As the increasing political violence in the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir has claimed a rising death-toll every year over the past decade, political analysts, journalists, and many academics ...believe that India and the region has time-travelled back to the 1990s. This essay sets three recent books in conversation to analyse the ebb and flow of political violence in the region by locating it in relation to other political processes, mostly peaceful, which have directly influenced anti-India militancy in Kashmir. I argue that the explanations offered by recent Indian scholarship on what caused the return to the '90s are narrow and have a linear focus on local factors. It is essential to link the decline of militant activity in Kashmir to the Pakistan-India peace process and the shift in Pakistan's policy towards Kashmir following 9/11. The violence of counterinsurgency alone does not explain the return of political violence.
While peace processes increase the likelihood that a civil war is resolved, they can also complicate peace by increasing the risk of rebel fragmentation. In this article, we argue that negotiations ...exacerbate pre-existing structural and substantial divisions within rebel organizations, therefore increasing the likelihood of a rebel split. More specifically, we put forward a theoretical framework that specifies why factions within a rebel group may disagree with the onset of negotiations, the conclusion of a peace agreement, or the implementation of an agreement—and thus break away during the peace process. We empirically assess the merit of this framework by systematically comparing the impact of these phases in a peace process on the fragmentation of rebel organizations. Using data that more accurately reflect the moment a rebel split takes place than earlier studies, we find that peace processes have a greater substantial impact on rebel fragmentation than previously assumed.
This article traces the development of peace studies in Mindanao, arguing that Mindanao’s distinct multicultural context ensured the field’s tight linkage to Islamic and Mindanao studies. In all, the ...search for peaceful resolution of the armed conflicts in these parts of the Philippines provided the activist-inspired impetus for the field’s growth and determined the highly localized focus of formal and nonformal peace education, research, and publications in and on Mindanao. Peace studies practitioners―from the academe, non-governmental organizations, and religious institutions―contributed to the shaping of national policies and programs for Mindanao, with government policy, in turn, buttressing the institutionalization of their initiatives. This article also provides comparative insights on the nature and evolution of Mindanao peace studies and that of Western peace studies.
Journalists play an important role in the formation of public opinion and can therefore be regarded as influential actors in conflict resolution. In Colombia, where the peace process remains a highly ...debated issue, the media are assumed to fuel polarization instead of dialogue. Indeed, deep societal divisions have been unveiled during last year’s plebiscite. In this environment, the concept of Peace Journalism has gained popularity among journalists, as it may promote a more nuanced debate. Against this backdrop, this study explores the role perceptions of Colombian journalists and their compatibility with the premises of Peace Journalism. To provide in-depth insights into journalists’ role conceptions, 16 semi-structured interviews with Colombian journalists were conducted. The results indicate that journalists hold a very active stance and want to influence and engage the public with their work, closely identifying with the role of the public mobilizer.
Richard Falk has dedicated much of his life to the study of the Israel/Palestine conflict. In Palestine's Horizon, he brings his experiences to bear on one of the most controversial issues of our ...times.*BR**BR*After enduring years of violent occupation, the Palestinian movement is exploring different avenues for peace. These include the pursuit of rights under international law through the UN and International Criminal Court, and the new emphasis on global solidarity and non-violent militancy embodied by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Campaign (BDS).*BR**BR*In focusing on these new tactics of resistance, Falk refutes the notion that the Palestinian struggle is a 'lost cause'. He also reflects on the legacy of Edward Said and the importance of his humanist thought in order to present a vision of peace that is mindful of the formidable difficulties of achieving a just solution to the long conflict.
Colombia's peace process with the FARC-EP has brought a significant reduction in the national levels of violence. Yet, in certain regions of the country the demobilisation of Colombia's former ...largest guerrilla has been accompanied by rising rates of violence. The municipality of Tumaco in the extreme south of the country's Pacific coast is a case in point. In this paper, we demonstrate that a historical and socio-geographic perspective on the shifting dynamics of the armed conflict helps shed light on current developments in Tumaco. In particular, the analysis reveals a specific co-evolution of the FARC-EP presence and of the drug economy in the region, which helps explain key features of violence in the contemporary post-conflict context. The study provides important insights into Colombia's current peace process as well as, generally speaking, into the complex territorial dynamics of crime and violence during transitions to peace.
Northern Ireland hardly featured as an issue in the historic 2016 Brexit referendum campaign in the UK. Subsequently, however, it became the main zone of contention between the EU and UK. This ...article examines Northern Ireland's experience since the Brexit vote through the theoretical lens of liminality. It does so, specifically, by focusing on the three strands of relationships at the heart of Northern Ireland's 1998 peace agreement, and how Brexit impacted on each of these relationships. It argues that Brexit proved profoundly unsettling to the existing political order and triggered significant angst and fear in Northern Ireland.
Gerry Adams was the foremost Irish Republican leader in The Troubles (1968-1998). This paper analyses the extent to which he was a transformational leader, shifting Republicanism from armed struggle ...to politics. The paper analyses three texts by Adams at milestone points in the conflict. The first (1976) at the height of the armed campaign; the second (1986) as political engagement was increasing; and the third (2003), after the conflict had formally concluded. The paper uses four criteria to signify transformational leadership. The paper argues that, while Adams does not meet all four transformational leadership criteria equally, he transformed his organisation.
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