By Niall Clements, Amal Mansoor, Smaragda Vasileiadi, Francesca Bottan, Beline Nyangi, Dereje Daniel and Togo Yasuda Edited and reviewed by Beline Nyangi and Francesca Bottan. Introduction Venezuela and Iran occupy central positions in global energy politics due to their vast oil reserves, making them strategic points of interest for the United States. Historically, U.S. oil …
On 20 February 2026, participants gathered at the AmityPoint Institute in Amsterdam for a workshop titled Why Peace Efforts Struggle. It was not a space for debate, policy simulation or quick fixes. It was a space for reflection. From the beginning, the tone was clear. We were not there to produce a peace plan for …
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By Niall Clements, Amal Mansoor, Smaragda Vasileiadi, Francesca Bottan, and Togo YasudaEdited and reviewed by Beline Nyangi. Introduction The conflict and injustices in Palestine span nearly a century, tracing back to the 1930s and the Zionist movement’s aim to establish a Jewish state in Palestine (United Nations, 2025). During the 1948 war, Zionist paramilitary forces, …
Read more “The Illusion of Peace: War Crimes,Occupation, and Global Inaction in Palestine”
Amina has lived through multiple ceasefire announcements since fleeing her home. Each announcement is accompanied by expectations that violence may subside, humanitarian access may improve, or displacement may become temporary rather than permanent. These expectations are common among civilian populations affected by protracted conflict. In practice, ceasefires frequently break down or remain limited in scope. …
Read more “When Peace Does Not Reach the People-Lessons from Current Conflicts”
Thabo and Mamadou lived on the same narrow street in Diepsloot for three years. Thabo, a South African father of three, spent his mornings walking to the main road looking for casual construction work that rarely materialized. Mamadou, who fled conflict in the DRC, spent his mornings opening a small spaza shop made of neatly …
Read more “The Shop on the Corner: Why We Must Choose Ubuntu Over Fear”
Executive Summary Sudan’s war has displaced millions of people, destroyed communities, and created a humanitarian crisis of massive proportions. Despite multiple international peace initiatives, fighting still persists. This brief argues that conventional approaches focused on elite negotiation have failed to produce durable peace. Using the story of Layla, a mother caught in the conflict. This …