What kind of citizen is formed under President Alvaro Uribe’s democratic security policy? What political space is given to citizens? This Third World Quarterly article investigates the premises of citizenship when implemented under the double logic of democracy and security. The issue is analysed through the ideas of Ardent and Foucault, concluding that tensions between ...» more
Library
This e-library contains more than 4500 external publications on governance, social development, conflict and humanitarian issues. It includes academic and grey literature selected for its basis in good quality research and coverage of a range of perspectives. Policy-oriented summaries of each document are provided, plus links to the full text.
Realities of War: Global Development, Growing Destructiveness and the Coming of a New Dark Age?
Why has armed conflict come to be viewed as the great tool of social, political and economic development? Could it be wrong to bring about desired developments of democracy by force of arms? This Third World Quarterly article examines the association between theories of violence as a tool of development, and practical efforts to develop policies based on such theoretical ...» more
Global Development and Human (In)security: Understanding the Rise of the Rajah Solaiman Movement and Balik Islam in the Philippines
What is the Rajah Solaiman Movement? How did it emerge, develop and strengthen? Through the use of social movement theory to frame our analytical narrative, the authors examine how the demands and pressures of globalisation have helped to foment 'Balik Islam'. This Third World Quarterly article will reflect the possible extremes of Balik Islam by outlining the rise and fall of ...» more
Human (In)Security and Development in the 21st Century
What is the Third Worldism project? What was its impact upon world politics? This Third World Quarterly article analyses the political merits and highlights the limitations of the Third Worldism project. The article first provides a brief historical explanation of the origins of the Third Worldism project and its key elements as well as some of its underlying assumptions. This ...» more
Displacing Insecurity in a Divided World: Global Security, International Development and the Endless Accumulation of Capital
What are the socio-economic and ecological effects of mass-production in the South for the purpose of matching mass-consumption in the North? This Third World Quarterly article examines the two levels of the process of displacement, which in the current global capitalist order inherently displaces insecurity onto marginalised populations in order to reproduce the social ...» more
‘Sons of the Soil’ and Contemporary State Making: Autochthony, Uncertainty and Political Violence in Africa
What is an autochthony discourse? Why is this discourse a popular explanation for current global political conflicts? This Third World Quarterly article argues that the use of autochthony discourse is an attractive way to respond to the ontological uncertainty around political identities within the postmodern/postcolonial condition. It examines why these autochthony discourses ...» more
Why Should Mediators Consider the Economic Dimensions of Conflicts?
Too few conflict resolution negotiations address the natural resource issues that are often among the reasons for the conflict. This paper recommends giving greater attention to economic dimensions of conflicts and suggests how mediators might address this issue. Recommended actions include avoiding vested interests when choosing mediators and carefully mapping warring parties’ ...» more
Meeting Report: Oslo Forum 2009 Mediators’ Retreat – Reasserting Diplomacy and Mediation in a Fragmented World
Despite renewed demands for diplomacy and negotiation, recent developments in many countries call to question the usefulness of dialogue in resolving some of today’s conflicts. This paper discusses the 2009 Oslo Mediators’ Retreat, which explored how mediation and diplomacy can adapt to the ever-changing environment of conflict resolution. Serious debate is needed to establish ...» more
Mediating election-related conflicts
A number of phases in election processes provide entry points that allow for interventions to resolve, mitigate or obviate election-related conflicts. This paper, published by The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, discusses election-related conflicts in Africa and recommends mechanisms that could enhance election mediation efforts. The African Union should reinforce the role ...» more
Security & Justice Development – What Next?
What is next for the UK having re-committed themselves to the security-justice agenda? What issues must be considered if success is to be achieved? This article suggests what these issues might be and how best they can be approached. The article firstly provides a brief background to the UK's commitment to the security-justice agenda and development, followed by key ...» more
Making the case for security sector reform in Zimbabwe
What role should security sector reform play in Zimbabwe's renaissance? This paper, published by the Royal United Services Institute in September 2009, argues that security sector reform (SSR) must be a fundamental component in Zimbabwe’s stabilisation and reconstruction, and suggests ways to achieve this. Zimbabwe's economy has revived since the establishment of the Government ...» more
Air Transport and Destabilizing Commodity Flows
Air transportation has played a key role in fuelling the war economies that have devastated much of Africa in recent decades. This article, by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, outlines the background to this problem, highlights how international action can be used to control destabilising or illicit commodity ?ows, and makes four specific recommendations. ...» more
Laudable, ahistorical and overambitious: security sector reform meets state formation theory
What can theories of state formation contribute to approaches to security sector reform (SSR) and state-building? This article from Conflict, Security and Development examines SSR using theories of the state and state formation within an historical-philosophical perspective. It cautions against having too high expectations of the ability of SSR to create states that are both ...» more
Small Arms and Light Weapons
How can small arms and light weapons (SALW) proliferation be controlled and thus their usage reduced when they are so easily produced, concealed and transferred? This study by the International Peace Institute (IPI) analyses why actions must be taken and what these actions should be in order to reduce SALW proliferation and usage. It argues that a more strategic response from ...» more
Providing security and justice for the people: Security Sector Reform in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe's new inclusive government, formed in 2008, provides an opportunity to consider provision of fundamental reforms of security and justice services to the people of Zimbabwe. This Institute for Security Studies paper examines Zimbabwe’s need for security sector reform (SSR) and recommends measures by which to construct an effective security sector. The will to achieve ...» more
A bridge too far? Considering security sector reform in Africa
Security sector reform (SSR) has become dominated by donor approaches and perspectives and the increasing ability of local actors to secure SSR funding for their own ends. This Institute for Security Studies paper analyses SSR within an African context and underscores the need to translate SSR principles into effective reform of security service provision. In order to align SSR ...» more
Southeast Asia – Progress in Cooperation on Non-traditional Security
What progress has there been in advancing cooperation in non-traditional security in Southeast Asia? This East Asian Strategic Review paper examines recent political and military developments in the region. It finds that while the military junta still prevails in Myanmar, it has recently accepted international aid. The area’s regional forum, the Association of South East Asian ...» more
War on the Displaced: Sri Lankan Army and LTTE Abuses against Civilians in the Vanni
During their decade-long civil war, Sri Lankan forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) appeared to be competing in a contest to demonstrate the greatest disregard for civilians. This Human Rights Watch publication recounts human rights abuses of civilians in the Vanni region perpetrated by both Sri Lankan parties and calls for an end to using civilians for ...» more
War and Peace in Sri Lanka
While the Sri Lankan Government won the recent war against the Tamil Tigers, the humanitarian cost was high and both parties stand accused of war crimes. This paper, published by the House of Commons Library, reviews recent Sri Lankan developments, international involvement, and military aid and development issues. Sri Lanka now faces the challenges of reconstruction and ...» more
Sri Lanka: Twenty years of make-believe – Sri Lanka’s Commissions of Inquiry
Despite the creation of a Commission of Inquiry of human rights violations in Sri Lanka, why do human rights violations continue to take place and why is justice not achieved? This report by Amnesty International seeks to highlight the issue of impunity in Sri Lanka and the role of the Commission of Inquiry set up to investigate violations of international human rights law and ...» more
