TOPICS: Ukraine, Afghanistan, ADR, South Sudan, Revolution 

Coordinator:
Christian Chereji and Alexandra Mihali

Content – Sommaire:

 

ARTICLES in Issue 7 – April 2014:

 

The Ukrainian Revolution: Overview and Causes

Alexandra MIHALI

Abstract:
The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of the events that took place in Ukraine in
the latest months and, based on that, to identify and analyze the triggers that led to the escalation of the conflict, as well as the structural causes that influenced the current situation. Moreover, the article is meant to establish whether the Ukrainian revolution does in fact constitute an international crisis and the link between crisis and conflict in this particular case study.

Key words:
Ukraine, international crisis, conflict, protests, triggers, structural causes, timeline,
war, strategic importance, revolution.

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The Afghan Endgame: Comparative Analysis on  the Soviet and the Coalition Withdrawal from Afghanistan

Mircea PLĂCINTAR

Abstract:
As the final date of the Coalition military withdrawal from Afghanistan approaches, two
interconnected questions become increasingly urgent. The first refers to the nature of post-2014 Western involvement in Afghanistan if, of course, the two sides actually agree to maintain any form of functional cooperation or partnership. The second fundamental question is considerably more complex, despite the fact that its answer depends heavily on the first question, namely: what will be the evolution of the current regime in Kabul following the impending military extraction? Afghanistan’s incredible political history does, in fact, provide a similar precedent under the form of the 1989 Soviet withdrawal, though it would be superficial of us to analyze the NATO withdrawal as a part of a repeating historical pattern that began with the British retreat of 1842 and continues
with its modern analogues. The regional and international context, the actors and, consequently, the results, differ, though the example of the Soviet withdrawal can be used to underline some of these differences and develop an in-depth understanding of the two events.

Key words:
Military withdrawal, military operations, political indicators, state of insurgency, conflict.

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Traditional Approaches in Alternative Dispute Resolution> A brief Overvoew

Adrian POP

Abstract:
The Western culture is not the only one using alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.
Other cultures have developed a large array of conflict resolution tools, as a mean of maintaining harmonious relationships. The study will present an evolution of the ADR methods in the Western culture and will identify some traditional and indigenous conflict resolution systems, in order to allow a comparison between the two.

Kew words:
Traditional conflict resolution, indigenous alternative dispute resolution, mediation.

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The  South Sudan Coup: A Political Rivalry that Turned Ethnic

Ciprian SANDU

Abstract:
South Sudan, the newest state in the World, faces its first major crisis after just two years
of existence. The current crisis was shaped around two tribe leaders, but also around two leaders of the same army and political party. At first it was about a political feud between President Kiir and former vice-president Machar; it continued with the supposition of a coup d’état, led by Machar, and now the whole crisis is taking the form of an inter-ethnic civil war between the two dominant tribes in South Sudan, the Dinka and Nuer. The following article will be a conflict analysis of the current situation in order to determine the drivers of the conflict and how they influenced the parties’ course of actions. Being a conflict analysis, it uses official and informal sources never used in the same place until now, together with the author’s opinion about the conlict, along with that of our fellow colleagues who studied the situation, in order to present a detailed and complex description of this new crisis in South Sudan.

Kew words:
South Sudan, coup d’état, Dinka, Nuer, Sudan People’s Liberation Army, SalvaKiir,
Peter Gadet, RiekMachar.