, did not come to Iraq for oil.” Strong denials for sure, but were they true? SOURCE: Foreign Policy in Focus Foreign Policy in Focus Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:01:23 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24012 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=24012 Disagreements over oil production, exploration, and revenue sharing threaten to unravel hopes for a political breakthrough and national reconciliation in Iraq. A draft oil law has drawn criticism from Iraq’s Sunnis, who prefer a stronger role for the central government, and from Kurds, who prefer a stronger management role for the regional authorities. The majority Shiites have sought to mollify the Sunnis by keeping control of Iraq’s oil sector primarily in Baghdad, not the regional governorates. The role of outside investors, as well as the classification of old versus new oil fields, also divides Iraqi politicians. Oil, of course, is the country’s most vital resource, and revenue generated by it accounted for the government’s entire $41 billion budget in 2007. Yet output has fallen short of Baghdad’s production targets, mostly due to corruption, poor security, and lack of investment. Unable or unwilling to wait for a compromise, the Kurdistan Regional Government passed its own oil law in mid-2007. The Kurdish government has also entered into dozens of production-sharing contracts with international companies, further straining relations between Kurds and the central government. SOURCE: Council on Foreign Relations Council on Foreign Relations Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:02:36 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23999 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23999 Depuis plusieurs mois, une rébellion, composée essentiellement de Touaregs du Mouvement des Nigériens pour la justice (MNJ), a démarré dans le nord du Niger, en réaction à un gigantesque projet minier conduit, notamment, par le groupe français Areva. SOURCE: Centre Tricontinental Centre Tricontinental Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:24:51 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23987 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23987 On September 28, 2007, Chevron Corporation unveiled its vast new “Human Energy” advertising campaign, with a spokesperson stating that “‘human energy’ captures our positive spirit in delivering energy to a rapidly changing world.”1 Two days earlier, in Burma (Myanmar), the military regime’s soldiers began shooting, beating and arresting thousands of Buddhist monks and others who were peacefully protesting in nationwide mass demonstrations against the regime. Chevron, the largest U.S. investor in Burma and the military junta’s direct business partner, remained completely silent for another week, and has still not condemned the violence. SOURCE: EarthRights International EarthRights International Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:30:01 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23945 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23945 In the 1980s BBC docudrama ‘The March’, hundred of thousands of Africans marched northwards toward the Mediterranean to escape starvation, prompting widespread panic in Europe about an impending ‘flood’ of ‘illegal migrants’. The current global food crisis is very unlikely to result in mass migration, and population movements that do occur will almost certainly take place within countries and not across borders, and for a short-period of time only. Still the crisis is likely to have a significant impact on those already displaced as refugees or internally displaced persons; and finding solutions for them will be part of the long-term solution to the food crisis. SOURCE: The Brookings Institution The Brookings Institution Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:42:20 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23930 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23930 Climate change presents a serious threat to the security and prosperity of the United States and other countries. Recent actions and statements by members of Congress, members of the UN Security Council, and retired U.S. military officers have drawn attention to the consequences of climate change, including the destabilizing effects of storms, droughts, and floods. Domestically, the effects of climate change could overwhelm disaster-response capabilities. Internationally, climate change may cause humanitarian disasters, contribute to political violence, and undermine weak governments. In this Council Special Report, Joshua W. Busby moves beyond diagnosis of the threat to recommendations for action. Recognizing that some climate change is inevitable, he proposes a portfolio of feasible and affordable policy options to reduce the vulnerability of the United States and other countries to the predictable effects of climate change. He also draws attention to the strategic dimensions of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, arguing that sharp reductions in the long run are essential to avoid unmanageable security problems. He goes on to argue that participation in reducing emissions can help integrate China and India into the global rules–based order, as well as help stabilize important countries such as Indonesia. And he suggests bureaucratic reforms that would increase the likelihood that the U.S. government will formulate effective domestic and foreign policies in this increasingly important realm. SOURCE: Council on Foreign Relations Council on Foreign Relations Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:47:56 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23925 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23925 Some analysts are predicting a major imbalance in the supply and demand of the mineral tantalum in 2008—a key ingredient for compact electronics—and quite possibly a major escalation in its price in the years ahead. In fact, several sources already report a 25–30 per cent increase in tantalum ore spot prices over the last 12 months. This trend is of potential concern