Covid-19, a mechanism for conflict resolution?

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Barely a month has passed since the World Health Organization announced the Covid-19 outbreak as a pandemic. Yet, we are already looking at a case tally of some 1 million globally, among them no less than 55 000 deaths.

For those of us in the conflict resolution industry, we worry not only about those conflict-ridded societies that have no infrastructure or means to cope with the outbreak, but about the potential shifting of international priorities, away from ... Read entire post »

‘May you live in interesting times – in Ukraine’

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Almost six months ago I wrote about the prospects for reform in Ukraine following the decisive election of a new president and parliament, driven by the desire of the voting public for major reform and stabilization of a country still involved in an ongoing conflict.

Since then, the new government has frequently been tested by complex challenges at home and abroad, testing its endurance while already challenged with the immense task of reforming and restoring public trust ... Read entire post »

Peace-making and cheese-making in Georgia

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Exactly ten years had passed since I last worked in Georgia, when I returned for my deployment to the EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM), in the country that has a special place in my heart. I arrived with so much curiosity and excitement, wondering how Georgia had developed and recovered after the war in 2008. The first thing that struck me was the condition of the cars, where were all the dilapidated Ladas and Volgas that used ... Read entire post »