Debate and articles on nuclear non-proliferation and strategies for peacebuilding. See also our coverage of the Nobel Women's Initiative.

 

South Korea: destroying the lives of the Haenyo ‘sea women’

Rebecca Johnson 18 November 2011

A naval base being built on Jeju Island threatens to destroy the livelihoods of the iconic women shellfish divers and raise levels of rape and prostitution in the surrounding villages. On her return from Jeju, Rebecca Johnson says international action is needed to stop the military construction

"Feast with your enemies" - Dekha Ibrahim Abdi

Scilla Elworthy 11 November 2011

What do I do differently as a result of knowing this great woman? I utterly believe in the power of one local person to transform a violent situation. I know that humiliation is the driver of most incidents of violence, and that respect is the best antidote to humiliation, and I try to apply that. On the weekend of the UK memorial service for Dekha Ibrahim Abdi, Scilla Elworthy remembers her friend

Transforming our woundedness for peace

Dekha Ibrahim Abdi 11 November 2011

" I refuse to be a victim: I am a resource for peace": Dekha Ibrahim Abdi 1964-2011

Can Intervention Work? by Rory Stewart and Gerald Knaus: book review

Mary Kaldor 19 October 2011

It is possible to walk the tightrope between the horrors of over-intervention and non-intervention. Mary Kaldor agrees, while insisting on distinguishing between genuine humanitarian interventions and the War on Terror.

Lessons of the hummingbird

Jessica Horn 14 October 2011

In the company of souls departed and souls vibrantly alive, Jessica Horn reflects on the significance of the lives of Nobel laureates Leymah Gbowee and the late Wangari Maathai, and the transgressive power of African women on a mission.

"Mighty be our powers": peaceful women and the global south

Nada Mustafa Ali 10 October 2011
“We have included the Arab Spring in this prize, but we have put it in a particular context. Namely, if one fails to include the women in the revolution and the new democracies, there will be no democracy.” Thorbjoern Jagland, chair of the Nobel Prize Committee

Women Nobel Peace Laureates congratulate three new women Laureates

openDemocracy 50.50 8 October 2011

The women Peace Laureates of the Nobel Women’s Initiative—Jody Williams (USA), Shirin Ebadi (Iran), Mairead Maguire (Ireland) and Rigoberta Menchú Tum (Guatemala)—have sent letters of congratulation to the three women joining them as Nobel Peace Laureates.

Will the Israelis listen to the clock ticking?

Dana Rubin 21 September 2011
In this eventful month of September, the Israeli (Arab) spring has to decide: where does it stand, first and foremost, in regard to Palestine, but also in regard to Turkey and Egypt.

Clearing ground: planting the seeds of Our Africa

Jessica Horn 19 September 2011

On the launch of Our Africa, co-editor Jessica Horn reflects on the lives of two formidable Africans, Wambui Otieno Mbugua and Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, and the intellectual and political ground opened by African women.

Palestinian statehood: an idea whose time has come

René Wildangel 8 August 2011

After years of state building activities and a long period of full cooperation of the Palestinian authorities with Israel and the West, the country now seems ready to become a full member of the UN. It is time for the US and Europe to welcome this timely and legitimate bid, argues Rene Wildangel

Israeli Summer

Naama Nagar 5 August 2011
This remarkable movement needs to strengthen its democratic decision-making processes, including marginalized groups in the negotiations, ensuring welfare for the poor, not only for the middle classes.

Who's afraid of the boycott

Miri Weingarten 19 July 2011
In Europe, a marked reticence among diplomats, lawmakers and bureaucrats has been recorded whenever this particular bill is mentioned. But Israel's boycott law may for the first time enable an open and honest discussion of the possibility of nonviolent civil disobedience, boycott and disinvestment - measures that have been taboo for too long.

Women, food security and peacebuilding: from gender essentialism to market fundamentalism

Rob Jenkins 28 June 2011
Is gender equality advocates' emphasis on women as agents of change helping to legitimize a neo-liberal vision of government, and working against women's engagement in promoting food security and peacebuilding, asks Rob Jenkins

A story of moral abandon

Diana Francis and Celia Mckeon 16 May 2011
Nonviolent power is quickly forgotten when the tried, tested and endlessly catastrophic option of violence re-presents itself to Western powers. Nonviolence is what we applaud. Violence is what we do

Libya: war or humanitarian intervention?

Mary Kaldor 29 March 2011
In the end the prospects for democracy depend on whether the rebels can mobilise support politically throughout Libya. The problem with the military approach is that it entrenches division. Our preoccupation with classic military means is undermining our capacity to address growing insecurity.

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