since the last price spike in tantalum played a major role in fuelling the bloodiest conflict in the history of Africa. I recently stumbled upon this troubling connection while investigating impacts of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on sustainable development. SOURCE: International Institute for Sustainable Development International Institute for Sustainable Development Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:23:39 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23919 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23919 Two phenomena have been recently utilised to explain conflict onset among rational choice analysts: greed and grievance. The former reflects elite competition over valuable natural resource rents. The latter argues that relative deprivation and the grievance it produces fuels conflict. Central to grievance are concepts of inter-ethnic or horizontal inequality. Identity formation is also crucial to intra-state conflict, as it overcomes the collective action problem. Conflict can rarely be explained by greed alone, yet, the greed versus grievance hypotheses may be complementary explanations for conflict. The greed explanation for conflict duration and secessionist wars works best in cross-country studies, but has to make way for grievance-based arguments in quantitative country-case studies. Grievances and horizontal inequalities may be better at explaining why conflicts begin, but not necessarily why they persist. Neither the presence of greed or grievance is sufficient for the outbreak of violent conflict, something which requires institutional breakdown which we describe as the failure of the social contract. The degradation of the social contract is more likely in the context of poverty and growth failure. The paper provides a synthesis of the greed and grievance hypotheses, ending with comments on post-conflict reconstruction. SOURCE: MICROCON MICROCON Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:46:31 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23904 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23904 Below‐average levels of rain and snow during the 2007/08 wet season, high food prices, and low regional cereals supplies are likely to lead to increased levels of food insecurity for small‐scale farmers, rain‐fed agriculturalists, pastoralists, and poor households in urban areas. Well‐targeted food assistance and activities to strengthen households’ purchasing power are needed from now until at least May 2009. Policy interventions to facilitate bilateral agreements and maintain tax exemptions on commercial imports are also recommended. Households in urban areas are highly dependent on markets to source their food needs, and are therefore more vulnerable to food insecurity from increasing prices, due to rising international price trends and below‐normal domestic grain production. These households are also likely to face increased competition for food and labor opportunities, due in part to increased demand from refugee populations returning to urban areas. SOURCE: United States Agency for International Development // Famine Early Warning Systems Network United States Agency for International Development // Famine Early Warning Systems Network Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:10:18 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23894 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23894 The Darfur region of western Sudan is site of the world’s largest humanitarian operation; it is also on the verge of famine. With an extraordinary annual budget, and almost four years of large-scale presence, the Darfur relief operation will enter the coming rainy season witnessing staggering numbers of malnourished civilians, particularly children. Much of the evidence for this impending catastrophe has been available for some time, but the brutal regime in Khartoum has used its bureaucratic powers and threats of humanitarian expulsion to intimidate both UN and international nongovernmental relief organizations (INGO’s). The most culpable silence is that of the UN children’s agency, UNICEF, lead agency for reporting on malnutrition in Darfur. This is the organization that has calculated it is better to allow critical humanitarian truths to be concealed than to risk offending a genocidal regime that has the perverse power to control humanitarian access. SOURCE: Reeves, Eric Reeves, Eric Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:34:18 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23877 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23877 Tanzania is a relatively new mining country. This study argues that unclear land and mining rights, and conceptual differences in how land and mining rights are perceived, contribute to considerate conflict in the country and to a feeling among both local people and human rights advocacy groups that the government has betrayed ordinary people. The main challenge with the current legislations is that there was little or no coordination between the lawmakers at the time when the land and mining laws were drafted in the late 1990s. The Village Land Act goes far in providing ordinary people with customary rights to land – but since there has been no surveying or registration, these rights are fluent and unclear. Moreover, since all land is under the president/state, people don’t own land, but have use rights. In cases where the government needs the land for “development purposes” like mining, the law allows the government to order people to move. According to the law, occupants of the land will be paid compensation for the investment/work that they have done on the land, but not for the land itself. SOURCE: Chr. Michelsen Institute Chr. Michelsen Institute Thu, 24 Apr 2008 10:51:21 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23863 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23863 This paper unpacks the crisis in the Niger Delta of Nigeria with reference to its external dimensions by which is meant the involvement of international non-governmental organisations in the politics of local