Peacemaking after Disasters

[Guest guest]

Peacemaking after Disasters

Zoe Chafe – July 17, 2006 – 3:51pm

When disaster strikes a country already reeling from conflict, international aid

and development agencies must be mindful of those who will profit from

continuing conflict, write Worldwatch researchers Michael Renner and Zoë Chafe

in a new article published in the Natural Hazards Observer journal. Reflecting

on the experiences of three tumultuous regions crippled by conflict and then by

disaster—Sri Lanka, the Aceh region of Indonesia, and Kashmir—Renner and

Chafe point out that strong political leadership is key to furthering peace.

 

As expanding human populations strain against the ecological safety nets that

have provided protection from disasters, poor people—and those living amidst

intense environmental degradation—will be hardest hit. Their voices need to be

heard. Post-disaster assistance in conflict zones should spotlight civil society

perspectives, while simultaneously addressing the root causes of conflict and

pressing towards demilitarization.

 

Article Links:

HTML: http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/o/july06/july06a.html

PDF: http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/axs/ax.pl?

http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/o/july06/july06.pdf

 

 

" NOTICE: Due to Presidential Executive Orders, the National Security Agency may

have read this email without warning, warrant, or notice. They may do this

without any judicial or legislative oversight. You have no recourse nor

protection save to call for the impeachment of the current President. "