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PEACE & SECURITY REPORT
IPSI's Peace & Security Report (PSR) is a concise weekly e-publication intended to brief busy students, academics, advocates, and practitioners in the conflict management community on pertinent global news, events, and trends.  Meticulously researched and written by IPSI, the PSR empowers us all to take a step back from our immediate deadlines each Friday and gain a greater understanding of the week's global events.
Featured Article   

C�te d'Ivoire: Gbagbo's ICC Transfer Advances Justice 

Human Rights Watch 
 

IPSI Featured Article Image The transfer of former President Laurent Gbagbo to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague for his alleged role in international crimes during C�te d'Ivoire's devastating post-election violence is a major step toward ensuring justice, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch called on the ICC prosecutor to move swiftly on investigations for grave crimes committed by forces allied with the current president, Alassane Ouattara.

Gbagbo's refusal to step down when the Independent Electoral Commission and international observers proclaimed Ouattara the winner of the November 28, 2010 presidential run-off set off six months of violence. At least 3,000 people were killed and more than 150 women raped during the conflict period, often in targeted acts by forces on both sides along political, ethnic, and religious lines.

 

Africa
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: Candidates urged to abide by election results
Despite logistical problems and limited violence, organizations including the UN, the EU, and the AU have encouraged all candidates to accept the outcome of the presidential and parliamentary elections held on Monday. The poll was extended until Wednesday in order to allow time for extra voting materials to reach remote districts. Preliminary results are not expected until December 6; however, several opposition candidates have already alleged voter fraud. Comment: This is the second election since the end of the country's civil war in 2003 and the first to be managed by the Congolese. Tensions in the run-up to Monday's vote have fueled concern that the election results, if seen to be invalid, will ignite further conflict. (Reuters, AP, BBC, Economist, UN News Centre)

IVORY COAST: Gbagbo flown to Hague to await trial
On Wednesday, former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo was taken to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague to await trial on charges of war crimes. Gbagbo will face four counts of crimes against humanity, including murder and rape, for his role in the attacks on civilians following the 2010 election. He is the first former head of state to be tried by the ICC since its inception in 2002. Comment: Although human rights' groups have expressed support for Gbagbo's arrest, many continue to assert that both sides were guilty of atrocities in the post-election violence. Nearly half the country voted for Gbagbo in the election; there is thus concern that his prosecution may be viewed as victor's justice. (Reuters, AP, BBC)

MALI: 3 kidnapped, 1 killed in Timbuktu
An armed gang reportedly attacked four tourists at a caf� in Timbuktu last week, kidnapping three and killing the fourth as he tried to resist. The victims are believed to be Dutch, South African, and German. The attack follows the kidnapping of two French nationals a few days earlier from their hotel in the same region. Comment: Although the identity of the kidnappers is not clear, they are thought to be linked to al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Most Western embassies have issued travel bans to the region due to the rise in incidents involving armed bands. Analysts suspect the increase results from the spillover of weapons and rebel groups from Libya. (Reuters, AFP, BBC, CNN)

SOMALIA: Al-Shebab expels UN agencies, loots offices
Members of the Islamist group al-Shebab shut down and looted the offices of several humanitarian agencies in the towns of Baidoa and Beledweyne on Monday. Al-Shebab spokesmen accused the groups-which include the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and other UN bodies-of seeking to undermine the establishment of Sharia law in the area. A few other relief organizations, including the International Committee for the Red Cross and M�decins Sans Fronti�res, will be allowed to continue operations. Comment: The expulsion of UN relief agencies comes as al-Shebab faces increasing pressure from Kenyan and Ethiopian forces in Somalia. Al-Shebab was forced to retreat from the Somali capital, Mogadishu, in August. Some analysts believe al-Shebab's role in exacerbating the regional famine has cost the group substantial popular support. (Reuters, BBC, Voice of America)

Researched/Written by  Nori Kasting
Americas
ARGENTINA: Indigenous group protests energy plant
Last Monday, in western Argentina, a group of Mapuche Indians began protesting the operations of U.S.-based energy firm, Apache Corp, claiming it is causing environmental damages to the area. The group called upon the provincial government to help them oust the firm, as well as provide social assistance programs. Comment: Apache is one of the biggest energy companies active in Neuquen, operating since 2001. The Neuquen province holds massive resources of non-conventional natural gas and oil, accounting for approximately 45 percent of the total output of fuel in the country. The Mapuche occupy most of the province and have not been consulted by the government, which granted work permits to Apache Corp. (Latin American Herald Tribune, Upstream Online, Reuters)

