Archive: March, 2011

Commentary CeaseFire in Iraq – the social innovation kind

As a respected Shī‘ah anniversary date approached, representing a divergence in religious thinking with the Sunni, tensions in Basrah, Iraq were high. A date reserved for reverence historically triggered violent clashes. Anticipating the conflicts the Basrah Anti-Violence Campaign (BAVC), a replication of the CeaseFire violence prevention health model, went into action. Using social marketing and public health communication strategies, BAVC launched targeted messaging around the anniversary to interrupt the potential for violence. BAVC conflict mediators visited mosques, clerics and tribal leaders to defuse simmering tensions before they erupted. Read more >>>

Sudan Briefing: 2011-03-28

Following South Sudan’s referendum on independence, Insight on Conflict will be producing a weekly round-up of the news. To subscribe to receive the updates via email, please contact [email protected] or complete the form below. Email Address: News round-up: The South has accused the North of launching a bombing raid on Southern territory bordering Darfur. The North [...] Read more >>>

From the field Nepal: change is possible!

Situated some 300km east of Kathmandu, Sindhuli is a remote district of Nepal where many villages are without access or means of transportation. It was one of the first districts attacked by the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) when they initiated their ‘People’s war’ in February 1996. During the 11 years of internal armed conflict, 14 people disappeared and 221 lost their lives in Sindhali. I recently had the opportunity to visit the region, and to assess how far people there have been able to rebuild their lives and communities since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in November 2006. Read more >>>

From the field From dictatorships to democratic hopes in Africa

Landry Ninteretse, Insight on Conflict’s local correspondent in Burundi, reflects on this years World Social Forum in Dakar. Democratic aspirations and peacebuiling issues were at the forefront of discussions given the recent events in the Middle East, and Landry asks what lessons local peacebuilders can share. Read more >>>

Commentary Playing whose tune?

I was at a recital the other day by a world famous pianist. But the recital was curiously lacklustre – actually I felt that most music students could have done a better job. I knew the promoter, so I got in touch and asked what she thought the problem was. “Well,” she said, rather embarrassed, “you know his real love is twentieth century music, but the promoter thought that Mozart would be a safer choice. Read more >>>

Sudan Briefing: 2011-03-21

Following South Sudan’s referendum on independence, Insight on Conflict will be producing a weekly round-up of the news. To subscribe to receive the updates via email, please contact [email protected] or complete the form below. Email Address: News round-up: The South Sudanese ruling party, the SPLM, has produced documents claiming to ‘prove’ President Omar al-Bashir is at [...] Read more >>>

Interview Teachings of Sufism to promote interfaith harmony

In order to explore more about the work of the Taangh Wasaib Organization (TWO) based in Sargodha, and with a focus on the work of the organisation on Sufism and interfaith harmony, Insight on Conflict’s representative in Pakistan conducted an interview with Ms. Rubina Feroze Bhatti (General Secretary of TWO), whose outstanding strength and enthusiasm powerfully illustrate how marginalized women can make a difference despite overwhelming opposition and antagonism. Read more >>>

Commentary Scaling up locally-led peacebuilding: the Zwelethemba model

Some people argue that local peacebuilding can be very effective in a small way but can’t be scaled up into larger projects with a greater impact. A different conclusion is suggested by a project that began 14 years ago in South Africa’s Zwelethemba township, whose name in Xhosa means place of hope. It created a locally-led solution for community security and policing that is now widely used in South Africa and in five other countries. Read more >>>

Merging Insight on Conflict and Ashoka Peace

After 18 months of blogging at the intersection of peace and social innovation, and leading a field-wide initiative on this subject, Ashoka Peace is excited to announce a new partnership with Peace Direct and its Insight on Conflict initiative. We, at the Ashoka Peace blog, have merged with Insight on Conflict and hope that you will keep reading about this critical subject at the new address and new avatar. Read more >>>

From the field Questioning democracy: Local elections in Sri Lanka

On 17 March Sri Lanka will hold elections in 235 provincial councils. Despite the end of the civil war, and the heralding of a peaceful era prioritising development and promoting tourism through government policy, the times are not peaceful. Election violence, as happens in almost all the elections, is taking place at the moment without exception. Read more >>>