A trans-scalar approach to peacebuilding and transitional justice: Insights from the Democratic Republic of Congo

Peace research has taken a local turn. Yet, conceptual ambiguities, risks of romanticization, and critiques of co-option of the “local” point to the need to look for novel ways to think about the interactions of actors ranging from the global to the local level. Gearoid Millar proposes a trans-scalar approach to peace based on a “consistency of purpose” and a “parity of esteem” for actors across scales. This article analyzes the concept of trans-scalarity in the peace process in Ituri, a province in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Drawing on qualitative data from more than a year of research in the DRC, I argue that while a trans-scalar approach was taken to end violence, it was not applied to transitional justice initiatives. The result was a negative, rather than a positive peace. By showing the high, but still untapped, potential of trans-scalarity, the article makes three contributions. First, it advances the debate on the local turn by adding empirical insights on trans-scalarity and further developing the concept’s theoretical foundations. Second, it provides novel empirical insights on the transitional justice process in the DRC. Third, it links scholarship on peacebuilding and transitional justice, which have often remained disconnected.

Reseña de Congreso: Una Nueva Normalidad es Posible y Necesaria. XII Congreso Latinoamericano de Investigación para la Paz, CLAIP 2021

Durante los pasados días 3, 4, 5, 6 y 7 de agosto de 2021 se celebró el XII Congreso Latinoamericano de Investigación para la Paz del Consejo Latinoamericano de Investigación para la Paz (CLAIP), por vez primera, en modalidad 100% Online y libre de costo para todo tipo de participantes. El evento fue co-organizado por la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (UNAH) a través del Área de Paz del Instituto Universitario en Democracia, Paz y Seguridad (IUDPAS) y por el Centro Regional de Investigaciones Multidisciplinarias (CRIM) de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). El desarrollo del congreso contó como entidades co-convocantes con la Revista Latinoamericana Estudios de la Paz y el Conflicto (ReLaPaC), con el Instituto Pensamiento y Cultura en América Latina (IPECAL), con la Red Interuniversitaria por la Paz de Colombia (REDIPAZ), con el Grupo de Estudos de Paz e Segurança Mundial (GEPASM), y con el Centro de Estudios e Investigación para la paz (CEIP); y, asimismo, con el auspicio de la International Peace Research Association (IPRA) y de 68 instituciones, centros de estudio e investigación, Grupos de Trabajo CLACSO, redes académicas, movimientos y organizaciones sociales firmantes del Manifiesto por Una Nueva Normalidad (CLAIP, 2020), investigadores e investigadoras, artistas y activistas por la paz de América Latina.

Unilateral coercive measures, IHL and impartial humanitarian action: An interview with Alena Douhan

Alena Douhan is the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the Negative Impact of Unilateral Coercive Measures on the Enjoyment of Human Rights. She was appointed to this position by the UN Human Rights Council in March 2020. As the mandate holder, she works with both States and UN organs and seeks to prevent, minimize and redress the adverse impacts of unilateral coercive measures on human rights. Ms Douhan is also a Professor of International Law at the Belarusian State University, Director of the Peace Research Center, and President of the Belarusian branch of the International Law Association.

Peacekeeping: The Role of Police in Peshawar Pakistan from 2013-2018

Peacekeeping role is an important factor for the society and the people what lives under it accordingly. It has been there for centuries this think and phenomena to persuade people for their desire and their duty to be fully utilized. This is the active maintenance of a truce between nations or communities, especially by an international military force but in this perspective the military force are considered the POLICE. Peacekeeping comprises activities intended to create conditions that favour lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths and reduces the risk of renewed warfare. There are a range of various types of operations encompassed in peacekeeping such as Observation Missions, Interpositional Missions, Multidimensional missions and Peace enforcement Missions. Even though within the United Nations (UN) group of nation-state governments and organizations, there is a general understanding that at the international level, peacekeepers monitor and observe peace processes in post-conflict areas, and may assist ex-combatants in implementing peace agreement commitments that they have undertaken. In this research, the role of peacekeeping in Peshawar has been conducted as year wise from 2013–2018. This shows about five years gape and also reveals that how much changes have been done since then and now. Challenges and difficulties have been analyzed that Police have face in last 5 years. The role of peacekeeping has been examined in last 5 years and then these are evaluated with the contrast of the existing situations. From this study different types of results have been generated and portrayed in tables and graphs. For the purpose of investigating good work and the evaluation of peacekeeping perspectives and related methodologies have been conducted in which the important and key factors have shown that have a huge impact on peacekeeping role in society building.