A group of distinguished thinkers on Middle Eastern politics recently gathered in Gstaad, Switzerland to analyse the dynamics in a region of change and transformation. The latest GCSP Policy Paper looks at the findings and outcomes from this meeting, which touched upon among others, political transitions, nuclear negotiations in Iran and the Arab-Israeli issue.
On the occasion of GCSP's 16th Strategic Planning and Analysis Seminar, we spoke with a number of experts on the Middle East to hear their analyses of the origins of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) movement, its recent gains, and what it means for the future of the region.
Want to know more about our European Training Course in Security Policy? Hear about it from previous participants. Interested military officers, civilian officials, and diplomats are encouraged to apply for the 2015 edition.
Lasting peace is impossible without local support. If peace processes are to be seen as legitimate three things need to be kept in mind. First, legitimacy is unique to each context. It is specific to people involved in, and affected by a conflict, and stresses domestic ownership of the peace agenda and architecture. Second, legitimacy is fiercely contested in areas of violent conflict. Consensual peace processes that can accommodate representation of multiple and often competing sources of legitimacy are more likely to lead to consensual outcomes that people will commit to. Finally, peace initiatives are not ends in themselves, but are key components in ongoing processes of transition. Peace processes can help to facilitate progress towards more consensual systems of governance that are the foundations of sustainable peace.
