Conflict is likely in Iraq, Iran, Mali, Nigeria, India and Pakistan over next 12 months.

An unintended consequence of the Maguindanao massacre was to draw attention to a huge underground economy that undergirds the political authority and legitimacy of Mindanao’s political entrepreneurs. The revelation by US authorities over the palpable impact of “narcopolitics’ in the May 10 2010 elections, and the recent busting of small-scale drug labs in Metro-Manila, Cotabato City, and in several towns of Lanao del Sur underscore this reality, alongside the discovery of a huge cache of arms and ammunition controlled by violent clans.

The eruption of violence and the declaration of martial law in Maguindanao expose the dynamics of collaboration and conflict between allies who advance their interests in conditions of war. Without this backdrop, the recent declaration of martial law will be viewed as baseless, unnecessary, and rife with hidden agendas.

Promoting community dialogue and collaborative relationships in the community to deal with conflict, such as drug abuse among the young, peacefully.

In a largely privatised Beirut, public spaces remained scarce and inaccessible, until the Lebanese people took to the streets last month.

Unless the global community puts peace at the heart of all its efforts, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will fail.

‘A boy in the crowd,’ taken by photographer Jonathan Banks, was selected as the overall winner of the fifth Siena International Photography Awards this year.

The Afghan peace process has, so far, demonstrated just about everything peace talks should not be: exclusionary, unrepresentative, short sighted and based on little common agreement and shared understanding of core issues. As the people of Afghanistan prepare for the polls this Saturday 28 September, only a more inclusive and holistic approach can secure any future peace.

To show there is more to Syria than just war, London-based peacebuilding NGO International Alert is marking the International Day of Peace by giving members of the public the opportunity to learn a traditional dance from the Middle Eastern country.