The changing relationship between England and Scotlandcould confuse equality provision north of the border

Is the Smith Commission report on the future of the governance of Scotland ‘woman friendly’? Christine Bell carries out a ‘gender audit’ of the document, and concludes that equality provision may become confused owing to the changing balance of legislative power between Holyrood and Westminster

The Smith Commission must choose between a Union basedon either separation or sharing

The Smith Commission is the body tasked with making recommendations on the future status of Scotland within the UK. Christine Bell argues that there is a critical choice for the Commission (and any subsequent political negotiations over devolution in Scotland and beyond). One the one hand there is the option to pursue a Union based on a rationale of separation, where ‘sharing’ of power across the UK at Westminster will require to be justified on an on-going basis in terms of effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy. The alternative option is a Union based on a rationale of sharing, which views the Union as existing because it encapsulates and can protect a set of common baseline values to which constituent parts of the Union subscribe to and have a stake in. Credit: Andre

Lex pacificatoria Colombiana:Colombia’s peace accord in comparative perspective

In this short piece, I open a conversation over how the Colombian Final Peace Accord provides evidence of, and a contribution to, a more generallex pacificatoriaor “law of the peacemakers” (lex paxfor short). In light of the Accord’s recent ballot defeat, I integrate into this assessment the merits of using a referendum to approve (in Colombia’s case “affirm or deny”) the Agreement as a whole. Throughout, I draw on a peace agreement database which has coded over one thousand four hundred peace agreements since 1990 for comparative insight.</jats:p

From Retribution to Reconciliation, from Spoiler to Peace Envoy

Is there a tension between justice and peace? That debate I leave to my co-panelists, because the most interesting and important thing about this month\u27s centerpiece, without a doubt, is not its well-judged (if slightly ill-informed) take on the ICC, but the name of the author at its end

Waving Hello to Democratic Renewal

Khanna’s argument is simple. American hegemony and the unipolar world have collapsed—without America noticing. The new world is tri-polar. America must compete with Europe’s soft power influence, and China’s economic power influence. The new global game for the “second world” (Turkey, South America, the former USSR “Stans”) is to play all three superpowers against each other, while pretending to be the friends of all

Slavery and Abuse Regeneration

Skinner’s depiction of modern day slavery is graphic and challenging. Anyone viewing prohibitions on slavery, or abolition, as historical anachronism, or requiring reinterpretation for modern-day practices, must think again. Skinner persuades us that slavery in its most old fashioned sense is alive and well and, worse than that–on the rise

Sport and Politics

I found the reflection interesting, but unsurprising. Protestors use the Olympic spotlight (or should we say torch?) to shine on China’s flaws, and China tries to re-direct or extinguish its beams

Who Let the Dogs Out? R, R2P

As a long-time human rights advocate I find myself uncomfortably sharing Rieff\u27s central concern over the link between military intervention and human rights advocacy, forged through the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine. This common concern is uncomfortable because I don\u27t share his broader sentiments. However, it is also uncomfortable because it involves me swimming against the human rights tide, which seems to have embraced R2P

PeaceTech:Digital transformation to end wars

Why are we willing to believe that technology can bring about war... but not peace? PeaceTech: Digital Transformation to End War is the world's first book dealing with the use of technological innovation to support peace and transition processes. Through an interwoven narrative of personal stories that capture the complexity of real-time peace negotiation, Bell maps the fast-paced developments of PeaceTech, and the ethical and practical challenges involved. Bell locates PeaceTech within the wider digital revolution that is also transforming the conduct of war. She lays bare the 'double disruption' of peace processes, through digital transformation, and through changing conflict patterns that make processes more difficult to mount. Against this backdrop - can digital peacebuilding be a force for good? Or do the risks outweigh the benefits? PeaceTech provides a 12-Step Manifesto laying out the types of practice and commitmentneeded for successful use of digital tools to support peace processes. This open access book will be invaluable primer for business tech entrepreneurs, peacebuilders, the tech community, and students of international relations, informatics, comparative politics, ethics and law; and indeed for those simply curious about peace process innovation in the contemporary world.</p