Democracy and Institution-Building: Despite the improved functioning of the State Union Court, the failure to organise direct elections for the State Union Parliament in February 2005 has further increased the questioning of the future of the State Union. In late February 2005, the President and the Prime Minister of Montenegro circulated a proposal for the dissolution of the State Union and creation of a Union of independent states. In Montenegro, several opposition parties returned to Parliament. In Serbia, no agreement has yet been reached on

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is pleased to be able to present, for the second time, a comprehensive overview of the situation of internally displaced persons in the OSCE region to the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting. The report was compiled by the NRC's Geneva-based Global IDP Project, the leading international body monitoring IDP situations worldwide, in cooperation with NRC field offices.

This overview clearly shows that internal

The report also reveals shortcomings and slow progress in the reform process in many sectors and in several countries. A theme running through both this report and those of the individual countries is the generally poor record on implementation. The main challenges

For the states of the former Yugoslavia, the last decade was characterized by autocratic governance, armed conflict, and ethnic cleansing. Ever since the fighting ended, the international community and some local leaders have recognized that systemic political, economic, and social reforms are needed to build legitimacy, transparency, and the rule of law. But it hasn't happened yet.

The Center for Preventive Action, a project of the Council on Foreign Relations, designed the "Balkans 2010" Independent Task Force as an endeavor to prevent conflict by promoting

• 1. Background and Justification
• 2. Purpose, Scope and Issues
• 3. Organization and Conduct
• 4. Methodology

• 1. The Two Conflicts and their Aftermath
• 2. The GOJ/UNDP Assistance

• 1. Characteristics and Implications of the Po s t -C o n flict Contexts
• 2. Relevance of the Assistance

PRESS RELEASE
EU Crisis Response - 11 September and the Laeken Summit

Brussels, 29 April 2002: A new briefing paper, EU Crisis Response Capabilities: An Update, finds that the EU has made progress in developing crisis management competence since ICG's initial study ten months ago.* However, its Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) still punches below its weight because member states have not yet mastered the art of speaking with a single voice and given adequate resources to their fledgling European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP).

The idea of a linear progression from saving lives to sustainable livelihoods, often termed the relief-development continuum, has been challenged for its inadequacy in analysing and responding to contemporary humanitarian crises. The continuum approach has proved particularly problematic in situations of chronic conflict and political instability, where violence and under-development have become entrenched

Briefly...

• The Balkans are in better shape than at any other time in the last 10 years, and the region is no longer at the top of America's international agenda.
  
  
• But the job there is not yet done.
  
  
  
• Nothing less than viable states will satisfy U.S. objectives of drawing down NATO and ensuring that the region does not become a haven for terrorists.
  
  
• Europe should increasingly take the lead as its capacities develop; the United States needs to remain engaged and learn how to play a strong supporting role.
  
  

This paper is based on a summary of presentations and syndicate discussions held on 10 and 11 May at a conference entitled "An Integrated Approach to Complex Humanitarian Emergencies: The Kosovo Experience." The conference was run jointly by the Ministry of Defence's Joint Doctrine and Concepts Centre and Cranfield University's Department of Defence Management and Security Analysis at Eynsham Hall, Eysham, Oxfordshire. It attracted representatives from the academic, military, NGO, media, policy, UN, and NATO communities.