Posts by Daniel J Gerstle
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Debate: Should US Civilian Aid and Military Operations be Conducted Together or Separately?
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Save the Children Warns of New Displacement Along Israel's Divider Wall
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Coming Soon: War Video Game Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?
Take Action: Call on UN to Prevent Civilian Killings in Eastern Congo
Published November 20, 2009 @ 08:00AM PT
Our esteemed Humanitarian Relief (now War and Peace) blogger, Michael Kleinman, who's on break, introduced us to Oisteen Thorsen, a humanitarian campaigner with Oxfam. Led by Oxfam, one of the most respected and trusted names in the aid biz, partners are working to advise positive change to policy on Congo at the UN. Ten years of UN peacekeeping so far. Please see the video and sign the petition this week. Here's Oisteen's intro:
"...Oxfam with partners are currently running a petition calling on the UN Security Council to stop the killings of civilians in Eastern Congo by the UN-supported Congolese army operation Kimia II. We will be handing over the petition to the Security Council next week (Nov 24th) so this is the last push to get more people to sign on... http://apps.facebook.com/causes/petitions/306 or http://www.oxfam.org/en/emergencies/congo/stop-killing-in-congo. please also see this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3cJbJcd104."
[Photo: UN Peacekeepers on patrol in Congo DR, UN Photo.]
Somalia's Judiciary Attacked but Not Defeated
Published November 18, 2009 @ 12:48PM PT
Gunmen killed Judge Sheikh Mohamad Abdi Aware outside of his mosque last week in Bossaso, a scorching Aden Gulf port on the northeastern coast of Somalia. Judge Aware, despite whatever debate he may have stoked in Somalia, devoted his life not only to the rule of law but to the pursuit of justice according to the sometimes conflicting state, Islamic, and Somali customary law systems in an incredibly volatile political environment.
Back in 2007, a group of local rights workers and I carried out the UN Rule of Law and Security Programme's first child justice survey across the entire north half of Somalia. What tears me up personally about Judge Aware's death is that I believe I met him and yet I cannot remember his face. There were so many times when the imagination became so obsessed with who the bad guys were that it was hard to really focus on the good guys. The painful truth here, which I believe illuminates why foreign interventions often stumble, is that once murdered the dead's lifetime of positive accomplishments, like those of Somalis as a whole, were forever obscured beneath the headline, "Shot dead." Aware accomplished and represented much more than an early death. Although this is a blog format, I believe this topic is so important and so often misunderstood that I'm compelled to write a personal editorial essay.
The rights team and I met with kids detained in the ridiculously hot and uncomfortable prison in Bossaso where the accused from the court where Aware served were remanded and punished. All prisoners, thieves, murderers, rapists, hijackers, those awaiting trial, and children either accused of crimes or simply homeless and troublesome slept on the same floor together. Rumors abounded of men abusing the teenagers. Three girls accused of chronic pickpocketing and a pregnant woman resided in the largely empty women's wing. It was deeply disturbing to listen to some of the detained plea for a new trial, or even a first trial. But looking closely, we found that the trouble was not always coming from poor leadership or ill-will; it was usually the incredible lack of qualified legal officials and funds...
Addressing Local Land and Herding Disputes is Pre-Requisite for Peace in Africa
Published November 18, 2009 @ 10:49AM PT
Twelve killed in violence in Lakes State, Southern Sudan. Eleven killed in a cattle raid in Kenya. Somalia, Ethiopia, Congo DR. There is something beneath the political battles we read about in the news. Feuds between ethnic rivals over land and rural groups over herding routes have rocked Africa's Sahel and Horn for a long time but some believe it has gotten worse recently.
As states crumble or leaders manipulate tribal animosity, the coping mechanisms which have held many groups together begin to fray. In fact, a great deal of traditional and Islamic law practiced outside the state focuses on land and herding dispute resolution. Given the combined benefits of having a traditional dispute resolution system when it is functional as well as the reality that many of these systems have been corrupted or broken by the broader political disputes, many international agencies, including traditionally health oriented agencies, are seeking to innovate further new hybrid peacebuilding methods to address local-level conflict.