GUYANA: Ruling PPP/C party wins elections
On Monday, the racially divided population of Guyana voted for a new president and parliament after 12 years of socialist rule under President Jagdeo of the People's Progressive Civic Party (PPP/C). The election results, released today, reaffirmed the PPP/C's control of the presidency, which will now be held by Donald Ramotar, although the PPP/C lost its parliamentary majority for the first time in 19 years. Comment: Guyana has a parliamentary system, under which the majority party's candidate assumes the presidency. The constitution of Guyana only allows two-termed presidencies, which prevented Jadgeo from returning for a third term. The country is divided with 43 percent of Indian descent, 30 percent African, ten percent Native American, and 17 percent mixed. Tensions between the ethnic groups have led to violence in the past; in 2001, post-election unrest continued for weeks. (AFP, Prensa Latina, El Nacional, BBC)

VENEZUELA: Colombian drug lord arrested
Maximiliano Bonilla-Orozco, also known as Valenciano, a Colombian drug kingpin, was arrested on Sunday in Valencia, Venezuela with the help of intelligence provided by Colombian police. The arrest occurred during the visit of Colombian President Santos to Caracas, who thanked President Chavez for his support. Valenciano will be extradited from Venezuela to the United States to face trafficking charges. Comment: Santos' visit to Venezuela comes 16 months after the two countries resumed bilateral relations, and the intelligence cooperation to arrest Valenciano is illustrative of warming ties. Some analysts are also pointing to Venezuela's decision to extradite Valenciano to the U.S. as a sign of better relations between the U.S. and Venezuela; Chavez ended drug cooperation between the countries in 2009. (AFP, BBC, Latin American Herald Tribune)

Researched/Written by  Laura Castelli
East Asia
MALAYSIA: Bill to prevent street demonstrations passes lower house
On Tuesday, the lower house of Malaysian parliament approved the Peaceful Assembly Act, which increases restrictions on public assembly. The new legislation requires gatherers to notify the government 10 days prior to an assembly, effectively prohibiting spontaneous street protests. It also prohibits assemblies near certain locations, including schools and places of worship, requires assembly participators to be at least 15 and organizers to be at least 21 years of age, and imposes steep fines for violations. Comment: The Malaysian Bar Council, Amnesty International, and other international rights groups have opposed the law. An estimated 500 Malaysian lawyers marched to parliament to protest the bill on Tuesday, while a small group calling themselves "Occupy Parliament" also gathered outside Parliament House Tuesday night to protest the bill. (NY Times, Malaysian Insider, AP)

NORTH KOREA: Government announces progress in goal toward nuclear power
On Wednesday, North Korea announced that it is making rapid progress with its nuclear program. North Korean officials continue to assert that its enriched uranium will be used to power a light-water nuclear power plant. The U.S. and South Korea are particularly concerned that North Korea will use the enriched uranium to develop nuclear weapons. Comment: North Korea has expressed its willingness to resume the six-party talks that collapsed in 2008, without preconditions. U.S. and South Korean officials have both demanded that North Korea cease its uranium enrichment program before talks can resume. (NY Times, AP, Telegraph)

BURMA: Aung San Suu Kyi to run in elections
On Wednesday, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi announced that she will run for parliament in Burma's next elections, which are expected to take place in December. On November 13, the government signed an amendment removing the legal restrictions that had prevented her political party, the National League for Democracy, from participating in politics. The NLD re-registered as a political party last Thursday. Comment: Aung spent 15 of the past 22 years under house arrest, and was most recently released last November. U.S. Secretary of State Clinton was also in Burma this week. This is the first visit by a U.S. Secretary of State to Burma in 50 years. (AP, Guardian, AFP)

Researched/Written by Caitlyn Davis 

Europe & Central Asia
FRANCE/GERMANY: Nuclear protesters clash with police
Over 5,000 anti-nuclear activists in France and Germany participated in demonstrations against a train transporting nuclear waste from a French nuclear reprocessing plant in La Hague to Gorleben, Germany. Police arrested 12 people in northwestern France and over 1,300 along the train route in Germany; approximately 20,000 police officers were stationed on the route. Clashes with police resulted in injuries of over 100 protesters and 16 police officers. Comment: This shipment was the last of 12 shipments from Areva to Germany. Following the disaster at Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant earlier this year, the German government agreed to shut down all German nuclear power plants by 2022. France has no plans to shut down their nuclear power plants since the energy sector relies heavily on nuclear power in addition to the amount of revenue brought in by the nuclear industry. (Le Monde, Deutsche Welle, NY Times, BBC)

