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Nepal is a poor, nonaligned, landlocked country surrounded by India and China that has had good relations with both Israel and the Arab states due in large part to a foreign policy conducted on the basis of Panchasheel, composed of five principles: (1) mutual respect for each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty, (2) noninterference in each other's internal affairs, (3) respect for mutual equality, (4) nonaggression and peaceful settlements of disputes, and (5) cooperation for mutual benefit. This outlook has also motivated Nepal's participation in many United Nations peacekeeping operations. Originally the object of a rivalry between Egypt and Israel, Nepal has attracted the attention of a number of other Middle Eastern states, particularly those in the Arab Gulf region, as witnessed by increasing diplomatic interactions and transportation connections with Nepal and/or its officials especially in recent years, while Nepalis provide much-needed labor for many of those same countries. Despite numbers of cases of worker abuse in the Middle East, Nepali laborers there provide remittances essential for families dealing with difficult living conditions in Nepal as well as a source of foreign revenue for that country. KEYWORDS: Nepal; Nonaligned Movement; Panchasheel; Middle East peacekeeping; foreign labor; remittances, INTRODUCTION Nepal is a poor, nonaligned, landlocked country surrounded by India and China's Tibet region that has had good relations with both Israel and the Arab states since it joined [...]

International efforts to find a political solution to the conflict in Syria began early on in the war. The Arab League was the first body to attempt to mediate, starting in late 2012, but these efforts faltered due to the refusal of the regime -emboldened by the political support of Russia and China- to make a single concession, despite being on the back foot militarily In 2015, new international efforts were launched to resolve the crisis. The U.S. and Russia reached an agreement over the formulation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254, which became the basis of UN-led negotiations between the opposition and the regime, including discussions on constitutional reform that began in 2019. However, more than a decade into the conflict, a political solution still appears distant, and is now closely linked to the fate of the foreign forces present in the country. The regime is no longer solely responsible for obstructing a solution. The presence on the ground of its allies, Russia and Iran, adds additional obstacles. It is no longer possible to formulate a peace deal without addressing the security concerns and various interests of foreign forces in Syria. Keywords: Syria, Political Process, UN Security Council Resolution 2254, Russia, Iran, Turkiye, Assad Regime, Refugee Crisis, Introduction Thirteen years have passed since mass protests broke out against the Syrian regime in March 2011. The regime responded with ferocious violence and plunging the country into an armed [...]

The research of wartime diplomacy is becoming increasingly important under the influence of global challenges that threaten international security and stability. This study is devoted to the investigation of wartime diplomacy as a tool for the peaceful settlement of international disputes. The article provides a theoretical and legal research of wartime diplomacy in the context of pacific settlement of international disputes. The fundamental international legal acts that enshrine the basic principles of pacific settlement of international disputes are processed and their content is characterized. The main criteria for distinguishing between diplomatic and judicial means of resolving international disputes are proposed: the legal framework, the form of implementation, the subjects of influence and the nature of the result achieved. A brief historical discourse on the formation of the institution of diplomacy is formed and approaches to the definition of the concept of “diplomacy” are detailed. By using general scientific and special, empirical and theoretical, quantitative and qualitative methods of scientific research, the phenomenon of wartime diplomacy is detailed through the prism of the proposed criterias, in particular, identifies the features of this category through its legal framework, forms of implementation, subjects of influence and the nature of the achieved results. The purpose of wartime diplomacy is formulated. The goals, forms and methods of wartime diplomacy in the context of the issues under study are highlighted. The research also examines the wartime diplomatic tools aimed at preventing or resolving international conflicts, in particular: diplomatic conferences, сonsultations, congresses, meetings. Particular attention is paid to “peace conferences” as means of implementing military diplomacy, and three types of peace conferences aimed at resolving conflicts are distinguished: a conference that either follows a “major” conflict or is held to negotiate the termination of one of them; a conference to promote “general” world peace or to mitigate and resolve the outbreak of a conflict; global conferences [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this feature, Rob Jenkins, Public Policy Fellow at the Wilson Center, speaks with Nimo Hassan, Executive Director of the Somali NGO Consortium and Board Chair of the International Council [...]

For the last three decades, Amira Hass has been charting the everyday practices of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Through her pioneering journalism and intricate knowledge of Palestinian life under occupation, she exploded the myth of the Oslo peace process by conveying how it has led to deepening occupation, the increasing expropriation of Palestinian territory, and the subordination and domination of Palestinians. This interview is focused on the period following Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack and Israel's genocide in Gaza and expulsion plans, situated in the context of Oslo's occupation regime and the destruction of Palestinian self-determination., In broad terms, how would you describe what has been happening in Gaza since October 7, 2023? How does it connect to what is happening in the West Bank? Without [...]

The paper focuses on two concepts developed by William Zartman, namely 'ripe moments' and 'mutually hurting stalemates'. Basically, the concepts tackle the idea of certain proper moments for the beginning of peace talks when the parties to the conflict believe that they are trapped in a painful impasse which no longer brings them victory. Our paper aims to show that hurting stalemates are sometimes the adequate starting point for peace-building efforts as well, not only for starting negotiations, and to apply this on the case of Liberia. The paper is organized around the following research questions: Is the hurting stalemate a military deadlock? Is a similar painful deadlock a good starting point for building sustainable peace in post-conflict societies? Keywords: peace studies, ripeness, mutually hurting stalemates, peacebuilding, post-conflict development, Introduction The paper focuses on the importance and relevance of timing throughout the Liberian peace process. To begin with, we establish a conceptual framework that represents the basis of our [...]

The prologue to Romeo and Juliet notoriously gives away the ending: 'the fearful passage of their death-marked love /And the continuance of their parents rage / Which, but their children's [...]