Here's a great peacebuilding starter kit for donors and agencies considering broadening this front for peace. Perhaps this is one path toward addressing cattle raiding, and through it one of the associated factors in broader conflict. The efforts have been growing for a while, but funding has been lax until recently.
[Photo: Kenya cattle drive, Greg Westfall]
What's Your Favorite Music from the Frontlines of Crisis Zones?
Published November 15, 2009 @ 02:25PM PT
Tumultuous political times often breed a prolonged and painful tension. For many, it is a time to escape, to descend to the bunkers, or to fight. And yet for others, it's a time to dance.
There were the rock clubs on Marsala Tita during the siege of Sarajevo, Bosnia. Three years of isolation and bombardment produced only so much suffering; one sometimes needed to wind down, deny the fear. There was even a Miss Sarajevo contest. After the recent West African civil wars, Sierra Leonean and Liberian survivors crafted new forms of Afrobeat and Dancehall, some also linked up to Caribbean reggae stars. In Congo DR, there were herders who developed a hybrid style of Congo folk rap which persisted and evolved even after they took up arms and joined the militia.
Let's hear from you the readers, which local musicians really bring out the vitality and resilience of people surviving on the frontlines of crisis zones? Can you recommend specific local groups or songs, ideally with links? For an example, see my colleague Frank's blog and collection of West African Voodoo Funk. Tell a personal story about how you found it, if you can. What a better way to bring out the melodious nature of a culture otherwise shrouded in bad press?
[Photo: Photo Frank found among friends in West Africa, Frank'03net.]
The Latest Views on PTSD and War Video Games
Published November 14, 2009 @ 01:31PM PT
After my previous post "Coming Soon: War Video Game Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?" started some discussions, I reviewed the questions with childhood & adolescence social worker Anna Fewell of Green Chimneys, as well as a few other sources, to consider the latest views on this potential intersection between varieties of trauma and war video games.
There are several questions to consider, some of which are top priorities at the American Psychiatric Association (APA) which is hard at work on its fifth edition Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Psychological Disorders. The current one is known by your friendly neighborhood therapist as the DSM-IV-TR. Please join the discussion on any of these questions below. I've linked each one to some further reading on the issue. And please if you encounter them submit any studies which show opposing results as well...
Protect Displaced Families on the Northern Yemen Front
Published November 13, 2009 @ 09:00PM PT
Yemeni rebels, Zaidi Shiites known for their allegiance to the Houthi clan, continue battling the Yemen government over a dispute which began about what level of power Zaidi Shiite clerics were to have in government. After weeks of fighting which caused at least 150,000 people to flee for their safety in and around Saada, northern Yemen, the conflict then spilled over into Saudi Arabia last week.
Recently I got a note from an aid agency representative working there illuminating how desperate the situation has become. With the rapid Saudi military response, the Houthu rebels apparently have retreated back into Yemen. But now Saudi defense asserts its right to continue fighting against the Houthi militia, into Yemen in alliance with the Yemeni government, until the rebels remain outside of a border buffer region...
What is Checkpoint Etiquette?
Published November 12, 2009 @ 08:00PM PT
Every checkpoint is different, from border crossings to police roadblocks to Holy crap heads down! Here are a few insider tips from locals, aid workers, contractors, and journalists to help newcomers to relate to people who live this every day. Do get professional training if you're planning to work out there. As you approach in your vehicle...
- You might want to turn the music down. The song, "Shaft," might feel appropriate but it's probably not a good idea... At least not unless you're chased out of there...
- Chill or be chilled. You've gotta be smooth as silk, soft as cashmere. Listen to the guards attentively and answer them with kindness and respect even if they're wearing a necklace of human ears and a tutu... Or even if they're just nine-years-old...
