Solutions to Violent Conflict

Archive for 2011|Yearly archive page

Cold Warriors Against the Bomb

In Nuclear disarmament, Peace on December 5, 2011 at 5:12 pm

David Cortright

Old thinking retains its grip at the Pentagon. The vested interests that profit from excessive military spending remain a formidable lobby. Congress sustains nuclear postures that are inherited from the Cold War and continues to fund unneeded weapons systems. Military officials and politicians alike seem unable to conceive of a future without the bomb.

Yet some of the principal architects of the Cold War have now become advocates of disarmament. It is one of the ironies of our age that Cold War wannabes in Washington cling to outmoded policies, while genuine cold warriors of the past now call for a world without nuclear weapons.

THE FOUR HORSEMEN

The most important voices against the bomb are those of the “four horsemen”— former Secretaries of State George Shultz and Henry Kissinger, former Defense Secretary William Perry, and former Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee Sam Nunn. All are eminent statesmen who spent their careers justifying and building nuclear weapons but who now recognize the need to abandon them. In the process they have reshaped the global nuclear debate. Read the rest of this entry »

The Ethical Imperative of Disarmament

In Nuclear disarmament, Peace on December 5, 2011 at 5:12 pm

The ballistic missile submarine USS Tennessee returns to Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay. Photo: Official U.S. Navy Imagery (Flickr)

Cardinal Roger Mahony

Few challenges are more urgent for Catholic teaching on war and peace than the awesome and unprecedented power of nuclear weapons. In evaluating nuclear deterrence, the U.S. bishops have proposed an “interim ethic” whereby nuclear deterrence could be morally acceptable under three strict conditions:

Sole use. Nuclear deterrence should be limited to deterring the use of nuclear weapons and not expanded to include nuclear-war fighting strategies or using nuclear weapons to deter nonnuclear threats.

Sufficiency. The goal should be to have only enough weapons necessary to deter nuclear use, not enough weapons to achieve nuclear superiority. Read the rest of this entry »

The High Cost of New START

In Uncategorized on December 5, 2011 at 5:12 pm

Kelsey Davenport

President Obama has declared that the United States is committed to creating “the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons,” but the policy debate in Washington often lags far behind this lofty vision. Some progress has been achieved in negotiated arms reduction, but many in Washington cling to old ways of thinking.

In February the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START, entered into force. This was a real victory for nuclear disarmament. Under the terms of the treaty, the United States and Russia are obligated to reduce their strategically deployed nuclear warheads to 1,550. They will cut deployed delivery vehicles—intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and nuclear-capable bombers—to 700 over the next 7 years.

These developments will mean a 30 percent reduction in deployed warheads, a 50 percent cut in delivery launchers, and new verification measures to ensure that reductions are being implemented. Read the rest of this entry »

The Libyan Intervention: A Victory for War?

In Middle East on October 5, 2011 at 12:28 pm

Mary Ellen O’Connell

In early September 2011, President Sarkozy of France declared the NATO-led military intervention in Libya a success. I disagree with his assessment for four reasons:

  1. The known result of six months of fighting is thousands killed and even more injured, with fighting continuing as of this writing.
  2. The use of force was not a last resort as required by international law and the just war doctrine.
  3. The use of force could not be predicted to do more good than harm, as also required by international law and the just war doctrine.
  4. The United Nations Security Council authorized only a limited use of force for civilian protection. The disregard of these limits may undermine the Council’s authority, along with the general prohibition on the use of force. Read the rest of this entry »

Military Interventionism in Libya: A Pandora’s Box of Questions

In Middle East on October 5, 2011 at 12:28 pm

In Benghazi, capital of the Libyan revolution, people demonstrate against Qaddafi with the flag of the new "free Libya." Photo: © al-mak / Demotix/Demotix/Corbis

David Cortright

I supported the no-fly zone over Libya as a necessary measure to protect civilians from imminent threat of military attack. During the course of the intervention, however, many questions emerged. What began as a limited mission to prevent a massacre quickly morphed into a policy of armed regime change, with allied forces flying combat support missions for rebels who were seeking to overthrow Qaddafi by force. Read the rest of this entry »

Imperfect Actions in an Imperfect World

In Middle East on October 5, 2011 at 12:28 pm

George A. Lopez

I disagree with my colleagues David Cortright and Mary Ellen O’Connell regarding the scope and direction of the Libyan intervention of the Security Council and NATO.

