Suchergebnisse

"This monograph provides a contemporary analysis of the frictions between peacemaking and international human rights law based on the cases of post-conflict power-sharing in Lebanon and Bosnia-Herzegovina. In this context it evaluates the long-standing debate in the United Nations and human rights bodies about the 'imperfect peace'. Written from a practitioner-scholarly viewpoint and drawing from new authentic sources, the book describes the mechanisms used in peace agreements and post-conflict constitutions for managing ethnic or religious diversity, explains their legal limits under international human rights law, and provides a conceptual framework for analysing the nexus between law and peacemaking. The book argues that the relationship between the content of peace agreements and post-conflict constitutions, their negotiation process and the element of time need to be untangled to better understand legal limits of statebuilding in the aftermath of armed conflict. It reaches out equally to scholars in human rights law and peace and conflict studies, advisers in peace processes, constitution-makers, and peace mediators.Lasting peace requires the respect for universal human rights. This book offers unique insights into how to find the balance between practical political solutions and the respect for international law. It is a rich resource for peacemakers and conflict parties, and an indispensable read on the phenomenon of the "imperfect peace".Jan Eliasson, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, former Swedish Minister for Foreign AffairsA balanced examination of a key issue for mediators and international lawyers alike, the tension between human rights concerns and practical peacemaking. Waehlisch writes with the authority of one who is both an academic but also a political adviser with plentiful hands on experience in the regions from which he draws his case studies, the Balkans and the Arab world.Sir Derek Plumbly KCMG, King's College London, former UN Special Coordinator for LebanonA rigorous reflection on the tension between peacemaking and the protection of human rights. The focus on two well-chosen case-studies brings the problem to life, and international law is presented in the light of deeply understood practical experience. This illuminating, thought-provoking work deserves to be read by everyone involved in the law, practice or study of peacemaking, statebuilding, or human rights.Professor David Feldman, Cambridge University, former ...

This article focuses on current peace and security dynamics in the Gulf region. It applies system theory aspects to better understand the underlying patterns of evolving political alliances and fault lines. The article points out that power imbalances, frames of a common enemy and interconnected proxy conflicts keep frictions going. The author argues that dialogue efforts in this context need to address those structural impediments to peace in the region. The article concludes with general observations and conditions for a potential security architecture of the region.

AbstractThis article considers the issue of normative limits of peace negotiations as set in the existing international guidance for peace mediators. Tensions between the aim for peace, justice and the protection of human rights in the crafting of conflict settlements have been of increasing concern. Over the past decade the United Nations (UN) has been at the forefront of informing and guiding mediators on the normative limits of peace agreements negotiated under UN auspices. This article provides an overview of UN guidance addressing normative aspects and explores how these can impact on the negotiation process. It then proposes questions for further reflection on this growing trend. Ultimately the article argues that understanding the role of normative factors, especially legal parameters such as international human rights law and minority rights, can help to strengthen the legitimacy and credibility of peace processes and their outcomes.

In 1994, the Human Development Report of the un Development Programme (undp) drew for the first time global attention to the concept of 'human security', which has led to a series of debates in the United Nations.1 The report emphasized that without the promotion of 'people-centered development' none of the objectives of the global development agenda can be achieved, neither peace, human rights, environmental protection, reduced population growth, nor social integration. The idea of the human security concept is to approach security beyond a purely State-focused military angle, but also include humanitarian, political, economic and social perspectives. In 2001, un Secretary General Kofi Annan reemphasized in the Millennium Report that the 'freedom from want' and 'freedom from fear' embrace more than the absence of violent conflict, but encompasses human rights, good governance, access to education and health care and ensuring that each individual has opportunities and choices to fulfil his or her potential. In 2005, the World Summit Outcome Document called for defining the scope of human security in the General Assembly more precisely. In 2012, the un General Assembly finally adopted a common understanding of the human security notion.
This article gives an overview of the evolution of the human security concept in the United Nations. It looks at its historical development, codification attempts and the recent debate in the General Assembly. The article highlights arguments of critics and advocates of the human security approach, who have been trying to identify linkages between security, development and the respect for human rights. The article describes the status of international practice, indicating the trend of gradual implementation of human security aspects in national, regional and international policy frameworks. The term 'human security' has eventually entered the active vocabulary of governmental officials, diplomats, military decision-makers, humanitarian and other non-governmental organizations, serving increasingly as a reference point for more comprehensive policy planning with regard to security and development challenges.

In October and November of 2012, the Appeals Chamber of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) issued two key decisions affirming the legality of the court and the use of trials in absentia of the accused. Highly disputed within Lebanon and throughout the international legal community, both decisions are crucial milestones in the developing history of the STL, and mark critical developments in the evolution of the international justice system and international criminal law.

Written by international practitioners and scholars, this pioneering work offers insights into the peace mediation practice and explains how multifaceted assistance has become an indispensable part of it. With its policy focus and real-world examples, this is a go-to resource for researchers and advisers involved in peace processes.

Recent years have seen the acceleration of data- and evidence-based approaches in support of peace processes, creating a renewed confidence that conflicts can be predicted, known, and resolved, based on objective information about the world. However, new technologies employed by conflict parties, stakeholders, and those who aim to make or build peace have also made peace processes less ascertainable, intelligible, and predictable. Technology can thus create both more certainty and uncertainty in (and about) peace processes. This forum article presents a first collaborative attempt to explore how the use of technology by conflict parties and peacebuilding actors influences these dynamics. We examine various fields of engagement, ranging from conflict prevention to peace mediation, peacekeeping, and longer-term peacebuilding. Our discussion engages with a variety of related activities, including predictive analysis and foresight, conflict analysis, cease-fire monitoring, early warning and early action, and problem-solving and trust-building dialogues. We suggest approaching un-certainty as a spectrum between uncertainty and certainty that can be studied across epistemic, ontological, and normative dimensions, thus inviting further academic research and policy reflection. The article is coauthored by scholars and current or former practitioners and underlines the necessity, benefits, and feasibility of research–practice exchanges on this topic.

Abstract
This thematic issue explores the past, present, and future of UN mediation. Based on in-depth case studies of UN mediation in some of the most intractable contemporary armed conflicts, it shows the challenges related to lacking consensus amongst third parties, disunity in the UN Security Council, and the internationalization of conflicts. At the same time, it highlights the UN's legitimacy, expertise, and convening power, and its importance in the context of broader international dispute management systems. It also underlines the need to rethink how we measure success of UN mediation efforts and to reflect on the consequences of increasing normative plurality in world politics. Finally, this issue points to some areas for future research, including more critical mediation theory, reflections about the worldviews underlying UN mediation, and innovative approaches related to the UN reform agenda.

"This collected volume presents reflections from prominent international peacemakers in the Middle East, including Jimmy Charter, Lakhdar Brahimi, Jan Eliasson, Alvaro de Soto, and others. It provides unique insights and lessons learned about diplomacy and international peace mediation practice based on real life experience. The personal stories offer a critical analysis of successful and unsuccessful peace processes, as well as the chances and limits of solving the most intractable conflicts in the region and other parts of the world. The talks in this edited volume were part of the Bill and Sally Hambrecht Distinguished Peacemakers Lecture series of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon"--