GEORGIA: Election results annulled in South Ossetia
On Wednesday, approximately 1,000 protesters gathered in South Ossetia's capital, Tskhinvali, in support of presidential candidate Alla Dzhioyeva. The Russian-backed candidate, Anatoly Bibilov, accused Dzhioyeva supporters of bribing and intimidating voters, causing the Supreme Court to annul Sunday's election results based on electoral violations. Reports indicate that several Supreme Court justices did not take part in the ruling, questioning its legality as they believed the elections to be democratic. Dzhioyeva released a statement declaring the election free and fair and accusing the courts of attempting to undermine the results. Comment: International observers, including the Institute of Democracy and Cooperation, believed the election to be fair. Preliminary results released on Monday had Dzhioyeva leading with 56.7 percent of the vote and Bibilov with 40 percent. Dzhioyeva has been banned from participating in the new presidential elections expected in March 2012 to replace the voided results. (RFE/RL, NY Times, BBC)

UNITED KINGDOM: Public sector strikes over pension reform
On Wednesday, 30 trade unions, representing over two million workers, organized a day-long strike against the rising cost of pensions, which have risen by a third in the last decade, forcing staff to work longer for reduced pensions. As a result, police officers took on public sector duties, including immigration and ambulance services. Across the country 1,000 demonstrations were held, including London where 25,000 workers protested and 21 people were arrested for breaching the peace. Prime Minister Cameron dismissed the strikes and insisted the reforms were necessary. Comment: Viewed as the biggest walkout in 30 years, the strike disrupted the public school system affecting 76 percent of public schools. In addition, the National Health Service cancelled almost 7,000 non-urgent operations with 400,000 health care workers on strike. (BBC, The Guardian, Reuters)

Researched/Written by Erin Bobst

Middle East & North Africa
EGYPT: Controversy over a 21-ton teargas shipment
Earlier this week, employees at the Adabiya Seaport in the coastal city of Suez refused to co-sign shipping documents for 7.5 tons of U.S. made teargas, which is an initial delivery of a total 21 tons. On Wednesday, the incident caused a media uproar in Egypt, where thousands feared a possible government crackdown on protesters in Tahrir Square. Activists heavily criticized the U.S. for sending the teargas after many people reportedly died due to suffocation by new types of tear gas used by the Egyptian police. Comment: Egyptian security forces heavily used teargas against protesters in recent weeks prior to the elections. After the ballots were open, Cairo witnessed relative calm as the public awaits the results. Initial indicators predict a Muslim Brotherhood advantage. (Global Voices, Take Part, RT, Elaph)

SYRIA: Arab sanctions against the embattled regime
On Sunday, the Arab League voted to impose economic sanctions that included a travel ban on top Syrian officials and a freeze on assets related to President Bashar al-Assad's government. Before the sanctions, Arab ministers gave Syria an ultimatum to let Arab monitors in to assess progress of an Arab League plan to end nearly nine months of bloody violence. In early November, Syria agree to an Arab initiative to withdraw troops from urban centers, release political prisoners, start a dialogue with the opposition, and allow monitors and media into the country. Comment: While Arab nations agreed on the sanctions, not all seem in favor of implementing them. Qatar and U.A.E were some of the first to take action by ceasing flights to Syria. Countries like Egypt are not eager to completely block bilateral trade. The Egyptian Minister of Industry and Trade, Dr. Mahmoud Issa, stated that his country is not going to fully halt commercial ties with Syria, arguing that blocking the economic trade between the two countries would only cause additional suffering to the Syrian people. (Aljazeera, Reuters, Albawaba, Reuters)

U.A.E: Women can now pass citizenship to kin
On Wednesday, U.A.E President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan granted citizenship to children of Emirati women married to foreigners; previously, citizenship was conditional to children of Emirati fathers. WAM state news agency reported that the "children of women citizens married to foreigners should be treated as citizens." Now the children of Emirati women will have the choice to apply for citizenship once they reach 18 years of age. Comment: U.A.E made recent structural changes as part of a decree marking the 40th National Day that addresses equality and aims at improving the economic climate. In addition to the new citizenship laws, the government released political prisoners, established a 2.7 billion USD fund to help pay debts of some low-income citizens, doubled the salaries of some state employees, and granted 2,500 pieces of land to Emiratis living in the capital Abu Dhabi. (AFP, Alarabiya, CNN)