The essential dilemma faced by the international community, as manifest in Security Council debates for Resolutions 1970 and 1973, was that of not having a range of plausible or good choices. This was due to:

  • The speed with which the rebels spread their militant challenge against the Libyan government geographically; and
  • the level of armed response the Qaddafi regime was clearly mobilizing against rebel strongholds, which were heavily populated by innocent civilians caught in the cross-fire. Read the rest of this entry »

The Arab Spring & Western Policy Choices

In Middle East, Revolution on July 6, 2011 at 12:34 pm

Emad El-Din Shahin

Of the several uprisings and pro-democracy revolutions sweeping through the Arab region, only two — Tunisia and Egypt — have been successful so far in toppling despotic rulers and embarking on a transitional process to establish a free democratic system.

The transitions in the two countries have been far from smooth. In Tunisia, the election of the Constituent Assembly, initially scheduled to take place this July, has been postponed to October to give political actors more time to prepare for writing a new constitution. Egypt has been experiencing similar calls for delay. Some groups are advocating a “constitution first” process, contrary to the results of the referendum that took place in March, and are urging the postponement of legislative elections scheduled for September. Read the rest of this entry »

Glimpses of the Revolution in Egypt

In Middle East, Revolution on July 6, 2011 at 12:34 pm

Women at the forefront of protests in Tahrir Square. © Amel Pain/Corbis.

David Cortright

The enormity of what the Egyptian people have accomplished is breathtaking. The Mubarak dictatorship was brought down in just 18 days through unarmed mass revolution. Estimates of the number of people actively involved range from a low of 7 million to as high as 15 million. Exact figures may never be known, but this much is clear:  It was one of the largest outpourings of mass civil resistance in human history. Read the rest of this entry »

Women & Revolution: Notes from Tahrir Square

In Middle East, Revolution on July 6, 2011 at 12:34 pm

Noha Tarek

Noha Tarek Abbas is a 25-year old student at Cairo University. She was actively involved in Tahrir Square during the 18 days of the revolution. These comments are transcribed from an interview in Cairo on June 8, 2011.

When we planned the actions that started the revolution on January 25, we made sure to avoid not only physical attacks but also verbal abuse. We wanted to be nonviolent in word as well as deed. Even when the police began beating and shooting us, we tried to keep calm. We knew that if we attacked the police we would be sending the wrong message to the people of Egypt.

We were engaged in an image war with the government. We were seeking to reach the people in the middle and needed to maintain a positive image. Our only tools of communication were Facebook and the Internet, and these were shut down part of the time. Our actions had to be our message. Read the rest of this entry »

What Next for Catholic Peacebuilding in South Sudan?

In Catholic, Peace, Sudan on April 20, 2011 at 3:57 pm

John Katunga

Religious institutions, especially the Anglican and Catholic churches, have played a leading role in peacebuilding in Sudan for decades. Their role in the process leading to South Sudan’s independence is the most recent example.

Through a process of dialogue called Kejiko I and II, the churches helped address divisions among political and military factions in the South. As the only significant functioning civil society institution in much of the country, the Church played a powerful role in facilitating the remarkably orderly and peaceful election and referendum processes. The churches also helped garner international engagement at key times in the process.

Just one indicator of the churches’ role: Besides its crucial humanitarian and development programs, Catholic Relief Services, one of the largest development agencies in Sudan, dedicated $4 million to peacebuilding in the 18 months leading up to the referendum, by far the largest peacebuilding program the organization has ever undertaken.

Read the rest of this entry »

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