Suchergebnisse

The UN's Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda emphasizes women's victimhood and peacemaking roles. However, women participate in two-thirds of armed movements and affect conflict outcomes in unique gendered ways. This article argues that excluding female perpetrators from the WPS agenda generates new insecurities for them and broader societies. By highlighting women's contribution to perpetuating conflict, I propose a framework to incite policymakers to view women's empowerment as a mainstream security concern and implement policies aligned with the goals of the UN WPS Agenda. First, I explore reasons to avoid reinforcing gender norms that portray women as victims and peacemakers. These reasons encompass assessing: 1) women's contributions to armed organizations, 2) their exclusion from post-conflict rehabilitation programs, 3) the limited visibility of human rights violations by women and the underrepresentation of male civilians as victims, and 4) "saving vulnerable women" rhetoric as a justification for Western power involvement. Then, I examine gender inequality as a fundamental cause enabling these factors, underscoring the need to regard gender inequality and traditional gender norms as central security concerns.

Safet Zec is one of the most prominent Bosnian painters and graphic artists. For decades he has been creating works with a certain number of motifs and returning to them on several occasions during his active years. Above all, in his works he depicts landscapes, architectural motifs (the house, the homestead, room, window, door...), still life (bread, a cloth, table, flower pot...), and human figures. While his early work dates back to a peaceful time in his life in former Yugoslavia, marked by an atmosphere of happiness, fulfillment, and freedom, his later works, which date from the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and its end, depict the tragedy and collective suffering of a people. This paper aims to present the importance of the works of Safet Zec and to view his opus from the aspect of his choice of motifs, their transformation, and the message the artist conveys depending on the social circumstances. We hope that this paper will introduce the work of this artist to the wider and expert public, and provide a contribution to a broader view of his work, encouraging researchers to further study.

South Sudan's recently ended civil war began shortly after gaining independence in 2013. The conflict grew out of proportion and became disastrous for the world's youngest nation. In 2014 pressure amid sanctions from the international community forced rival parties into a productive process of a peace deal. However, there was little success as both the rebel militia and the government anticipated the downfall of each other. January 2015 indicated a positive move: the parties agreed to a cease-fire and peace talks were outlined. Mediators and other neutral parties, on the other hand, must take advantage of the situation to ensure stability. Another year of war will undoubtedly lead to a division, which will ultimately endanger South Sudan's sovereignty. This article describes the causes of ethnic struggles, military operations, the consequences of war, the role of external forces, and how to reach peaceful solutions.