Researched/Written by Ibrahim Al-Hajjri

South Asia
AFGHANISTAN: Over 2.5 million face hunger
On November 18, a group of nine aid agencies, including Oxfam and Save the Children, announced that over 2.5 million people in Afghanistan are facing hunger, malnutrition, and disease. A drought this year affected 14 of the country's 34 districts, mostly in the north, wiping out crops and leaving villages with limited food reserves. Moreover, an impending winter threatens to cut off access to crucial food aid. 90 percent of households in affected areas are living in debt even as wheat and other food prices soar. Meanwhile, the European Commission announced on November 22 that it will send food aid worth two million USD to help victims before the onset of winter. Comment: Aid agencies are criticizing the militarization of aid in Afghanistan. Insurgency-plagued regions receive most of the aid in a bid to win "hearts and minds" while relatively peaceful areas like the north and north-east are largely ignored. (ABC, BBC, Reuters)

INDIA: Top Maoist leader killed
On November 24, top Maoist leader Mallajola Koteswara Rao "Kishenji" was killed in a battle with Indian security forces in Burisole jungle in West Bengal state's West Midnapore district. According to reports, a joint security operation, consisting of over 1000 Indian paramilitary soldiers and state police officers, launched an offensive and broke through the four-tiered defense structure of the Maoists. Kishenji's funeral, attended by over 5,000 people, was held on November 27 in his hometown of Peddapalli in Andhra Pradesh state. Comment: Kishenji, known for his keen understanding of guerrilla tactics and strategies, acted as the group's spokesperson. He is credited with building the Lalgarh movement, now known as India's "second Naxalbari." His death is considered a significant setback for Maoist operations. (Deccan Herald, Hindu, Hindustan Times)

PAKISTAN: NATO strike kills 24 Pakistani soldiers
On Saturday, 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed in a NATO air strike at the Salala checkpost in Mohmand agency on the border with Afghanistan. Pakistan's director general of military operations Major General Ishfaq Nadeem, called the strike blatantly aggressive, and stated that NATO helicopters kept firing despite being alerted that they were attacking Pakistani posts. Pakistan also announced that it was boycotting the Bonn Conference on Afghanistan this weekend in protest. Meanwhile, US military officials denied that the incident was a deliberate act of aggression. Comment: The border between Afghanistan and Pakistan is porous and mainly unmarked, complicating operations in the region. The attack will worsen the already fraught US-Pakistan relations. (Express Tribune, NY Times, Reuters)

Researched/Written by Megha Swamy

December 2, 2011
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In This Issue
Featured Article
Africa
Americas
East Asia
Europe & Central Asia
Middle East & N. Africa
South Asia
IPSI News 
Gareth Evans
Applications open for IPSI's 2012 The Hague Symposium on Post-Conflict Transitions & International Justice!  
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IPSI News 
Gareth Evans
Applications open for IPSI's 2012 Bologna Symposium on Conflict Prevention, Resolution, & Reconciliation!  
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IPSI News 
Gareth Evans
IPSI makes a strong showing in FP's top 100 Global Thinkers:

Francis Deng: IPSI Board of Advisors

Gareth Evans: IPSI Board of Advisors

Luis Moreno Ocampo: IPSI Contributor 

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IPSI Alumni 
Gareth Evans
IPSI Alumnus Nelson Sanz-Cadena reflects on his time working with SFCG in East Timor: A Kaleidoscope of Experiences.

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IPSI Leadership 

 

Cameron M. Chisholm

Dr. I. William Zartman 
Dr. P. Terrence Hopmann 
Alexander Little 
George Foote
Pamela Aall 
Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah
Betty Bigombe 

Francis Deng
Jan Eliasson
Gareth Evans 
Dr. Ted Robert Gurr
Amb. Jacques Paul Klein
Peter Kyle 
Dr. Jean Paul Lederach
Jeffrey Mapendere
John Marks 
Susan Collin Marks 
Dr. Joyce Neu

Dr. Valerie Rosoux 
William Stuebner 
Dr. Ruth Wedgwood

Dr. Craig Zelizer

 

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