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Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies , Prevention and Peacebuilding
Arab Awakening, Fragile States

Staff

Bruce Jones
Richard Gowan
Emily O'Brien
WPS Sidhu

Dr. Barnett Rubin at the 2014 Jaipur Literary Festival

The 2014 Jaipur Literary Festival brought together over 240 authors for five days of debate and discussion. CIC Director Barnett Rubin attended and spoke on three panels about Middle Eastern and South Asian politics. Click below for quick recaps and full-length videos.

Dispensable Nation: Afghanistan after the US Withdrawal (Recap)

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Jan 30, 2014
Barnett Rubin
Middle East
Afghanistan-Pakistan Regional Project
Arab Awakening, Fragile States

La tenue de la conférence sur la Syrie sauvée par le renoncement de l'ONU à inviter l'Iran

Il s'en est fallu de peu pour que la conférence internationale sur la Syrie n'échoue avant même d'avoir commencé. Le plus surprenant est que cet obstacle de dernière minute est venu de Ban Ki-moon, le secrétaire général des Nations unies, qui doit présider au lancement de ce processus de négociations, baptisé « Genève 2 », mercredi 22 janvier à Montreux, en Suisse, en présence d'une quarantaine de pays.

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Jan 21, 2014
Richard Gowan
Europe, Middle East, Syria
Prevention and Peacebuilding
Peace Operations, United Nations

Geneva Communique: Road Map for Syria Political Transition

At an international peace conference for Syria in June 2012, participants agreed to what has become known as the Geneva Communiqué. It laid out a six-point plan intended to stop the violence and move the two sides towards a political settlement. The United Nations is trying to implement that framework at peace talks going on now in Switzerland where the two parties have finally agreed to meet.

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Jan 27, 2014
Richard Gowan
Europe, Middle East, Syria
Prevention and Peacebuilding
Fragile States, United Nations

A War of Words about Peace in Syria

In Montreaux Switzerland, Syrian peace talks have begun towards the so-called Geneva II process. Nobody thinks the conference will lead to peace. Even optimists call it a "possible first step" to ending three years of appalling civil war. President al Assad has gained strength by giving up chemical weapons and fighting extremists, despite charges that he's a war criminal. Will the US have no choice but to deal with him, rather than ending his rule-if only to gain a temporary ceasefire for humanitarian reasons?

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Jan 24, 2014
Richard Gowan
Middle East, Syria, United States
Prevention and Peacebuilding
United Nations

Yes, Ban Ki-moon Is America’s Poodle

This week, Washington grasped that Ban Ki-moon might be a bit of a chump. The United Nations secretary-general, despite his seven years on the job and nearly four decades before that as a South Korean diplomat, appeared both overzealous and amateurish as he extended and then rescinded a last-minute invitation to Iran to join the Syrian peace talks in Switzerland. The Obama administration’s unconcealed irritation with this gambit has left Ban, who has always prioritized good relations with the United States, looking foolish.

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Jan 22, 2014
Richard Gowan
Middle East, Syria, United States
Prevention and Peacebuilding
United Nations

Syria Peace Talks On the Verge of Imploding After Invitation Mishap

A last-minute decision by the United Nations to invite -- and then disinvite -- Iran to this week's widely-anticipated Syrian peace conference threatened to unravel the entire diplomatic effort on Monday. The invitation, delivered by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, exposed a rare fault line between Ban and Secretary of State John Kerry, two close allies who have been working together for months.

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Jan 20, 2014
Richard Gowan
Middle East, Syria, United States
Prevention and Peacebuilding
Arab Awakening, Crises, Fragile States, United Nations

Diplomatic Fallout: Syria and South Sudan Simultaneously Test U.N.—and U.S.

It is an absolute certainty that 2014 will be a turbulent year for the United Nations. The organization is struggling with crises ranging from the chaos in the Central African Republic (CAR) to the plight of Syrian refugees. There is little hope that these challenges will dissipate soon. Yet two sets of peace talks this month could well decide whether the U.N. faces a truly dreadful year ahead, or just a very difficult one. 

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Jan 06, 2014
Richard Gowan
Horn of Africa, Middle East, Syria
Prevention and Peacebuilding
Crises, Fragile States, United Nations

Jordan assumes U.N. Security Council chair as conflicts persist

Jordan takes over the U.N. Security Council presidency on Wednesday, the first day of its two-year stint on a 15-nation body struggling to cope with conflicts in Syria, South Sudan, Central African Republic, Mali and elsewhere.

Read the full Reuters article here

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Dec 31, 2013
Richard Gowan
Europe, Middle East, Syria
Prevention and Peacebuilding
Crises, Fragile States, United Nations

Events of the Past Year Can Provide Guidance as Peace Operations Enter Uncharted Waters

 In early 2013, peace operations have entered new and uncharted waters that may set the stage for major changes in multilateral conflict management in the years to come.

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Sep 18, 2013
Alischa Kugel
Horn of Africa, Middle East, Syria, Sub-Saharan Africa, West Africa
Prevention and Peacebuilding
Crises, Global Governance, International Security, Peace Operations, United Nations

Turbulence and Opportunity

Turbulence in the Arab world and crisis in North Africa. The Middle East peace process on life support at best. Oil and food prices rising, causing global economic stresses and hardships. Mounting concerns about the sustainability of our growth. In the world’s dominant power, economic doldrums exacerbated by political gridlock; in Europe, policy confusion depressing growth. A competitor power rising, testing America’s weaknesses, probing for vulnerability.

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Jan 09, 2013
Bruce Jones
Middle East, Libya, Syria, United States
Arab Awakening, Fragile States

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