IDRC Reports Archives

PREVIOUS ISSUES: October 1994 (Volume 22, Number 3)
GLOBAL CONFLICT: THE PATH TO SECURITY

The end of the cold war gave rise to the phrase "peace dividend," to which many hopes were attached. Sadly, the expected returns have not materialized. We have not seen massive funds freed up from military spending and diverted toward problems of the environment and development. Rather, the number of violent and destructive conflicts around the globe appears higher than ever. Funds are going toward peacekeeping, emergency relief and reconstruction instead of toward sustainable development programs.

If there had ever been any question that security, development, and environmental integrity are all cut from the same cloth, the ongoing conflicts in Angola, Rwanda, Somalia and elsewhere should have put such doubts to rest. We know that national and human security, a sound natural environment, and progress on development goals are all interdependent. We are learning that the many dimensions of conflicts political, ethnic, socioeconomic demand the expertise of a variety of disciplines, including international relations, development studies, and conflict studies. A concerted multidisciplinary focus may point to the most effective methods of identifying and preventing the tragedy of further conflict.

Eileen Conway
Editor-in-Chief
IDRC Reports

Contents:

• Overview: An Environment for Peace Avoiding conflicts requires many instruments to calm threatening political, economic and environmental conditions. Mohamed M. Sahnoun
• Preventive Alternatives to Conflict A former general and a development cooperation specialist offer their perspectives on keeping the global peace. John Eberlee
• Thoughts on a New World Order The United Nations, NGOs and national governments must build on each others' strengths to counter new patterns of global conflicts. Albert Legault
• Linking Development and Security Research Understanding the complexities of today's conflicts demands the insights of many research disciplines. Necla Tschirgi
• Viewpoint: True Measures of Human Security Risk analysis should look not only at military capacity but also at all dimensions of human security. Paz Buttedahl
• Active Listening for African Farmers A Canadian initiative to reach farmers in Africa by radio waves finds a winning formula for decentralization. Elizabeth Smith
• Brazilian Daycares: Weighing the Risks and Benefits Daycare centres offer valuable resources to children but there are real dangers of disease transmission. Denis Marchand
• Sustainable Farming in the Peruvian Amazon Protecting the forest and improving farmer's incomes requires just the right mix of crops, animals and trees. Zoraida Portillo
• A Critical Mass of AIDS Research Kenyan, Canadian and European researchers in Nairobi are making important contributions to the battle against AIDS. Jim Beatty
• Crime and Urban Development in Peru Drug traffickers, the poor, rebels and even police commit crimes in Lima, complicating the search for solutions. Kathryn Leger

ISSN 0315-9981 This magazine is listed in the Canadian Magazine Index.

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