News
Conflict Minerals: What it Takes to Make a Conflict-Free Smartphone
Sep 26, 2016
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Thomas Wilson, Bloomberg
On a moonscaped rise in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, thousands of men and women carve a heavy, off-white mineral away from the hillside with…
UN Special Rapporteur Calls for Action on TRW to Protect Children
Sep 23, 2016
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Wim Zwijnenburg
This month, Baskut Tuncak, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights and toxics, presented the findings of his report on the effects of hazardous substances on the lives of children…
'We Are Revolutionaries': Villagers Fight to Protect Myanmar's Forests
Sep 23, 2016
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Katie Arnold
U Ye Aung spent most of his adult life in a war zone. For over 60 years his village of Kalaikyi served as the frontline…
Water Wars: Unease in the South China Sea—New Normal or Quiet before the Storm?
Sep 23, 2016
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Chris Mirasola
Updated satellite imagery from Google Earth revealed four new concrete structures on Taiwan-controlled Taiping Island (Itu Aba). Taiping Island is the largest maritime feature in the South…
Editorial: Climate Security, Err … National Change
Sep 23, 2016
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Tim Wiederaenders
The White House on Wednesday published a presidential memorandum setting up a timetable for more than 20 federal agencies to come up with a plan…
Colombia: Colombia Peace Deal to Usher in Rural Reform but Land Conflicts Feared, Experts Say
Sep 23, 2016
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Anastasia Moloney, Reuters
Conflicts over land in Colombia are likely to increase following a peace deal to end half a century of war as once no-go areas in…
India/Pakistan: Indus Waters Treaty between India, Pakistan Survived Two Wars: UN Official
Sep 23, 2016
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Indian Express
The 1960 Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan has survived “two wars”, a high-level UN official said underlining water also represents a source of…
Iraq: Iraq Oil Fires Could Jeopardize Mosul Mission
Sep 23, 2016
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Vivian Salama, Associated Press
A fire at one of Iraq's oil fields could hinder military and humanitarian efforts as operations to recapture the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul get…
Liberia: President Sirleaf Calls for Investment in Agro Sector
Sep 23, 2016
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Joaquin Sendolo, Daily Observer
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has informed potential investors that attended the US-Africa Business Forum about the need to invest in Liberia’s agriculture sector. The US-Africa…
White House Announces Steps to Address Climate and National Security Alongside New Intelligence Assessment
Sep 22, 2016
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Schuyler Null, Cara Thuringer, and Lauren Herzer Risi
Yesterday afternoon President Obama announced a new Presidential Memorandum on climate change and national security. The policy directs 20 federal agencies to consider the national security implications…
Our Take: New Intelligence and Presidential Memos on Climate Change and National Security
Sep 22, 2016
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Caitlin Werrell and Francesco Femia in Climate and Security
On September 21, 2016, the Obama Administration made two significant announcements related to climate change and national security – one which highlights the latest intelligence…
Myanmar: The Environmental in Kachin State: The Mixed Blessing of Mineral Wealth
Sep 22, 2016
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Radio Free Asia
Mine Naung, in Mohnyin district of Myanmar’s Kachin state, is home to hundreds of gold mines. Residents of the small village say they are at…
Proposed Sale of Timber from Palm Oil Concession Sparks Alarm in Liberia
Sep 21, 2016
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Jeremy Hance
In July, news leaked out that Liberia’s Forestry Development Authority (FDA) was considering a new regulation to allow timber logged from palm oil and other plantations to…
Liberia: House Concurs on Land Authority Law
Sep 21, 2016
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Daily Observer, Leroy M. Sonpon III
The Legislature has finally enacted the Liberia Land Authority (LLA) Law after it was submitted by President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to both Houses, and was received…
2017 Warfare, Environment, Social Inequality, and Peace Studies (WESIPS) Biennial Conference Abstract Deadline
Sep 20, 2016
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Organizers of WESIPS 2017
Please consider presenting a paper at the 2017 Warfare, Environment, Social Inequality, and Peace Studies (WESIPS) Biennial Conference to be held at the Center for…
Myanmar: The Next Great Land Tenure Reform?
