Global Briefing, Mar. 7, 2011: War Crimes, People Power and Governments Behaving Badly

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Forgotten Genocide: In the New York Times, New Delhi correspondent Lydia Polgreen reports from Bangladesh about the country’s belated efforts to investigate the massacres that led up to its independence in 1971, when over a million people (up to three million, by some estimates) may have been killed by the Pakistani army and its Bengali allies. Read TIME’s reports on the legacy of Bangladesh’s unresolved past here, here and here.

Arab Spring: In the New York Review of Books, Max Rodenbeck writes of the panorama of protests sweeping the Middle East. A must-read, particularly for its insight on Hosni Mubarak’s three decades in power.

Not Quite 007: The Guardian documents how a secret mission of British special forces deployed in Libya ended in “humiliation.”

Libya’s Stalled Liberation: In a piece analyzing the growing stalemate in Libya between Muammar Gaddafi’s embattled regime and opposition forces, Tony Karon gives us a new historical analogy to chew on — that of the Spanish Civil War.

Girl Power: Feminist writer Naomi Wolf hails the remarkable role played by women in the uprisings in the Arab world.

Mambo Italiano: As the Italian nation-state marks its 150th anniversary this year, Tony Barber in the Financial Times puzzles over what it means to be Italian. And Cameron Abadi on Foreign Policy charts Italy’s failed early 20th century empire-building experiment in Africa.

Changing of the Guard: The Washington Post looks at how Egypt’s newly appointed Foreign Minister will likely be tougher on Israel.

China’s Journo Beat Down: Beijing heightens its controls over foreign journalists looking to cover mooted pro-democracy protests. Some first person accounts from Mcclatchy’s Tom Lasseter and our Austin Ramzy.

Karzai’s Rage: After news came out of yet another botched U.S. attack in Afghanistan, President Hamid Karzai is not happy. Foreign Policy‘s recent cover story by Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid explores how Washington’s relationship with Karzai has collapsed.

No Bashing Bashar: TIME’s Rania Abouzeid on why Syrian President Bashar Assad is safer than many of his peers in the Arab world.