Search Climate Insights Directory

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies examines the marginalization of women in South Sudan's state-building and development processes following independence on 9 July 2011. It argues that despite their contributions to the liberation struggle and the existence of legal frameworks for gender equality, women remain underrepresented in political leadership and suffer from severe socio-economic hardships and gender-based violence.

This research paper analyzes how the political and military crisis in South Sudan exacerbates existing regional tensions in the Horn of Africa, specifically involving Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Eritrea. The author argues that the conflict has become a venue for regional competition, where states support opposing factions to secure their own strategic, economic, and security interests.

This monograph examines the development and impact of organised crime in Southern Africa, specifically focusing on Namibia, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Swaziland in Volume One. It details how criminal networks exploit weak governance and porous borders to establish a regional market for illicit goods, often penetrating state structures through corruption and bribery.

This research paper examines the legal and institutional framework for combating money-laundering and organised crime in South Africa. It details the three-stage process of money-laundering, the existing statutory tools for asset recovery, and the gaps in administrative controls, specifically the need for a financial intelligence unit to meet international standards.

This report assesses the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), noting that while it faces significant operational challenges, it is making progress in its efforts to combat Boko Haram.

This research paper by Dr (Col) Rocky Williams examines the transformational challenges facing the South African Reserve Forces (RFs), their role in national defence and law enforcement, and the potential for reserve forces to improve civil-military relations and cost-effectiveness across sub-Saharan Africa.

This research paper examines the potential impacts of HIV/AIDS on security and governance in Southern Africa, a region with the highest global HIV prevalence. It explores how the epidemic undermines human capital and economic development by primarily affecting individuals in their prime working years.

The 'Organised crime in Southern Africa: First annual review' presents qualitative research findings from 2008 regarding organised criminal activities across 12 southern African countries, highlighting the transnational nature of high-impact crimes and the pervasive role of corruption.

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies examines the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Bill [B54-97], approved by the South African Cabinet on 30 April 1997. While the authors support the goal of preventing South African citizens and companies from providing unauthorized military services abroad, they argue the Bill's scope is overly broad and grants excessive discretionary power to the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, thereby undermining parliamentary oversight.

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies examines the doctrinal differences between United Nations (UN) peacekeeping and African Union (AU) peace support operations, using these distinctions to propose strategies for stabilising northern Mali.

This report examines the drivers of community resilience against organised crime and violence within four specific communities located in Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau, and Burkina Faso, arguing that state-centric strategies must be supplemented by local, context-specific responses.

This report details a national workshop held in September 2010 in Durban, co-hosted by the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) and the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), to discuss the mandate of the proposed Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) in addressing police corruption in South Africa.

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies examines the rise of lawlessness in South Africa, arguing that it is driven by government failure in service delivery and endemic corruption. The author warns that increasing violence in protests, the rise of vigilantism, and the perceived exemption of certain sectors from the law could lead to a full-scale revolt unless citizens hold the government accountable.

This research paper by Hussein Solomon of the Institute for Defence Policy examines global sources of insecurity following the end of the Cold War and their impact on national security policy, with a specific focus on Southern African security and the South African National Defence Force.

War veterans in Angola are threatening to disrupt upcoming general elections due to the non-payment of monthly pensions. The briefing highlights the risk of instability and criminal activity among young veterans and critiques the failure of UN-modeled Demobilisation Disarmament and Reintegration (DDR) processes across Africa and Southern Africa.

This document is an introductory text for Monograph 46, which compiles papers from a November 1999 conference in Pretoria, South Africa, titled "Building stability in Africa: The challenge for the next millennium." The conference was part of a larger international project, "Challenges of peacekeeping and peace support: Into the 21st century," coordinated by the National Defence College in Stockholm to explore more effective ways of managing regional conflicts and peace support operations.

Peace and Security Council Report No 34 provides analysis on three distinct security crises: the political and military instability in Mali, the escalating border and oil revenue conflicts between Sudan and South Sudan, and the cross-border threats posed by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) across Central Africa.

The text discusses the conceptual nature of armour in combat and the impact of the post-Cold War era on defence budgets and military roles, specifically noting a shift toward peacekeeping and peace enforcement operations.

This briefing examines the possibility of Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto running for the Kenyan presidency on 4 March 2013 despite ICC indictments for crimes against humanity. It notes that the trial start date is a critical factor, with the defence proposing March of the following year. The text highlights the ICC's stance of non-interference in Kenyan political eligibility and discusses the domestic political tensions and legal challenges surrounding the candidates' eligibility.

A briefing detailing a visit by US and UK envoys to Mogadishu to discuss the end of Somalia's transition period and allegations of corruption within the transitional government, alongside US sanctions and bounty strategies against peace process saboteurs and Al-Shabaab leaders.