Sep 20, 2016
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Roy Prosterman
Since World War II, there have been five great Asian development success stories founded upon land tenure reforms that allocated land ownership, or equivalent long-term…
India: The Source of India's Water Wars
Sep 20, 2016
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Stratfor
Rivers sharing boundaries, whether between other countries or internal states, are traditional points of conflict. Often governed by unpopular treaties, they are the subject of…
Major Water Disputes Are Often beyond War and Peace
Sep 19, 2016
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Filippo Menga and The London Water Research Group
Early this June, the Israeli government cut off drinking water to people living in the Salfit region of the West Bank and three villages east of Nablus.…
Conflict Minerals: US House Advances Conflict Minerals Reporting Repeal Measure
Sep 19, 2016
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Chemical Watch
The US House Financial Services Committee has approved an amended version of a bill to repeal the US's conflict minerals reporting rule.
America the Plunderer
Sep 16, 2016
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Timothy Egan
As with everything in Trump’s world, his solution is simple: loot and pilfer. “Take the oil,” said Trump. He was referring to Iraq, post-invasion. And…
Forests in Colombia Fall Victim to Illegal Coca Plantations
Sep 16, 2016
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María Lourdes Zimmermann
The illicit cultivation of coca leaf in Colombia grew by 39 percent between 2014 and 2015, from 69,000 to 96,000 hectares. According to the United Nations…
Yemen: Ravaged by Conflict, Yemen's Coast Faces Rising Malnutrition
Sep 16, 2016
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Ahmen Al-Haj, Associated Press
The U.N. estimates that about 100,000 children under the age of five in the city and the surrounding province, also called Hodeidah, are at risk…
India: In India's Silicon Valley, the Water Wars Have Turned Deadly
Sep 16, 2016
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Chhavi Sachdev, Public Radio International
Violent disputes over water are nothing new in India — in such a large and crowded country, deciding the rights to trans-boundary waters is always…
Conflict Minerals: Al Jazeera Documentary on DRC Minerals up for Emmy
Sep 16, 2016
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Screen Africa
Conflicted: The Fight Over Congo’s Minerals is nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Business and Economic Reporting in a News Magazine. It’s one of five…
Can International Cooperation Revitalize Wetlands on Afghanistan-Iran Border?
Sep 15, 2016
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Fatemeh Aman
Efforts to revive the Hamoun wetlands on the Iran-Afghanistan border are intensifying. A recent panel at the Atlantic Council described international involvement as vital both to…
Cambodia: ICC Focus on Land Grabs May Turn Attention to Cambodia
Sep 15, 2016
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Lauren Crothers, Anadolu Agency
The release of a new policy paper on case selections at the International Criminal Court (ICC) could “open the door” for further consideration of a…
International Court to Prosecute Environmental Crimes in Major Shift
Sep 15, 2016
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Voice of America and Reuters
The International Criminal Court said Thursday that it will start focusing on crimes linked to environmental destruction, the illegal exploitation of natural resources and unlawful…
ICC Widens Remit to Include Environmental Destruction Cases
Sep 15, 2016
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John Vidal and Owen Bowcott, Guardian
Environmental destruction and landgrabs could lead to governments and individuals being prosecuted for crimes against humanity by the international criminal court following a decision to…
India: Angry Clashes in Karnataka as India's Water Wars Run Deep
Sep 15, 2016
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Michael Safi and Vidhi Doshi, Guardian
There have been regular predictions that “water wars” between Asian states will be a major security threat to the continent in the coming decades, particularly…
Conflict Minerals: Conflict Minerals and Firms’ Ignorance over Their Supply Chains
Sep 15, 2016
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Journalist's Resource
Researchers from the University of Michigan analyzed all the due diligence reports the SEC received in 2014 and 2015 — about 1,300 reports per year. They…