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Program(s): Congo Research Group, Peace and Security

UN Members Elect 5 Countries to Security Council

Five countries have won two-year terms on the U.N. Security Council, including two potentially controversial countries. Chad has faced U.N. scrutiny for its use of child soldiers among the ranks of its military, while Saudi Arabia regularly faces international criticism for the state of human rights, and especially women’s rights, in the oil-rich kingdom.

Read the full Voice of America article here

Publication Date: Oct 17, 2013

Author(s) / Contributor(s): Richard Gowan

Region/Country: Europe, Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa

Program(s): Peace and Security

Topic(s): United Nations

Diplomatic Fallout: Dangers Await the U.N. in Mali and Syria

The wars in Mali and Syria have followed very different trajectories over the past month. While Syria has become symbolic of international inaction, France’s use of force in Mali has shown that some Western governments are still willing to launch new interventions abroad. And while there have been no dramatic military shifts in Syria, French troops have pushed deep into northern Mali with growing speed.

Publication Date: Jan 28, 2013

Author(s) / Contributor(s): Richard Gowan

Region/Country: Middle East, Syria, Sub-Saharan Africa

Program(s): Peace and Security

Topic(s): Arab Awakening, Fragile States, Humanitarian Crises, United Nations

Getting Smart and Scaling Up: Responding to the Impact of Organized Crime on Governance in Developing Countries

Organized crime, public and private sector corruption, and the involvement of political actors in criminal activity are all long-standing features of political societies, regardless of country. But for developing countries, addressing these issues takes on heightened urgency and complexity: organized crime can derail development progress and foster broader insecurity. Delinking organized crime from politics while enhancing legitimate governance and the delivery of services will remain the most important challenge for many developing countries.

Publication Date: Jun 07, 2013

Author(s) / Contributor(s): Camino Kavanagh

Co-Author(s): Kwesi Aning, Vanda Felbab-Brown, James Cockayne, Enrique Desmond Arias, Charles Goredema, Sampson B. Kwarkye, John Mark Pokoo, Summer Walker

Region/Country: Latin America, South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, West Africa

Topic(s): International Security, Organized Crime

Program(s): Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies

Diplomatic Fallout: A Summer of Political Storms Looms for U.N.

Is the United Nations on the verge of a disastrous summer? The organization is always vulnerable to political shocks as it juggles its peacekeeping duties, humanitarian aid and crisis diplomacy. It now faces an especially perilous period as it tries to navigate the wreckage of peacemaking in Syria while launching a potentially flawed peace operation in Mali. U.N. troops are also preparing to mount risky offensives against militias in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). If the U.N.

Publication Date: Jun 03, 2013

Author(s) / Contributor(s): Richard Gowan

Region/Country: Europe, United States, Sub-Saharan Africa

Program(s): Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies

Topic(s): United Nations

China Offers 500 Troops to UN Mali Force:Envoys

China has offered to send more than 500 soldiers to the UN force seeking to contain Islamist militants in Mali in what would be its biggest contribution to UN peacekeeping. The move could be a bid to overcome tensions with the West over the Syria conflict and to strengthen its relations in Africa, where it is a major buyer of oil and other resources, diplomats and experts said.

Read the full Yahoo! News article here

Publication Date: May 23, 2013

Author(s) / Contributor(s): Richard Gowan

Region/Country: China, Sub-Saharan Africa

Program(s): Peace and Security

Topic(s): Crises, Fragile States, United Nations

West African Drug Commission Reports

These reports are part of a series of background documents prepared for the Commission on the Impact of Drug Trafficking on Governance, Security and Development in West Africa (WACD). The series editor is CIC Fellow Camino Kavanagh.

Publication Date: Jan 31, 2013

Author(s) / Contributor(s): Kwesi Aning, John Mark Pokoo, Isidore Obot, Camino Kavanagh, Stephen Ellis

Region/Country: Sub-Saharan Africa, West Africa

Topic(s): Fragile States, Humanitarian Crises, International Security, Organized Crime

Program(s): Peace and Security

A New UN Brigade Will Make Combat Moves in Congo

For the first time, the United Nations Security Council has passed a resolution allowing UN troops to go on the offensive in a mission against armed rebels. The combat intervention brigade will operate as part of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the northeastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Monusco). The force will conduct targeted operations independently and with the Congolese army to neutralize and reduce the threat of armed militias, protect civilians and stabilize the environment.

Publication Date: Apr 11, 2013

Author(s) / Contributor(s): Richard Gowan

Region/Country: Sub-Saharan Africa

Program(s): Peace and Security

Topic(s): Peace Operations, United Nations

Diplomatic Fallout: U.N.'s ‘Intervention Brigade’ Raises Cost of Interference in DRC

Policy discussions about peacekeeping frequently get bogged down in technical details, such as the wording of United Nations resolutions, rather than tackling big strategic questions. This has been true of most commentary on the U.N. Security Council’s decision in late-March to mandate an “intervention brigade” to “neutralize and disarm” armed groups in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Publication Date: Apr 08, 2013

Author(s) / Contributor(s): Richard Gowan

Region/Country: Sub-Saharan Africa

Program(s): Peace and Security

Topic(s): Peace Operations, United Nations