News


Thirsty Swiss Cows are Harbingers of (Water) War

Jul 30, 2015 | Mark Gilbert, Bloomberg View

A quarrel has broken out between Switzerland and France after the Swiss army was caught stealing water from a French lake. While Switzerland's aqua grab seems to…


Whatever Happened to the 5th Geneva Convention?

Jul 29, 2015 | Doug Weir

The acceptance that legal protection for the environment from the ravages of armed conflict needs improvement has a long history. During the last three decades,…


Turning the Climate-Security Problem on Its Head: Geoff Dabelko Talks G7 ‘Climate for Peace’ Report

Jul 29, 2015 | Linnea Bennett

Conversations around climate change often take place at the “30,000-foot level,” said Ohio University Professor and ECSP Senior Advisor Geoff Dabelko in a recent radio interview…


This Is What Could Start a War between India and China

Jul 29, 2015 | Palmo Tenzin

While everyone’s anxiously watching and analyzing the events unraveling in the South China Sea, there’s another resource conflict involving China that also deserves attention. In…


Turkey: Turkish Oil Pipeline from Iraq Bombed

Jul 29, 2015 | Daniel J. Graeber, United Press International

For the second consecutive day, pipelines running through southern Turkey have become the target of militant campaigns drawing attention from NATO. Turkish Energy Minister Taner…


Philippines/Mindanao: FAO Helps Farmers in Conflict-Torn Mindanao Catch Planting Season

Jul 29, 2015 | GMA News

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has launched an assistance program to allow farmers in conflict-torn and disaster-hit Central Mindanao catch up with the first…


Sudan: Sudan Sees Hydropower Boost after Protests over Electricity Cuts

Jul 29, 2015 | Bassem Abo Alabass Mohamme, Bloomberg

Sudan plans to boost electricity output by about 15 percent with new hydropower equipment in the coming year as power cuts in the capital spur…


Sudan: Govt Signs Unprecedented Gold Exploration Agreement with Russia

Jul 29, 2015 | SudaNow

Sudan and Russia on Wednesday signed a gold exploration agreement, described by Khartoum as unprecedented. The agreement was signed at the Republican Palace, in the…


Arctic Diplomacy Requires Convergence of Military and Scientific Interests

Jul 28, 2015 | Saleem Ali

Scientists and the military have a long history of engagement but largely in a client-donor relationship. Yet, global environmental change is providing another opportunity for more “natural”…


Senior Communications Advisor

Jul 27, 2015 | Global Witness

Global Witness is seeking a dynamic and experienced communications professional to work on our conflict and fragile states campaign. This campaign covers our work on conflict minerals,…


China/Vietnam/South China Sea: China's Maritime Actions a Cause for Global Concern

Jul 27, 2015 | Viet Nam News

China's construction of oil rigs and artificial islands in the East Sea were illegal, an international seminar was told in HCM City on Saturday. About…


Timor-Leste: Labor Backs Talks on New Maritime Boundary with East Timor

Jul 27, 2015 | Tom Allard, Sydney Morning Herald

A Labor government will enter into maritime boundary negotiations with East Timor, a move that would likely give the tiny half-island state a far greater share…


China/South China Sea: China Eyes New Cruise Link to Disputed South China Sea Islands

Jul 27, 2015 | Reuters

Chinese authorities plan to start a second cruise ship link to the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, state media reported on Monday,…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Erbil-Baghdad Oil Relations Swing Between Deal, No Deal

Jul 27, 2015 | Mohammed A. Salih, Al Monitor

Encouraged by more international interest in purchasing its oil, coupled with the apparent failure of the federal Iraqi government to provide agreed-upon budget handouts, the autonomous…


Yemen: When War Creates Environmentalists

Jul 27, 2015 | Almigdad Mojalli, IRIN

As the war has intensified and fuel shortages have increased, a growing number of Yemenis are turning to solar power to see them through. Two…


