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Welcome to the archives of Peacebuilding Deeply. While we paused regular publication of the site on September 1, 2018, we are happy to serve as an ongoing public resource on global peace and security. We hope you’ll enjoy the reporting and analysis that was produced by our dedicated community of editors and contributors.
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After more than four years of fighting in Aleppo, Syria, forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have effectively fenced in the city’s opposition-held areas. Faysal Itani, senior fellow with the Atlantic Council, explains how the encirclement of Aleppo happened.
Oxfam’s Camilla Jelbart Mosse spoke to Syria Deeply on the difficulties faced by aid organizations trying to reach 70,000 Syrians trapped in the desert after a suicide attack in June led Jordan to close its border and suspend aid deliveries.
Noah Charney Postdoctoral Research Associate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, the University of Arizona
The buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is driving up temperatures and altering precipitation patterns. But will the changes boost tree growth in northern North America and slow the pace of climate change, or will the shift be too great for trees to adjust?
Economic data show that while California farming has seen many changes because of drought, the industry continued its strong growth trend. But total earnings are not the whole picture, especially when it comes to farm laborers.
The leader of the Nusra Front (Jabhat al-Nusra), Abu Mohammed al-Joulani, has announced that the organization would split from al-Qaida and become the Levantine Conquest Front, aiming to “close the gap” between Syria’s fighting factions.
Although suffering setbacks elsewhere, rebel groups have launched an offensive in coastal Latakia in an attempt to regain Salma – a small village of huge strategic importance for targeting nearby government territories and linking supply routes to rebel-held areas.
Thomas F. Pedersen Professor of Paleoclimatology and Marine Geochemistry, the University of Victoria
The three North American heads of state met in June to tackle the shared challenge of climate change. Climate expert Thomas F. Pedersen explains why the Arctic is the key piece of that puzzle and why their new action plan stops one step short.
In an exclusive interview with Arctic Deeply, Evan Bloom, director of Oceans and Polar Affairs at the U.S. State Department, discusses the Arctic Council’s new Arctic science agreement and how it will change the way science is carried out at the top of the world.
Christopher Kozak, a Syria analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, discusses the effects the attempted coup in Turkey will have on Syria’s battlefields, the fight against ISIS and the Syrian opposition.
In her new book, author Judith Schwartz argues that fixing land management problems and restoring native wildlife species are, in reality, water supply projects.
Developing countries could count for more than 95 percent of cervical cancer deaths by 2035. In Liberia, a pilot HPV vaccination program aims to cut that number – but first has to overcome mistrust, misinformation and a dire lack of resources.
Bodil Bluhm Marine Biologist and Oceanographer
The abundance of life on the seafloor and persistent late-season sea ice make the shallow Herald Shoal a hotspot for biodiversity, from bivalves to sea stars – and the walrus, bearded seals and gray whales that feed on them.
How much water we use every day includes more than just what shows up on our water utility bill – it also includes how much we drive, the energy that powers our homes and the food we eat.
Over the past 15 years, the number of people with HIV getting treatment has risen steadily, but incidence rates have flat-lined. Julie Pulerwitz, HIV expert with the Population Council, explains why reaching young women and girls is key to beating the epidemic.
As sea ice declines, thousands of Pacific walrus are hauling out along the Alaskan coast, where low-flying aircraft can spook herds and trigger deadly stampedes. The Federal Aviation Administration hopes to change that.
HAKAI MAGAZINE: Once overlooked by white Americans, African American Arctic explorer Matthew Henson made an unforgettable impression on the Greenlandic Inuit.
Andreas Østhagen Senior Fellow and Leadership Group Member, the Arctic Institute
Even when tensions grew between Russia and the West, cooperation between the various coast guards stayed intact, largely because of the many tasks they carry out, writes the Arctic Institute’s Andreas Østhagen.
Sharif Nashashibi Cofounder and Chairman, Arab Media Watch
Instead of driving a wedge between regional players, the Syrian conflict’s duration and intractability has forced proxy powers to prioritize cooperation over rivalry for their wider interests, according to Middle East analyst Sharif Nashashibi.
In the first installment of our “Experts to Watch” series, here are six people who are contributing to our understanding of Arctic sea ice, which is at the root of many ongoing changes in the Arctic.
Yemenis fleeing conflict are taking overcrowded livestock boats across the Gulf of Aden to Somaliland – an unrecognized country. Such is the magnitude of violence in one of the oldest centers of civilization in the Middle East.
