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Send by emailFact-Finding: Additional Resources
These references supplement the Knowledge Base Essay, Fact-Finding.
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Additional Explanations of the Underlying Concepts: Online (Web) Sources United Nations. The 1991 Declaration on Fact-finding . Available at: http://www.ejil.org/journal/Vol4/No1/art10-02.html [Backup Link] A U.N. statement regarding the increased capacity to utilize fact-finding as a means of diplomacy. Mertus, Julie. Considerations for Human Rights Fact Finding by NGOs. Available at: http://academic3.american.edu/~mertus/HR%20fact-finding.htm [Backup Link] This piece offers and outline of key issues that non-governmental organizations should consider as they put together fact-finding missions. Topics include the selection of fact-finders, collection of evidence, on-site interviews and inspections, and writing up reports. General Information on Fact-Finding. Available at: http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/problem/factfinding.htm [Backup Link] This is a brief article discussing common fact-finding problems. Antypas, Alex and Errol Meidinger. Science-Intensive Policy Disputes: An Analytic Overview of the Literature. Available at: http://www.law.buffalo.edu/homepage/eemeid/scholarship/scipol.html [Backup Link] An academic paper that gives an overview of some academic positions regarding the relationship between science and policy-making. Treating Fact-Finding Problems. Available at: Primary Link [Backup Link] This page presents an outline of key strategies for obtaining information about facts and uncertainties, in conflict situations. Each strategy is linked to a short essay on the topic. Offline (Print) Sources "Collecting and Analyzing Background Information." In The Mediation Process: Practical Strategies for Resolving Conflict, 3rd Edition. Jossey-Bass, May 2003. Pages: 118-144. A far-reaching discussion of the frameworks and methods of data collection in a conflict setting. Verstappen, Beth and Hans Thoolen. Human Rights Missions: A Study of the Fact-Finding Practice of Non-Governmental Organizations. Boston: Martinus Nijhoff, 1986. This book examines the standards and practices employed by non-governmental organizations engaging in fact-finding missions. The majority of the work is based on analysis of various fact-finding reports from example NGOs. Strobel, Warren P. "Information and Conflict." In Turbulent Peace: The Challenges of Managing International Conflict. Edited by Crocker, Chester A., Fen Osler Hampson and Pamela Aall, eds. Washington DC: United States Institute of Peace Press, September 2001. The role of news media and information now plays a large role in conflict and conflict management, today info is dynamic and placed in the context of a multilateral environment, with many actors. Carpenter, Susan L. and W. J. D. Kennedy. "Removing Roadblocks - Negotiating Differences in Data." In Managing Public Disputes: A Practical Guide for Professionals in Government, Business and Citizen's Groups. John Wiley & Sons, July 31, 2001. Pages: 258-266. A section regarding factual disputes and resolution methods. Lindblom, Charles E. The Policy-Making Process, 3rd Edition. Prentice Hall, December 18, 1992. This book discusses the difference between a methodical, scientific analysis of policy issues and the practical realities that exists in policy-making. The writers suggest a practical compromise. Primary Link [Backup Link] Hayner, Priscilla B. Unspeakable Truths: Confronting State Terror & Atrocity. New York: Routledge, September 1, 2001. Any discussion of truth commissions benefits from solid empirics. Unfortunately, we know very little about most of the approximately two dozen truth commissions that have been created thus far. Particularly for the many lesser-known commissions, this book is one of the few published sources of information on them. Hayner devotes attention to finding facts on sixteen of these commissions, and gives a more extensive treatment of the five most prominent ones: Argentina, Chile, El Salvador, South Africa, and Guatemala. Primary Link Examples Illustrating this Topic: Online (Web) Sources "Amnesty International Statement to the United Nations about the Fact-Finding Team to Inquire into the Events in Jenin." , 2002 Available at: Primary Link [Backup Link] This is an official press release of Amnesty International's position regarding a U.N. fact-finding investigation into the April 2002 Israeli attack on the West Bank refugee camp at Jenin. Human Rights Watch. Available at: http://www.hrw.org/ [Backup Link] This is the home page of Human Rights Watch (HRW), which is a nongovernmental organization that works to protect the human rights of people around the world. HRW deploys fact-finding teams to conduct investigations into and expose human rights abuses around the world. Examples of HRW fact-finding reports may be located on this Web site. International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission. Available at: http://www.ihffc.org/ [Backup Link] The Commission's main purpose is "to investigate allegations of grave breaches and serious violations of international humanitarian law." O'Brien, Michael. Recommendations to the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group on the Political and Human Rights Situation in the Fiji Islands. Available at: Primary Link [Backup Link] This is the report of a fact finding mission sent to the Fiji islands to assess the state of human and political rights there. The mission consulted widely with Fijian civil society, human rights defenders, community groups and the general public in order to understand the state of things there. The mission was sponsored by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative. The Destruction of USS Maine. U.S. Navy. Available at: http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq71-1.htm [Backup Link] The sinking of the Maine in 1898 and the investigations that followed may be the first recorded case of formal fact-finding in a conflict setting. The investigations themselves reflect some of the common problems with fact-finding and the subsequent actions by both sides illustrate how disputed facts affect conflicts. Westbrook, David. "The Torment of Northern Uganda: A Legacy of Missed Opportunities." Online Journal of Peace and Conflict Resolution, Vol. 3, No. 2 , June 2000 Available at: http://www.trinstitute.org/ojpcr/3-2westbrook.htm [Backup Link] This article provides a fairly in-depth discussion of the long-term conflict in northern Uganda. The piece details the reasons for the conflict, the players, and prospects for the future of the war, either expansion or management and resolution. The author notes that fact-finding or fact-based problems are central to the intractability of this particular conflict. Zambia: Democracy on Trial. Available at: Primary Link [Backup Link] This is the report of a Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative fact finding mission that was sent to Zambia in 1996 to examine the situation of civil and political rights there. The assessment revolved around ensuring the legitimacy and success of democratic elections. |
