Panel Discussions - Wednesday, June 18, 2008
The Inside Story of UN Peace Operations
The International Peace Institute recently held a panel discussion to launch a new book series, the "IPI Histories of UN Peace Operations." Initiated by the UN Departments of Political Affairs and Peacekeeping Operations, this series aims to fill a critical gap in institutional knowledge in the field of peacekeeping.
For all the academic literature on the topic, the "inside stories" of UN peace operations seldom get told. This series seeks to change that. The books will provide readable accounts of the key decisions made in each featured operation.The authors of the first three books in the series were on hand for the discussion at IPI's Trygve Lie Center: 'Funmi Olonisakin (Peacekeeping in Sierra Leone), William Stanley (Enabling Peace in Guatemala: The Story of MINUGUA), and Tatiana Carayannis (Pioneers of Peacekeeping: The Story of the UN Operation in the Congo) each spoke on the importance of telling the "in the field" experiences of both peacekeepers and locals.
Moderated by IPI Vice President and Director of External Relations Warren Hoge, the well-attended event made evident the distinct parallels between the challenges confronted by three very different missions, highlighting the benefits of improved historical knowledge about decision-making during UN peace operations.
For more information on the series and introductions to the first three titles in the series click here. 'Funmi Olonisakin's Peacekeeping in Sierra Leone is available for purchase here.
Chair:
Warren Hoge, Vice President and Director of External Relations, IPI
Speakers:
Michéle Griffin, Senior Political Affairs Officer, Policy Planning and Mediation Support, UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations
Funmi Olonisakin, Director, Conflict Security and Development Group, King's College London
William Stanley, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of New Mexico
Tatiana Carayannis, Associate Director, Conflict Prevention and Peace Forum
The Global Observatory
Interview with John Prendergast, Co-Founder, Enough Project
Mr. Prendergast discusses the international justice system and the new ground forged by Invisible Children's Kony2012 campaign.
Key Global Events to Watch in May
A list of key upcoming meetings and events with implications for global affairs.
The Global Observatory is a new website by IPI, providing timely analysis on peace and security issues, interviews with leading policymakers, interactive maps, and more.
Recent Events
May 10, 2012
Arbour: What the Rule of Law Means
“In my understanding of the rule of law, fundamentally, what the rule of law means is that it embraces the principle of equality before the law,” Louise Arbour, president of the International Crisis Group (ICG), told an IPI audience on May 10, 2012. Ms. Arbour outlined that this means that no one is above the law and everyone has both equal protection and equal benefit of the law. 
May 03, 2012
Shachtman: Cyber Threats Akin to South Bronx, Not Pearl Harbor
“There’s not a danger of a cyber Pearl Harbor… it’s more like the South Bronx circa 1999, where there’s a danger that it becomes such a tough neighborhood that no one wants to set up shop there and people move out,” Noah Shachtman, editor of the Danger Room blog at Wired magazine and non-resident fellow at the Brookings Institution, told an IPI audience at a panel on cyber security on May 3, 2011.
April 27, 2012
Preventing Conflicts in Africa: The Role of Early Warning and Response Systems
An April 27th roundtable discussion at IPI titled “Preventing Conflicts in Africa: The Role of Early Warning and Response Systems” examined the progress, prospects and challenges of regional and international early warning and response mechanisms to monitor, anticipate, and mitigate potential conflict situations in Africa.