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Showing posts with the label Thoughts

The Salience and Politicization of Identity in the Ukraine Crisis

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This academic essay was written for a school paper assignment in grad school.  Analyzing the Ukraine Crisis           The Ukraine Crisis is one of the contemporary conflicts that threaten regional and global security. With over thirteen thousand deaths since 2014, the fighting continues which destroyed properties and killed innocent lives (DW, Several killed amid surge in violence in Ukraine, 2018; UN News, 2019) . Currently, some 1.5 million persons have been displaced and left their homes for safety (UNHCR, n.d.) . This major humanitarian crisis is caused by a volatile power struggle between Ukrainian groups aligning with the European Union against a separatist ethnic and pro-Russia. Since 2014, the exchange of fire between Ukrainian soldiers and Russian-supported separatists have ensued persistently. The Ukrainian side is resolved to defend its position and protect its population against internal and external threats. It seeks ...

“The Protracted Crisis in Mindanao: Japan’s Cooperation and Human Security”: Revisited

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This academic essay was written for a school paper assignment in grad school.  The conflict in Mindanao has caused much devastation to the lives of the people (Heydarian 2015) . To help alleviate the suffering of Mindanaons and support the conflict resolution among the parties, several international organizations have extended assistance. Of these major international third parties, Japan has taken an active part in many aspects. In the article entitled “The protracted crisis in Mindanao: Japan’s cooperation and human security”, Sachiko Ishikawa and Dennis Quilala illustrated the involvement and comprehensive assistance of Japan to Mindanao and the Philippine Government. The authors examined the various roles played by Japan with a special focus on human security. The obstacles to assistance and how Japan endured them were also highlighted. It is no doubt that this article has an important contribution to the scant literature on peacebuilding and human security in Mindanao. However,...

“South Korea’s Refugee Policies: National and Human Security Perspectives”: A Review and Analysis

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This academic essay was written for a school paper assignment in grad school.  Introduction             The global refugee crisis has been more prevalent over the past years. With the continuous outbreak of conflict in certain parts of the world, it has been reported that over 26 million people are displaced and seeking refuge in other countries (UNHCR 2020) . Among the host countries in Asia-Pacific, South Korea has the lowest acceptance rate according to World Data. Controversies have emerged regarding this East Asian country’s half-baked commitment to refugee response. The case of North Korean refuge seekers (defectors), however, is an exemption. In the article, “South Korea’s Refugee Policies: National and Human Security Perspectives”, Shin-wa Lee demonstrated the refugee policies of South Korea and its challenges of balancing national and human security. She explained how different administrations responded with incons...

Revisiting the Tajikistan Peace Process: A Success or Failure?

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This academic essay was written for a school paper assignment in grad school.  Introduction             The case of Tajikistan is a prominent example of a rapid escalation of civil war that ended within a few years. Starting in 1992 following independence, the war came to a halt by 1997 with the signing of the General Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and National Accord in Tajikistan. Most scholars and practitioners commend the swift resolution and durable peace achieved after the agreement (Lynch, 2007) . In fact, it garnered a score of 76% from the Peace Accords Matrix (Kroc Institutte, 2015) . However, there had been criticisms about the challenging implementation of the agreed provisions (Smith, 2010; Luther, 2017) . This controversy in literature deserves a scholarly effort to add to the comprehensive analysis of the Inter-Tajik peace process after more than two decades.       ...