MEDIATION – A KEY INSTRUMENT IN THE INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTURE FOR THE PEACEFUL RESOLUTION OF POSSIBLE CONFLICTS IN THE FUTURE

The role of mediation, in the current context of the security environment, involves the implementation of mediation techniques aimed at an integrated operational and efficient approach, depending on the development level and the requirements of the society, adapting the regulations of the mediation field, in accordance with the local specificities of each state, based on the broad consensus of the society.

Promoting Qur'anic Verses That Reject Violence

This article highlights the mistaken paradigms that underpin the use of Islam to justify violence and terrorism. Its exploration of the Qur'an shows that Islam emphasizes peaceful values and promotes non-violent approaches; this study, thus, differs from previous ones that have argued Islam's emphasis on peace based on a deconstruction of verses with violent implications, thereby challenging religious violence and violence perpetrated in religion's name. This study analyses the content of the Quranic verses that emphasize Islam's openness and friendliness, prohibit acts of violence and narrate the peaceful resolution of problems as well as mitigating conflict. The analysis of these patterns of Quranic verses shows Islam's alignment with the values ​​of peace and, conversely, disapproval of violence. This exploration of the non-violent values offered by the Qur'an thus offers an important complement to the existing literature on peace and Islam. This study, thus, emphasizes the strategies to promote non-violence which are universal values ​​of the Qur’an. Received: 26 July 2021 / Accepted: 20 September 2021 / Published: 5 November 2021

Diplomacy and the challenges of resolving maritime boundary disputes in West Africa: Weighing the options in the case of Ghana and its immediate neighbours

Over the years, the international community has ensured the peaceful resolution of conflict among states. This is reflected in the Charter of the United Nations, where peaceful resolution of international disputes is promoted to ensure global peace and security. The use of diplomacy and pacific settlement of international dispute has been promoted among conflicting states due to its perceived inherent merits. This research explores the significance of diplomacy in resolving maritime boundary disputes in West Africa, placing emphasis on the disputes between Ghana and its neighbours. It does this by looking at secondary data, as well as the unpublished meeting minutes of the parties, to assess diplomacy and other pacific channels of conflict resolution as opposed to third-party dispute processes. The paper highlights diplomacy as the most appropriate means to resolve maritime boundary disputes in West Africa, particularly those confronting Ghana and its neighbours.

Kashmir dispute: Emerging complexities after abrogation of Article 370

Kashmir dispute is one of the contentious issues between India and Pakistan since their inception as independent states in 1947. This paper addresses this dispute that how it has been a primary cause of contention between India and Pakistan. How is it a huge humanitarian crises in the South Asia and ultimately the cause of a bulk of defence expenditures by India and Pakistan. Nonetheless, both the countries realize that the problem of Kashmir can and should be resolved through peaceful negotiations to reach a non-military solution. Both the states continue giving it a central importance in their internal and external policies. This resultant peaceful cooperation between the two nuclear powers is a central part of complex interdependence theory, which is used in this paper for analysing the issue. Thus, the paper investigates the Kashmir conflict and the cooperation between India and Pakistan to seek a peaceful resolution. The paper qualitatively assesses the situation emerged in the Kashmir after the abolishment of Article 370, for which some key people are interviewed. The findings show that the unilateral abrogation of the article 370 by the Modi government that changed the status of Kashmir further intensified the conflict and undermined the peaceful efforts made so far.

The COVID-19 pandemic and war

Could there be a symbiotic relationship between COVID-19 and conflict? On the one hand, circumstances associated with armed conflicts may give rise to greater spread of the virus, while, on the other hand, the COVID-19 pandemic may create conditions for violence through heightened xenophobia and nationalism or may change the dynamics of existing conflicts. We illustrate this with the example of war in the South Caucasus, one of the hot spots of the pandemic. Elsewhere, COVID-19 may have reduced the intensity of conflicts in some places, but it also may have contributed to anti-government protests and communal violence. We call for greater emphasis on traditional public health measures in unstable settings coupled with actions to hasten the peaceful resolution of ongoing conflicts.