environmental governance. It takes as its point of departure the events (in the 1990s) that underpinned the international community’s engagement with an issue that could have been regarded as Nigeria’s domestic affair and follows with an assessment of the impact of internationalisation of the crisis on the major actors in the region. It is noted that the crisis in the Niger Delta has been predicated for over four decades on a number of complex issues in Nigeria’s geo-political landscape. The emergence of organized pressure groups (in the early 1990s) and their protestations against human rights abuses and environmental problems in the region added a ‘new’ dimension to the crisis. In tackling its thematic concern, this paper interrogates the involvement of the international civil society in the Niger Delta and concludes with an appraisal of the extent to which the internationalisation of the crisis engendered both attitudinal and policy shifts on the part of the main actors. SOURCE: Alternatives // Turkish Journal of International Relations Alternatives // Turkish Journal of International Relations Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:51:25 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23857 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23857 Undernutrition has, fortunately, risen on the policy agenda in Africa in recent years. In 2004, an international IFPRI 2020 conference held in Kampala on food and nutrition security in Africa drew attention to the issue, and high-level policymakers noted the problem and the need for action much more than they had before. Still, undernutrition remains a fundamental challenge to achieving improved human welfare and economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa. To address that challenge, national governments must undertake appropriate policies and actions. Politically, however, a high prevalence of undernutrition is not seen as anomalous and indicative of the inability of governments to fulfill their duties to their citizens. SOURCE: International Food Policy Research Institute International Food Policy Research Institute Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:48:49 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23856 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23856 This paper serves as a background document to help frame discussion at the Food Security Forum in Rome, April 2008. It focuses on policy and institutional reform issues centered on the links between chronic and transitory crises. The first part of the paper provides an overview of trends and future challenges. The second considers effectiveness of the “humanitarian system” in addressing food insecurity and whether the current institutional set-up is fit for service. The third part examines links between “chronic” and “transitory” food insecurity, and whether current approaches to prevention and response appropriately bridge these two forms of vulnerability. A concluding section highlights key issues, raising questions on gaps in the humanitarian system’s analytical capacity, its programmatic practices, and on food security policy more broadly. SOURCE: Tufts University Tufts University Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:47:01 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23855 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23855 Since 2005, the world has experienced a dramatic surge in the price of many staple food commodities. The price of maize increased by 80 percent between 2005 and 2007, and has since risen further. Many other commodity prices also rose sharply over this period: milk powder by 90 percent, wheat by 70 percent and rice by about 25 percent. Annual average prices of key staple foods are shown in Figure 1. Clearly, such large increases in prices may have tremendous impacts on the real incomes of poor households in developing countries. Despite widespread concern about the impacts of high food prices on poor people and on social stability (eg FAO 2007; World Bank 2008a), little hard information appears to be available on actual impacts on poor people. The overall impact on poverty rates in poor countries depends on whether the gains to poor net producers outweigh the adverse impacts on poor consumers. Whether higher food prices improve or worsen the situation of particular households depends importantly on the products involved; the patterns of household incomes and expenditures; and the policy responses of governments (World Bank 2008b). SOURCE: The World Bank Group The World Bank Group Wed, 23 Apr 2008 13:04:33 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23834 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23834 A natural disaster is defined by the UN as: “the consequences of events triggered by natural hazards that overwhelm local response capacity and seriously affect the social and economic development of a region.”[1] There is a burning debate in the humanitarian field about just how ‘natural’ are natural disasters – which raises interesting opportunities to relate to those working on human-induced climate change. For example, landslides are reportedly becoming more common in Nepal. This may be the result of environmental factors (climate change) – as warmer temperatures are leading to melting of glaciers—but it may also be the result of deforestation which is an activity carried out by humans. SOURCE: The Brookings Institution The Brookings Institution Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:17:57 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23829 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23829 Global food prices have risen 83 per cent over the last three years. The increases have been driven by high income growth in emerging economies (probably the single most significant factor), use of crops for biofuels, the relative inelasticity of supply, historically low stock levels and some speculative investment. More recently, national concerns over inflation and prices have led some countries to reduce exports and others to try to build up stocks – creating a feedback loop that feeds on itself to