Lebanon: Lebanese Seethe as Stinking Garbage Piles Grow in Beirut and Beyond

Jul 27, 2015 | Ben Hubbard, New York Times

Lebanon is suffering from a spreading garbage crisis that has left huge mounds of trash piling up across Beirut and elsewhere. Many Lebanese see it…


China/Vietnam/South China Sea: Chinese Ship Accused of Attacking Vietnamese Fishing Boats off Central Coast

Jul 25, 2015 | Hoang Trong, Thanh Nien News

Fisherfolk in Binh Dinh Province have said their boats were attacked by a Chinese ship while they were fishing in Vietnamese waters this week. Nguyen…


Uganda: Uganda's Farmers Battle Palm Oil Goliaths for Land

Jul 25, 2015 | Amy Fallon, AFP

Even before the bulldozers arrived life was tough for John Muyiisa, scratching a living from a rented farm on Lake Victoria's Kalangala island. Now he…


With China’s Oil Rig Back in the South China Sea, What’s Vietnam’s Play?

Jul 24, 2015 | Chau Bao Nguyen

The redeployment of a Chinese oil rig in the South China Sea (SCS) shows an inconsistency in the rhetoric and practice of China’s policy in…


Iraq: Iraq's Southern Oil Exports Head for Another Record in July

Jul 24, 2015 | Alex Lawlor, Reuters

Iraq's southern oil exports have risen above 3.0 million barrels per day (bpd) so far in July, according to loading data and an industry source,…


Myanmar: Farmers Right’s Activist Jailed

Jul 24, 2015 | Soe Ya, Democratic Voice of Burma

Farmer’s rights advocate Su Su Nway has been jailed in Pegu Division after being charged with trespassing. As leader of the Myanmar Farmers Union, Su Su…


China/Japan/East China Sea: China Answers Japan Oil Rig Concern with Joint-Development Offer

Jul 24, 2015 | Bloomberg

China repeated a call Friday for talks with Japan over joint development of gas and oil resources in contested waters in the East China Sea.…


The Helmand River and the Afghan-Iranian Treaty of 1973

Jul 23, 2015 | Dr. Glen Hearns

The Helmand River and its major tributary, the Arghandab, drain 43% of Afghanistan including most of the southern part of the country. It has an…


Zimbabwe: Mberengwa's Water Wars

Jul 23, 2015 | Sydney Kawadza, The Herald

Access to water degenerated into a long-drawn-out conflict pitting Mberengwa Rural District Council and the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA). The conflict, easily equated to…


Conflict Minerals: New Conflict Minerals Social Responsibility Research Service Delivers Rating Reports

Jul 23, 2015 | SB Wire, Obian Group

Obian Group announces the introduction of the first professional research reports that analyze, rate and peer-compare corporations' Conflict Minerals Programs. Over 1,200 SEC-registered corporations and…


Syria: Bread Prices Up Nearly 90 per cent, Pushing More People into Hunger, UN Report Warns

Jul 23, 2015 | United Nations

Syria’s food production in 2015 remains at 40 per cent below its pre-crisis levels, impacting the price of bread, which has spiralled by 87 per…


Liberia: Palm Oil Firm Under Fire over Land Deals Sealed During Ebola Crisis in Liberia

Jul 23, 2015 | Holly Watt, The Guardian

A major palm oil company brought together scores of people in Liberia during the Ebola outbreak last year to sign over thousands of acres of…


Liberia: USAID FED Provides Power Tillers to 30 Youth Entrepreneurs

Jul 22, 2015 | Toweh Alphonso, The New Republic

On July 16, 2015 in Suakoko, Bong County, the USAID Food and Enterprise Development Program (USAID FED) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA)…


Cambodia: Report Accuses Cambodian Elite of Land Grabbing Frenzy

Jul 22, 2015 | Lauren Crothers, Video News

Fresh documents alleging that Cambodia’s ruling elite continues to indulge in a “land grabbing frenzy” for self enrichment from the poor are being submitted to the International Criminal Court…


Namibia: Land Grabs Threaten Stability – NUNW

Jul 22, 2015 | New Era

The country’s largest trade union federation, the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW), has urged the nation not to illegally occupy land on July 31, as…