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Remember the basics
Earlier I wrote about ‘connect technologies’ like Twitter and YouTube, and how they are changing the way the world perceives and acts on conflict. Examples are the so-called Twitter Revolution in...
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Rethinking conflict in cities
CinC's working assumption is that conflict in cities cannot be completely eradicated. Recently I visited Cambridge, England, for an Advisory Council Meeting of the Conflict in Cities and the...
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The World Cup and lessons from South Africa’s transition
Who would have thought that rugby could change the world? Two decades ago the apartheid regime in South Africa was brought down by a range of pressures. But the clincher for many South Africans was...
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Navigating the maze to peace
While much of the world has made rapid progress in building stability and reducing poverty over the past 60 years, states beset by persistent violence and fragile institutions are being left far...
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Overcoming cultural barriers with sound economics
This post is the first in a series on "Gender and Conflict" which explores gender issues in the context of crisis and violence. Zainab Salbi, Founder and CEO of Women for Women International, discusses...
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Media freedom and violence prevention
True believers in press freedom. © Brooks Kraft/Sygma/CorbisHow often it’s happened. Standing at the podium, almost finished with the press conference, when the question which I would love to ignore...
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Bob Geldof and the food riots in Mozambique
Last Friday, Bob Geldof’s face gazed pensively from the front page of the FT’s business section over a story that he was seeking to raise a billion dollars for a venture capital fund for Africa.The...
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Prevention is better than post-conflict catch-up
An end to conflict conformismViolence is the antithesis of development. It tears down what’s been built up. It destroys lives, shortens horizons, and inflicts huge psychological and physical...
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20 years after conflict: Mauritania
It’s almost time to stop work for the day in the village of Fass in southern Mauritania near that country’s border with Senegal.38-year-old farmer Omar has been picking eggplant and hot-peppers since...
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Dangerouser and dangerouser? Aid workers on the front lines
Threatened symbol of neutralityWhen I was working as a field officer with UNHCR in eastern Sudan in the mid 1980s, the living conditions were tough but we did not fear for our lives.A couple of years...
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Was Keynes right about fragile states?
Keynes said that “In the long-run we are all dead.” But for people living in fragile states affected by violence, the short run can be deadly too.The challenge is to balance swift action with long-term...
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To vote or not to vote
A vote too soon? Photo © CorbisThe wisdom of elections in fragile places is questioned by those who fear they will exacerbate tensions and provoke the kind of violence we saw in Côte d’Ivoire and...
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We have heard many calls this past week for free and fair elections to create order, or at least legitimacy, out of frustration and rage. But elections may not always do the trick -- or the many tricks...
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What I Learned from the WDR
I came to the WDR with years of field experience in conflict-affected countries, but I learned some startling things from the exercise.One is that violence today is very different from the violence of...
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What I Learned from the WDR
I came to the World Development Report with years of field experience in conflict-affected countries, but I learned some startling things from the exercise.One is that violence today is very different...
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