drive prices up still further. In the medium to longer term, ‘scarcity trends’ – climate change, the cost of energy inputs, scarcity of land and water – could limit the supply-side response. SOURCE: Chatham House // New York University Centre on International Cooperation Chatham House // New York University Centre on International Cooperation Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:05:46 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23826 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23826 The report provides an analysis of the current situation and identification of key issues related to food insecurity and the high rates of malnutrition. It examines current Title II activities and recommends how to increase their impact on food security and nutrition. The study proposes next steps for USAID/Sudan in addressing food security by leveraging Title II and DA funds in a complementary manner that emphasizes the multiple transitions taking place in the areas of livelihoods, education, health, nutrition, institutions and security. Finally, the study recommends next steps for moving towards developing a food security strategy (addressing food availability, access and utilization) for the Mission that reinforces the interdependency of livelihoods, markets and infrastructure. SOURCE: Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:46:12 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23818 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23818 For over two centuries, the social effects of natural resource scarcity have been the subject of lively debate. On one side are those who contend that the planet’s resource endowment cannot support increased consumption indefinitely. In 1798, for example, Thomas Malthus wrote An Essay on the Principle of Population, in which he argued “that the power of population is indefinitely greater than the power of the earth to produce subsistence for man.” The imbalance between human needs and food availability, Malthus predicted, would lead to famine, disease, and war. Writing 150 years later, Fairfield Osborn (1948: 200-201) reiterated this concern: “When will it be openly recognized that one of the principal causes of the aggressive attitudes of individual nations and of much of the present discord among groups of nations is traceable to diminishing productive lands and to increasing population pressures?” More recently, updated versions of the “scarcityconflict thesis,” developed by scholars such as Paul Ehrlich (1968), Donella Meadows (1972) and Thomas Homer-Dixon (1999), have been influential in both academic and policy circles around the world. SOURCE: International Peace Institute International Peace Institute Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:22:00 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23804 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23804 This last year there has been a renewed Western interest in the vision of a nuclear-weapon free world. This has included the majority of former Secretaries of State and Defense in the US, and in UK government speeches. This is remarkable not because it is a new idea - many diplomats in international fora have referred to the legal commitment to negotiate towards this objective under Article 6 of the NPT - but who is saying it, and the urgency of their call for action. It arises largely from a recognition that the current discriminatory practices are unsustainable: the nuclear haves are realising their monopoly will not last forever, and they view the prospect of nuclear proliferation and the increasing dangers of nuclear terrorism with alarm. SOURCE: British American Security Information Council British American Security Information Council Tue, 22 Apr 2008 10:06:37 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23789 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23789 The EU is heavily involved in the exploitation of Africa’s natural resources. In the process, it is contributing to endangering biodiversity and the livelihoods of large sections of the population. At the same time, the EU is thwarting its own development policy, and indirectly increasing migration pressure towards Europe. Fish and timber are crucial export goods for West Africa. They provide governments with urgently needed foreign exchange. As a result, already dwindling stocks are being over-fished, and forests are being destroyed. Large sections of the local people, however, live off the see or forests. SOURCE: Development and Cooperation Development and Cooperation Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:50:06 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23772 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23772 In 2006, UNESCO-IHP (the International Hydrological Programme of UNESCO) and UNU (United Nations University) decided to develop jointly a programme addressing, through research, capacity development and networking, the interlinkages between groundwater resources and human security. This followed a kick-off meeting organised in Bonn in January 2006 where experts dealing with groundwater resources but coming from a wide range of disciplines identified the above research theme as an important one that should be addressed by both international organisations and their networks of scientists and experts worldwide. A report on this January 2006 meeting is available for download at http://www.ehs.unu.edu/file.php?id=146. The programme is called Quo Vadis Aquifers? (or QVA) and has since been integrated in the work plans of UNESCO-IHP and UNU-EHS (UNU’s Institute for Environment and Human Security) for the coming years. SOURCE: United Nations University United Nations University Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:46:38 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23771 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23771 Literature investigating forced migration focuses traditionally on factors such as hunger, poverty, war and violation of human rights. More recently, the question has arisen whether environmental degradation such as soil degradation, lack of