Middle East

Syria Alert Issue XVI

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Towards a realistic strategy to combat ISIS in Syria

04-12-2015In this Syria Alert, PAX sets out how an 'ISIS-first strategy' which addresses the symptom – ISIS – and leaves the cause – Assad – to be addressed later, will prove ineffective because it is counterproductive and unsustainable. PAX believes that a military strategy to combat ISIS is only realistic if it is part of a coherent policy to build an alternative inclusive governance arrangement based on a political process laid out in the Vienna declaration.

Amidst the debris...

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A desktop study on the environmental and public health impact of Syria’s conflict

04-11-2015According to the PAX-study Amidst the Debris, the ongoing conflict in Syria is likely to have a disastrous impact on the environment and public health. Four years of fighting has left cities in rubble and caused widespread damage to industrial sites, critical infrastructure and the oil industry. Pollution from these forms of damage is likely to result in acute and chronic risks to civilians and will have a long-term impact on the environment that they depend on.

Iraq Alert II

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Support Iraq’s call for good governance and accountable leadership

07-09-2015Fragmentation of the Iraqi state and the dominance of regional players at the national level is a very important obstacle to peace in Iraq. A context-tailored approach towards good governance and accountable leadership is particularly relevant in the areas recently recaptured from ISIS. This Alert stresses the need for inclusive peacebuilding as an essential part of any political strategy. PAX calls for a localised approach on consensus-building and reconciliation in Iraq.

After ISIS

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Perspectives of displaced communities from Ninewa on return to Iraq's disputed territory

12-06-2015Recently, military developments and international involvement have resulted in ISIS retreating from some areas previously under its control in Northern Iraq. As these areas become accessible again, IDP communities struggle to return while the potential for renewed conflict remains alarmingly high. The Dutch peace organization PAX is highly concerned about the lack of a comprehensive peacebuilding strategy complementing military operations in Iraq.

Iraq Alert I

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Recapturing Ninewa and Mosul: the need for post-ISIS peacebuilding

30-03-2015PAX is highly concerned that there is no peacebuilding strategy to complement military operations combatting ISIS. The US-led coalition against ISIS (the coalition) supports the Iraqi Army and the Kurdish Peshmerga by bombarding ISIS positions, but if the coalition wants the re-conquest of Mosul province to be a step towards a more peaceful Iraq, it must begin preparing a peacebuilding operation in Mosul province now.

Policy brief: PAX response to the joint communication 'Elements for an EU regional strategy for Syria and Iraq as well as the Da'esh threat.'

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10-03-2015On the 6th of February High Representative Mogherini and the European Commission published the joint communication on Syria and Iraq, which will be discussed by the EU Foreign Affairs Council in March. The communication describes an ambitious strategy of the European Union with diplomatic efforts, support to humanitarian and non-humanitarian aid, security measures and a budget of 1 billion euro for 2015 and 2016. A political strategy on one of the most violent regions with one of the worst humanitarian crises since WWII, by the worlds' biggest donor, deserves a critical analysis. In this policy brief PAX proposes measures for further improvement of the EU Regional strategy on Syria and Iraq.

Syria Alert Issue XIV

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Can de Mistura's 'freeze' plan save Aleppo, and under what conditions?

04-12-2014On 30 October, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura presented the idea of 'freeze' zones where fighting would be stopped, to start with Aleppo. The Syrian regime and its key ally Russia indicated a willingness to support the UN proposal. Their support, however, fuels suspicion that the 'freeze' will only be used to consolidate territories and to regroup and rearm for further fighting. Taking into consideration previous local ceasefires and the urgent situation in Aleppo, this special edition of Syria Alert, prepared in cooperation with our Syrian partner Etana, addresses the question: Can de Mistura's 'freeze' plan save Aleppo, and under what conditions?

Syria & Iraq Alert II

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Inclusivity essential to long-term political strategy to counter ISIS

20-11-2014In its first policy letter PAX stated that a response to ISIS must be inclusive in character, with a long-term objective of legitimate and responsive governments in Iraq and Syria. In the second policy letter, the Syria and Iraq Alert II, PAX delves further into what inclusivity entails and sets progress markers for the international community to monitor inclusive policy in different sectors as part of the larger political strategy to counter ISIS.

Syria & Iraq Alert

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The need for a comprehensive political strategy to counter ISIS

22-09-2014PAX believes that the present predominantly military response of the US-led coalition against ISIS lacks a clear political strategy. A tactical military response that is not part of a comprehensive political strategy will lead to an open-ended military campaign with unclear goals, and is doomed to fail. The costs of setting unclear and moving targets are that violence is compounded while victory remains elusive.

Syria Alert XIII: Forced ceasefires

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The case of Barzeh and Qaboun

20-06-2014Over the few past months, the Assad regime has been negotiating ceasefires with opposition forces in several neighbourhoods and suburbs of Damascus. This Syria Alert looks into the ceasefire negotiations in Barzeh and Qaboun, on the basis of a longer forthcoming paper prepared by PAX’s Syrian partner Etana.