Atmospheric rivers are responsible for a huge share of California’s precipitation. Weather expert Marty Ralph explains new efforts that aim to forecast these storms for the first time.
Rob Huebert Associate Professor, the Department of Political Science at the University of Calgary
The communique that came out of the NATO summit in Warsaw last week puts distance between Russia and the seven other Arctic nations and points to limited cooperation on Arctic matters in the future, says Rob Huebert, an expert on Arctic security.
Various Authors
When ambassadors and high commissioners set off on a whirlwind tour of Canada’s northern region, they traveled thousands of kilometers from one end of the country to the other. We asked a few of them to send us a postcard from the trip.
Malin Björk Member of the European Parliament for the Swedish Left Party
The long-awaited proposal from the European Commission for refugee resettlement is a “poisonous gift” and must be opposed, says Malin Björk, a special rapporteur to the European Parliament.
Alexandra Tohme Program Coordinator, The Lebanese Center for Policy Studies in Beirut
The impending siege of Aleppo will have horrific ramifications for Syria, the region and global security. If the current U.S. policy in Syria does not change, the war-torn country risks falling into the hands of both Assad’s regime and the Islamic State group.
Graham Fogg Professor of Hydrogeology and Hydrogeologist, University of California
California can stave off a water crisis if it learns to manage both surface water and groundwater, which hasn’t happened yet. A better understanding is also needed of what’s at stake if overdrafts in groundwater are ignored.
Islamist groups fighting in Syria have influenced events far outside the Middle Eastern country. In the first installment of our “Experts to Watch” series, meet eight top experts who can help make sense of Syria’s Islamist groups.
A Pew Research Center study found that, in eight out of 10 European countries surveyed, the majority believed refugees increase the likelihood of terrorism, with resistance to cultural diversity adding to their fears.
Mohamad Bazzi Journalism Professor, New York University
Middle East expert Mohamad Bazzi explains how the so-called Islamic State’s territorial losses in Syria and Iraq pushed it to focus on large-scale attacks around the world during the holy month of Ramadan.
YALE ENVIRONMENT 360: Alaska Native communities advocate Robin Bronen points to a bureaucratic Catch-22 – villages can’t get government support to relocate in the face of climate-induced threats, but they no longer receive funds to repair their crumbling infrastructure.
Journalist-turned-politician Gyorgy Kakuk has become an important voice on migration in Hungarian politics. Having followed refugee routes through the Balkans and worked with U.N. Missions in Kosovo and East Timor, he calls for imagination and pragmatism from Europe.
Cynthia Christman Marine Mammal Studies, the Alaska Arctic
Seen from above, beluga whales, polar bears and musk oxen offer a glimpse of the beauty – and value – offered by the Beaufort Sea and its shelf break, the line where the continental shelf ends and the deep ocean begins, writes biologist Cynthia Christman.
Sweden has a reputation for championing refugee protection. But recent changes to its asylum policies – especially the repatriation of Afghans to an increasingly chaotic homeland – are undermining its good name.
The water consumed by California marijuana growers will now be regulated by state officials under a new program that could be up and running within a year. The goal is to protect wildlife and habitats.
From barely regulated marketing to a lack of healthcare services, there are many factors that make it difficult for mothers in developing countries to breastfeed their babies. The solution, say experts, requires more than just saying “breast is best.”
In the first installment of our series on chronic illnesses in Syria, we explore how the war has left millions of Syrians unable to manage their conditions and led to severe complications and untold unnecessary deaths.
The U.S. Department of the Interior has finalized the first ever Arctic-specific regulations for future exploratory drilling in U.S. Arctic waters. Environmental groups say it’s a step in the right direction, but critics warn that it will smother the region’s economy.
There is more to sewing than stitches, especially when the thread weaves through a long-standing controversy. ‘Meet the North,’ a series that ventures into the lives of some of the 4 million people who call the Arctic home, takes a look at sealskin.
Brexit was powered by fantasies of border control, the Leave campaign playing to fears of too many migrants in the U.K. Lawyer Simon Cox argues that the costs of making those border controls a reality would be unprecedented.
A fast-track learning program in India is being scaled up to help 3 million young girls across developing countries stay in school. Udaan, a residential school for students aged 11-14, helps girls study instead of work or marry.
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