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The necessity of Iraqi Sunni independence
One of the main prerequisites to defeating ISIS in Iraq is to determine the political future of Sunni Iraqis. The Obama administration must therefore begin, concurrently with the fight against ISIS, to...
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Civic fantasy
The United States is trying to build the South Vietnamese Army in Iraq (and Syria). Suggested Reading Conflict Background GCCT By David B. Kanin The failed myth of a liberal institutional world is...
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Iraq 2015 – development and decentralization (de facto)
In the context of the bitter struggle in Iraq and beyond, it seems important at the present moment to share ideas about decentralized development and its consequences as they may relate to countering...
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Palmyra – ISIS-wanton destruction
Syria and Iraq are home to some of the world’s first cities, a complex and unique meeting of states, empires, and faiths. Leadership must come from non-governmental organizations and the cultural...
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The refugee crisis – demilitarising masculinities
Photos emerging from the borders of Europe weave a new narrative around what it means to be vulnerable, to be a man, to say no to war and to be a refugee. Suggested Reading Conflict Background GCCT By...
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America’s default setting – part two
Berlin and Brussels should be spearheading efforts to pull together a diplomatic approach – to accompany US/Russian military actions – to gaining some level of stability in the Mideast. They should...
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Broken states never heal themselves
Broken states never heal themselves and can only be put back together with the prolonged involvement of outsiders working together to end the violence, impose peace and rebuild societies and states....
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Conflict and intervention – the role of multilateralism
There are five good reasons for the major powers – especially the US – to commit themselves to consensus decisions on multilateral intervention achieved through the Security Council in cases of...
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The inevitable conflict – empowerment of terrorism through appeasement
There is a need to unravel the many intertwined factors that affects governments’ decisions to negotiate or not with terrorist groups as part of their negotiating strategy to free the hostages. As long...
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Mistakes were made – part II
The US is now in the process of choosing its next president. Everyone – in America and beyond – should insist that all the candidates clearly define their notion of national interest and explain how it...
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An Iraqi Sunni state is prerequisite to defeating ISIS
The Obama administration, with its coalition partners, must now develop a strategy to defeat ISIS, which will be extremely difficult unless Iraqi Sunnis join the fight and are assured that their future...
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An open letter to Donald Trump from Iraq
TransConflict is pleased to present an open letter by Sami Rasouli – founder of the Muslim Peacemaker Teams, a member of the Global Coalition for Conflict Transformation – outlining why Donald Trump...
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Last words
Marx noted that history reoccurs, first as tragedy, then as farce. We seem to be living in a period where history remains unlearned yet is repeating itself well beyond farce. Suggested Reading...
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The crumbling Islamic State – its desperate violations of humanitarian law
These grave violations by ISIS must be protested by as wide a coalition of concerned voices as possible. There is a real danger that, as the Islamic State disintegrates and no longer controls...
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Defeating ISIS and ending Sunni-Shiite war in Iraq
Now that the conditions on the ground have changed and ISIS is on the retreat, President Obama can help with the full support of its coalition partners in shaping Iraq’s future by negotiating a new...
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How do we defeat Islamo-Nihilism?
To fully rescue Islam from the nihilistic violence of today will mean championing an Islam that is radical in its embrace of the excluded other, that represents solidarity and non-violent resistance in...
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“People far from the fire don’t feel the heat” – an update from Iraqi Kurdistan
TransConflict is pleased to present a letter written by Cathy Breen who is currently part of a peacemaking team in Iraqi Kurdistan with Muslim Peacemaker Teams, a member of the Global Coalition for...
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Oil Jihad – a strategic weapon against low prices?
For terrorist outfits like Al Qaeda and ISIS, low oil prices are counter-productive. These organizations, much like Venezuela, depend mostly on oil for their revenues that ultimately fund their...
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What happened to America?
President Obama’s legacy is on the line. He must either rise to meet the challenge by taking courageous and decisive military measures; or continue his futile diplomacy, watch the systematic...
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Battle for Mosul – can there be respect for the laws of war?
To prevent and alleviate human suffering, to protect life and health, and to ensure respect for the human person – these are the core values of humanitarian law. These values may get lost in the “fog...
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