Canadian Consortium on Human Security

1. Reports

Landmines and Armed non-State Actors

Geneva Call. 2007.

Despite significant steps forward through mine action initiatives (mine clearance, mine risk education, stockpile destruction and victim assistance), landmines and unexploded ordnance continue to threaten human security in almost 60 countries and territories. The 2006 Landmine Monitor Report, published by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, estimates that these devices affect between 15,000 and 20,000 people every year. Millions of communities and families are also affected through the denial of access to fertile land and impeded in their right to free movement and development. Colombia, Cambodia and Afghanistan are among the worst affected. In many of these countries, the problem has been caused by an internal conflict and, therefore, includes the negative contribution of non-state armed groups or armed non-state actors...more

Transnational Armed Groups and International Humanitarian Law

Sassòli, Marco. 2006.

Harvard Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research

The concept of ‘transnational armed groups’ has been used increasingly since September 11, 2001 by those who consider the ‘war on terror’ to be an armed conflict and who wish to apply the laws of armed conflict, called international humanitarian law (IHL), to that conflict (rather than human rights domestic legislation and international law on cooperation in criminal matters). In this debate, it is often claimed that IHL, as it stands, is inadequate to cover such a conflict and such ‘transnational armed groups’… more 

Choosing to Engage: Armed Groups and Peace Processes

Accord (16). 2005.

Conciliation Resources.

Non-state armed groups are central figures in internal armed conflicts. Their objectives and use of violence spark controversy about appropriate responses to their action, particularly in the context of the ‘war on terror’. Yet over the past two decades, armed groups have taken part in peace processes on every continent, resulting in many experiences of dialogue and peace negotiations. Choosing to Engage: Armed Groups and Peace Processes explores the case for engagement with armed groups and the lessons learned from peacemaking practice… more

Report from the Regional Workshop on Enhancing Civil Society’s Engagement with Non-State Armed Groups in Child Soldier Advocacy

Southeast Asia Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers. 2005.

From the 9th to 11th of November, more than 25 participants from throughout Southeast Asia gathered in Quezon City, Philippines, for the Regional Workshop on Enhancing Civil Society’s Engagement with Non-State Armed Groups in Child Soldiers Advocacy. A pilot activity of the Coalition, the forum was conducted in response to the challenge that according to the 2004 Child Soldiers Global Report, while recruitment and use of children in government armed forces had declined, the recruitment of children by non-state armed groups continued to take place… more

2. Analysis

Negotiating with groups that use terrorism: Lessons for policy-makers

Cronin, Audrey Kurth. 2007.

Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue

Do negotiations help to end violent terrorist campaigns? An overview of recent efforts in this regard reveals that idealistic platitudes are as misguided as righteous exhortations about the evils of terrorism. After groups survive past the five or six year mark, for example, it is not at all clear that refusing to ‘talk to terrorists’ shortens their violent campaigns any more than entering into negotiations prolongs them. On the other hand, negotiations can facilitate a process of decline but have rarely been the single factor driving an outcome… more 

Negotiating in practice what is nonnegotiable in principle: development policy and armed non-state actors

Stott, Noel. 2007.

German Development Institute

Non-State Armed Actors are today the main feature of violent conflicts both within States and at the regional level. While humanitarian organisations have for some time developed strategies to engage armed groups on questions related to the respect for humanitarian principles, little, if any, research has been conducted to ascertain the opportunities for, and challenges of, engaging Non-State Armed Actors from a development perspective… more 

Colombia: Moving Forward with the ELN?

International Crisis Group. 2007.

A three-year peace process between the government of Alvaro Uribe and the left-wing National Liberation Army (ELN) is at a standstill, with concern rising that it is doomed by mutual recalcitrance. The insurgent group, while much smaller than the more prominent (and notorious) Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), is probably both militarily stronger than the government believes and politically weaker than its leaders think. To counteract the spread of frustration and prevent failure, the government and the rebels should immediately explore creative options, as much to begin to establish some badly needed mutual confidence as to tackle the persistent procedural and substantive bottlenecks… more

Guidelines on Humanitarian Negotiations with Armed Groups

Mc Hugh, Gerrard and Manuel Bessler. 2006.

