Occasional Papers examine issues of interest to the peace operations community and provide a forum where researchers and practitioners openly engage with the complexities of evolving peace operations.
Occasional Papers are comprised of field contributions, research articles, and / or topical reviews examining emerging trends. Contributions are generally about peace and security/stability/reconstruction, which may fall outside the scope and theme of the current volume of The Pearson Papers. To promote the dissemination of this knowledge to the peace operations community, the PPC publishes Occasional Papers online.
Click on a title to read the abstract. Article available in PDF format.
- A Comprehensive Overview of Sudan's Legal Framework in Light of the Darfur Crisis
Authored by Maude Fournier - This paper will attempt to clarify Sudan's legal framework, both at the international and national level, in an effort to understand how it influences and impacts current developments in Darfur. Sudan's legal framework derives from an amalgamation of British, Muslim, and African influences, which results in a lack of predictability
in the law and seems to leave great room for discretionary decisions. While the Government of Sudan (GoS) attempts to balance Islamic-influenced and human rights principles, Sudan's national law falls short of respecting its international human rights obligations. Moreover, the conflict in Darfur renders an already complicated judicial system highly inadequate. Sudanese criminal law serves as a good example to demonstrate
how both legislation and the judiciary fail to provide for its population.
- DDR: A Shifting Paradigm and the Scholar/Practitioner Gap
Authored by: Desmond Molloy - While scholarly input, both pre-mission and in examining the results of programs is critical for the development of effective DDR programs in dynamic environments, a significant communications gap exists between the DDR practitioner and scholar for various reasons. This gap must be bridged to realize necessary synergy through integration between the practitioner and the scholar, which may be the difference between success and failure in peacekeeping and peacebuilding interventions.
Further, and more difficult to address, a time lag exists between the publication of useful analysis and its applicability. Lateral and innovative thinking from both scholar and practitioner is needed to mitigate this phenomenon and to derive latent synergy to enhance the contribution to Human Security.
- Afghanistan: Exploring the Dynamics of Sociopolitical Strife and the Persistence of the Insurgency
Authored by: Roohullah Rahimi - The persistence of the insurgency and the inability of the Government of Afghanistan and the International Community to effectively combat and eliminate the insurgency raise important questions not only of the counter-insurgency methods employed, but of the composition support and purpose of the insurgency and the likelihood of defeating it. Most importantly however, the essential question that can be asked is whether the various dynamics that are fostering the insurgency are understood within the context of the turbulent history of Afghanistan. This research study, through a historical analysis of the internal dynamics of socio-political strife, explores some of these outstanding issues.
To make a submission, please refer to the Guidelines for Contributors and e-mail us a copy of the paper or proposal.