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"People, Spaces, Deliberation" was launched in 2008 by the Communication for Governance and Accountability Program (CommGAP) and is now published by the External Affairs Operational Communication of the World Bank. The blog is edited by Sina Odugbemi and Diana Chung.
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Peace

Overcoming Negative Stereotypes in the South Caucasus

Submitted by Onnik Krikorian on Wed, 08/11/2010 - 15:29

Photo © Global VoicesIn the 16 years since a 1994 ceasefire agreement put the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed mainly-Armenian populated territory of Nagorno Karabakh on hold, peace remains as elusive as ever. The war fought in the early 1990s left over 25,000 dead and forced a million to flee their homes, leaving ethnic Armenian forces, backed by Armenia proper, in control of over 16 percent of what the international community considers sovereign Azerbaijani territory.

The situation, perhaps, is typical for many frozen conflicts, but what makes this dispute even more complicated is the almost constant rhetoric of hatred from both sides. Nearly two decades after the troubles broke out, new generations of Armenians and Azerbaijanis are unable to remember the time when both lived side by side together in peace. Armenia's last president, Robert Kocharian, for example, declared that the two were 'ethnically incompatible' while his Azerbaijani counterpart, still incumbent Ilham Aliyev, regularly threatens a new war.

Reflecting on Mumbai

Submitted by Caroline Jaine on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 12:30

I do not have to be Indian to feel the sense of sorrow and unfathomable injustice as this month the world remembers the Mumbai attacks of a year ago.  Many times we seem to have shaken our pitiful heads and said “never again” after a grand scale terror attack, but still man continues to kill man for an increasingly bizarre list of reasons.  Political pressure, ignorance, social emasculation, brainwashing and drug addiction are amongst the culprits.

In the year since Mumbai, across the region we have seen murderers in Pakistan turn on their own people – with a recent gruesome blast in a Peshawar market killing over 100, mainly women and children, with no real explanation that I could fathom. Again, I do not have to be Pakistani to feel a sense of sorrow. 
 

Johan Galtung and the “P” Word

Submitted by Caroline Jaine on Thu, 02/05/2009 - 12:46

On a cold January evening, shortly after watching President Obama take office from a crowded bar in central London, I dashed across town to the Palace of Westminster to listen to the wise words of Johan Galtung who was talking at the All Party Parliamentary Group for Conflict Issues.

In the field I work in, Galtung is a legend.  The 78 year-old Norwegian socialist is the grandfather of peace studies and has mediated in over 40 conflicts around the world.  He has been a peace activist most of his life – in his teens he was sent to prison for insisting that he be engaged in peace-making activities rather than serving in the military.  

How do we Make People Value Peace?

Submitted by Caroline Jaine on Wed, 09/17/2008 - 08:38

International Day of Peace on Sunday 21st September is an annual event that has been organised by the UN for more than a quarter of a century.  International Day of Peace is also a day of Global Ceasefire which, if adhered to, provides a small ray of sunshine for those who endure war and conflict and often allows essential food, water, and medical supplies to reach those most in need. The UN have launched an admirable campaign this year, encouraging like-minded global citizens to network, participate and even send text messages of peace to world leaders.  Jeremy Gilley has even made a film about it, set in Afghanistan and starring Jude Law.  But as a Communications Strategist I have been contemplating the difficulties of selling “peace” both in my work with the UK ministry for peace and as research for a book on the subject.