United Nations

This set of guidelines is intended to provide concise advice and guidance to humanitarian practitioners on how to prepare for and conduct humanitarian negotiations with non-State armed groups… more 

Is Al Qaeda asking to negotiate?

Zerkin, Allen J. 2005.

Center for Catastrophic Preparedness and Response, New York University

Isn’t it clear by now that the U.S. and its allies are not likely to be able to wipe out Al Qaeda or ensure that we are not attacked again domestically? As the British acknowledged in July, the London attacks were just a matter of when, not if. To be sure, the terrorists can't win this war, but neither can we. The most serious risk is that Al Qaeda will sooner or later be able to attack us with a biological or nuclear weapon, not merely the conventional bombs used in London and Madrid or the suicide car bombs being used to such gruesome effect in Iraq during the last few days. Long-term strategies to win Muslim hearts and minds - through democratization, public diplomacy and greater economic opportunity - are therefore likely to be a case of too little, too late. Even if, somehow, many are won over, such strategies will have no effect on the recruits who are being drawn to Al Qaeda every day, especially among Sunni populations where U.S. troops are stationed. So is there a Plan B? … more

3. Data

Terrorism Knowledge Base

Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism

Developed by the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism (MIPT), The Terrorism Knowledge Base (TKB ) is the one-stop resource for comprehensive research and analysis on global terrorist incidents, terrorism-related court cases, and terrorist groups and leaders. TKB covers the history, affiliations, locations, and tactics of terrorist groups operating across the world, with over 35 years of terrorism incident data and hundreds of group and leader profiles and trials. TKB also features interactive maps, statistical summaries, and analytical tools that can create custom graphs and tables … more

Canadians support talks with Taliban: poll

CTV News. May 20, 2007.

Canadians still think it's a good idea to negotiate with Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents as a way to end the violence there, a poll finds. In The Strategic Counsel poll conducted for CTV and The Globe and Mail, there was almost two-to-one support for the notion… more 

State Bargaining with Transnational Terrorist Groups

Bapat, Navin A. (2006)

International Studies Quarterly 50 (1), 213-230

Several policymakers argue against negotiating with transnational terrorists because of the inability of terrorist groups to form credible commitments. To succeed in negotiation, terrorists must convince target governments that they are credible bargaining partners. This paper explores how constraints from host states affect the ability of terrorists to form credible commitments. If facing sufficient threats, host states may have an incentive to broker peaceful agreements. Hosts that have the ability to monitor and impose moderate costs on terrorist groups can increase the likelihood of negotiated settlements. The paper concludes with an empirical test of the model's hypotheses using data on transnational terrorism in the pre-9/11 period from 1968 to 1991… more

4. News

Ugandans reach war crimes accord

BBC News. February 19, 2008.

Ugandan rebels and the government have agreed to set up a special court to deal with alleged war crimes - one of the obstacles to a final peace deal… more

Colombian Rebels Free 2 Hostages

Romero, Simon. New York Times. January 11, 2008.

Colombian guerrillas freed two politically prominent hostages on Thursday, handing them over to emissaries of President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela in a breakthrough in mediation efforts with Latin America’s largest rebel group… more 

Should We Negotiate with the Taliban?

Jones, Peter. Ottawa Citizen. September 23, 2007.

International affairs specialist Peter Jones answers four key questions about a negotiated peace and what it would mean for the prospects of a Canadian troop withdrawal… more

Time to talk to Al Qaeda?

Mohamedou, Mohammah-Mahmoud Ould. International Herald Tribune. September 16, 2005.

As the war between the United States and Al Qaeda enters its fifth year, the nature of the armed, transnational Islamist group's campaign remains misunderstood. With the conflict viewed largely as an open-and-shut matter of good versus evil, nonmilitary engagement with Al Qaeda is depicted as improper and unnecessary… more

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