February 20, 2008
OJPCR 8.1: From Terrorism to Legitimacy: Political Opportunity Structures and the Case of Hezbollah
Cliff Staten
In the last quarter of a century several groups, who were at one time or another engaged in terrorist activities, have made a step toward political legitimacy by competing in democratic or relatively open elections. Sinn Fein/Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) in Northern Ireland, Hamas in Palestine, al Fatah/al Aqsa Martyr Brigades in Palestine, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and Jordan, the Batasuna/Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) in Spain, and Hezbollah/Islamic Resistance in Lebanon are sometimes cited as examples. This is significant because according to Marina Ottaway of the Carnegie Endowment:there is ample evidence that participation in an electoral process forces any party, regardless of ideology, to moderate its position if it wants to attract voters in large numbers.Assuming that Ottaway is correct, the decision by a terrorist group (who, by definition, represent extremist positions) to participate in the legitimate political processes can be transformative in terms of the group’s goals. Thus, it is very important to identify and study the factors which are conducive to or create not only an opportunity for a terrorist group to become a legitimate participant in a relatively open political process but also, over time, to become an active and engaged political participant.
Posted by Editor at 02:00 PM
OJPCR 8.1: Linking Immigrants and Terrorists: The Use of Immigration as an Anti-Terror Policy
Alexander Spencer
Abstract: Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 ‘immigration’ has once again become an important international topic and has been framed as a national security concern. In response to the attacks by 19 foreign terrorists and as a part of the ‘war on terrorism’, governments have responded with the introduction of tighter immigration controls and restrictions as part of their counter-terrorism offensive. It has become widely accepted by politicians to view ‘immigration’ as an important tool in the ‘war on terrorism’. They have articulated a link between immigration and international terrorism which has found its way into government policies. Are counter-terrorist measures involving anti-immigration policies a good or effective way of fighting international terrorism? This paper will critically examine the validity and usefulness of linking ‘terrorism’ with ‘immigration’ and attempts to briefly indicate possible explanations for the development of this link.
Posted by Editor at 12:31 PM
June 22, 2007
OJPCR 7.1: Truth vs. Justice? Popular Views on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Special Court For Sierra Leone
Edward Sawyer and Tim Kelsall
Abstract: In Sierra Leone international transitional justice has been pursued via a two-pronged approach. On one, restorative prong, a Truth and Reconciliation Commission has attempted to provide an accurate historical record of the conflict, and to reconcile victims and perpetrators. On the other, retributive prong, an international tribunal is prosecuting individuals for war crimes and crimes against humanity. This strategy has been much debated, but largely at elite levels. Arguably, however, it is at the grassroots where the two institutions face their greatest challenge. To provide a bottom-up view, this article discusses the results of a popular opinion survey. The results show that overall understanding of the Commission and Court are poor and that, partly as a result, the two organs are perceived to have had limited success. In spite of this, most respondents continue to think that they are important to peace in Sierra Leone. Statistical, cultural, methodological, and qualitative interpretations of these findings are discussed. The results provide pointers to the prospects for transitional justice models of this type.
Posted by Editor at 03:23 PM
OJPCR 7.1: Minorities within Minorities: Filipino Muslim Women in the Midst of Armed Conflict
Ma. Teresa G. Tuason
C. Dominik Güss
Abstract: The war between the Philippine state and the Muslims in Southern Philippines has spanned three decades and has caused many lives. This is an ongoing local war on numerous fronts: Muslims vs. Catholic religions and cultures; a struggle for political autonomy and governance; and hostilities over ownership of land, sovereignty, and economic resources. The intensity of the trauma of the war on women is heightened because of the context of the war which includes severe poverty, inadequacies in education and health care, instability in government leadership, and graft and corruption in institutions. Women in Southern Philippines suffer the most because they are caught in the crossfire—they are physical and sexual targets of violence on either side of the war; they may be expected to sympathize with either camp but they do not have the power nor the weapon to fight; they carry most of the burden and the responsibility for their family to survive in destitute circumstances; and they constantly evacuate and are displaced from their families, towns, and livelihood. Ongoing and continued peace efforts, dialogues, livelihood projects and support through cooperatives are all part of the healing processes of the women caught in this conflict.
Posted by Editor at 03:20 PM
March 01, 1998
OJPCR 1.1: Seeking Arab-Israeli Peacemaking and Reconciliation Through Culture
Seeking Arab-Israeli Peacemaking and Reconciliation Though Culture
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger that announces peace!" (Bible - Isaiah 52) "He who walks with peace - walk with him!" (Koran)Literature about peace has been written from the days of the Bible: prose and poems announcing peace, as with the Biblical and Koran messengers quoted above, writings celebrating peace that give us the inner feelings and immediate texture of what being at peace, or at war, actually is and means; and also powerful creative works describing, exposing and condemning the absurdity of war. These various aspects of the theme of peace in the various ethnic cultures, have through the ages been important stepping stones towards abating passions between conflicting parties, and conveying and creating an atmosphere conducive to peace.
The cultural climate of peace is crucial to the Middle East at this historic moment, after half a century of strife, when the conflicting parties are at last involved in a peace process that can bring stability and security to the region. The despairing feeling in Israel and in its neighboring Arab countries, that there was nobody to talk to on the other side, was alleviated when the Egyptian leader, the late President Anwar Sadat, made his historic move, and was received in Jerusalem with renewed hope and joy. The tragic letdown felt by the people of both sides, after the murders of the two peace leaders Anwar Sadat and Yitzhak Rabin, only strengthened the will of the people on both sides to end the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
Posted by Editor at 01:30 PM