05/2010 – New Publications
The Basque Country – the Long Walk to a Democratic Scenario.
The Transition Series compiles case studies produced by participants in the Berghof programme “Resistance/Liberation Movements in Transition”. The aim of these publications is to learn from the experience of movements around the world who have used political violence in their struggle but have also engaged in negotiation processes and democratic politics, in order to better understand their dynamics and role in waging conflicts and making peace. The authors have been consciously asked to reflect on the experience of these movements from their own unique point of view. What we publish in this series is not presented as neutral or exclusively accurate commentary; we are conscious that there is no single truth in conflict transformation, and we believe that these case studies reflect important voices which are usually excluded or devalued in the analysis of conflict.
This study “The Basque Country – the Long Walk to a Democratic Scenario“ was written by Urko Aiartza, a Basque human rights lawyer, and Dr Julien Zabalo, Professor at the University of the Basque Country, in close consultation with leading representatives of the pro-independence movement. It analyses the evolution of the conflict between the Spanish state and the Basque Country, from the creation of Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) in 1958 to the present, with a strong emphasis on the various attempts to search for a solution to the conflict through dialogue and negotiation.
We hope that you will enjoy reading it and welcome your feedback. Two further issues of this Series will be published in the coming few months. You can also consult past issues on our website: http://www.berghof-conflictresearch.org/en/publications/transitions-series/.
A printed version of the study can be also ordered by following this link (5.00 € + postage).
05/2010 – Events
On May 6, 2010 Berghof Conflict Research welcomed to the institute Mr. Mohammad Gulab Mangal, Governor of Helmand Province in Afghanistan, and Ms. Nasima Neyazi, a Member of the Afghan Parliament, as well as Mr. Najib Roshan and other colleagues of the Aachen Institute for Afghan Studies. The discussion with the delegation was attended by Prof. Dr. Hans J. Giessmann, Director of Berghof Conflict Research, and Johannes Zundel, CEO of the Berghof Foundation for Conflict Studies, as well as other colleagues of Berghof Conflict Research and Berghof Peace Support.
The main focus of the discussion was on peacebuilding activities for youth, public education programs and the current development situation in Afghanistan, which has recently undergone many positive developments and can be regarded as improving, despite the critical security situation. The discussion also addressed the effects and limitations of the new military strategy in the province and the importance of involving the Afghan population in the peacebuilding process. Military operations should not be allowed to have priority over civilian peacebuilding. In a concluding bilateral conversation, concrete options for collaborative research and peace support project work between BCR and Afghan partners were discussed.
05/2010 – Miscellaneous
The Director of Berghof Conflict Research, Prof. Hans J. Giessmann, was one of two selected resource persons for the first Security Briefing webinar meeting in the “Security – Balancing Travel Efficiency with Security Needs” series, organized by the World Economic Forum, which took place on May 5th, 2010. Together with the EU representative to the US Terrorist Finance Tracking Program (TFTP), Jean-Louis Bruguiére, he informed leading representatives from global companies about recent trends in terrorist activities and challenges for curbing risks and threats. Prof. Giessmann became a member of the Forum’s Council on Terrorism and Weapons of Mass Destruction in 2009.
05/2010 – Events
In collaboration with the Colombian organisations Centro de Investigación y Educación Popular (CINEP) and Observatorio para la Paz, Berghof Conflict Research organised a conference on April 29 – May 1 2010 in Bogota, Colombia. It brought together local researchers and “insider experts” (former peace negotiators or commanders representing resistance/liberation movements) from El Salvador, South Africa, (South) Sudan, Burundi, (Northern) Ireland, Kosovo, Aceh, and Colombia, in order to discuss an innovative approach to post-war peacebuilding, provisionally labelled “security transition processes”. This workshop represented the first major event in the project “From War to Politics: Non-State Armed Groups and Security Transition Processes” (2009-2011).
Participants discussed various lessons learnt from their own research and practical experience on the linkages between security sector reform and political, socio-economic and judicial transformations, as well as the various reconversion paths and peacebuilding roles of former combatants in the aftermath of violent conflicts.
The conference was sponsored by a grant from the International Development and Research Centre (IDRC), Ottawa, Canada.