water, environmental hazards, and other may contribute to forced migration. The concept has been vaguely described as “environmental refugees,” “environmental migrants,” “climate refugees” etc. There are documented cases where rapid-onset natural hazards such as the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean or the 2005 impact of Hurricane Katrina on the New Orleans area of the United States. It is estimated that up to 1.5 million people fled the New Orleans area, and today only an estimated 500,000 have returned, with the net outward emigration remaining at about 1 million people due to the 2005 hurricane and the ensuing flooding. For less dramatic events, however, it could generally be said that few people actually “flee” from the environment. Rather, deteriorating environmental conditions can so compromise livelihoods that people may be forced to migrate to sustain themselves. For example, a farmer who flees due to the degradation of his land, does that because there are no more livelihood alternatives available in his habitat, which means that s/he flees from poverty. A person who leaves her/his country/region due to ethnic conflicts that are mainly caused by ecological problems actually flees from war and violence (Biermann, 2001). A woman who abandons her job and makes her children sacrifice a certain level of education to accompany her husband who had to leave the country after a hurricane damaged his working area migrates for social reasons. SOURCE: United Nations University United Nations University Mon, 21 Apr 2008 09:52:01 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23757 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23757 In January 2005 the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in Sudan ended Africa’s longest civil war. This is a tremendous achievement. But the peace is fragile and doesn’t encompass the entire country. Politically, the country remains divided and violence is still part of daily life in many areas, foremost in Darfur, but also in Kordofan. Deadly incidents continue to occur regularly in the South. Oil is a principal factor in Sudanese politics. It is the government’s main source of income and the oil sector is driving economic growth. Meanwhile, the oil industry is poorly managed and highly politicized. Rather than contributing to an environment of peace and equitable development, it remains a source of strife and division. SOURCE: Fatal Transaction // the European Coalition on Oil in Sudan Fatal Transaction // the European Coalition on Oil in Sudan Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:22:45 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23742 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23742 L’adaptation aux changements climatiques passe par la participation des paysans et l’information. Dans cette optique, un projet de rechercheaction au Bénin vise à réduire la vulnérabilité des agriculteurs et à améliorer la sécurité alimentaire. SOURCE: Centre de recherches pour le développement international Centre de recherches pour le développement international Thu, 17 Apr 2008 09:46:23 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23688 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23688 This five-year strategic framework on long-term food security for Africa is guided by the Ouagadougou Declaration 2000 and Algiers Plan of Action 2004, and aims to reduce food insecurity in communities vulnerable to disasters and/or af ected by HIV/AIDS. The programmatic objectives guiding our approach are: To improve and scale up community based food security programming in 15 African National Societies; To increase long-term food security technical capacity at the International Federation, in particular at African National Societies; To strengthen understanding of long-term food security programming including integration and coordination. These objectives will be bolstered by a fourth enabling objective: To strengthen community and National Society organizational and structural capacities. The programme will reach its aim when 15 African National Societies have the capacity, skills and resources to have a demonstrated impact on chronic food insecurity using an integrated approach. SOURCE: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:36:04 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23662 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23662 La mobilisation autour de l’impact du changement climatique sur la gestion de l’eau est patente en Europe. Mais aucun accord politique véritable n’a encore pu être conclu. Compréhensible, le maintien du dogme de la croissance et de la compétitivité ne peut entraîner aucune remise en cause d’un modèle de développement productiviste qui contribue à accélérer le réchauffement climatique. En l’absence de réelle perspective politique commune, le risque est réel de voir certains pays ou groupes de pays, particulièrement affectés par la pénurie ou la sécheresse, ceux notamment dont la gestion de l’eau en rapport avec l’agriculture, l’énergie et le tourisme est d’ores et déjà critiquable, opter pour la mise en œuvre de « plans d’urgence » et de nouvelles mobilisations de la ressource qui contrediraient radicalement toute perspective de gestion soutenable. En outre, depuis peu, l’assimilation du changement climatique à un problème de "sécurité nationale" fait désormais planer le spectre d’une gestion autoritaire d’une crise de civilisation majeure. SOURCE: Le Monde Diplomatique Le Monde Diplomatique Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:46:12 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23650 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=23650 Dans son rapport à mi-parcours, le Groupe d'experts sur la Côte d'Ivoire affirme que les refus opposés à l'Opération des Nations Unies en Côte d'Ivoire ( ONUCI ) par les autorités ivoiriennes afin d'inspecter des sites placés sous le contrôle de la Garde républicaine compromettent sérieusement l'efficacité de la surveillance de l'embargo sur les armes et matériels connexes. SOURCE: Nations Unies // Conseil de sécurité Nations Unies // Conseil de sécurité