Brazil Matters — A day after Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff visited Barack Obama at the White House, The New York Times explores the evidence of a palpable disconnect between the Latin American giant’s self image as a …
Afghanistan
Must-Reads from Around the World: March 29, 2012
Probing Tragedy – The Guardian exclusively reveals a nine-month Council of Europe investigation found a “catalog of failures” by NATO warships and European coastguards led to the deaths of dozens of migrants left adrift at sea …
No Way Home: In Afghanistan, Former Refugees Are Left Out in the Cold
When Zikariya Nazar Muhammad, 60, embarked on his journey from Karachi in Pakistan to his ancestral home in Afghanistan’s rural interior, he carried a silent hope: that life in his own country would be better than a life of …
Terror in Toulouse: Brother of Jihadist Killer Held by Police
Investigators seeking full details in the spree of violence by self-described al-Qaeda jihadi Mohammed Merah are detaining his older brother on suspicions he may have assisted the murderous campaign that left seven people dead in …
Toulouse Killings Take Center Stage In France’s Presidential Campaign
In solidarity with the victims of the Jewish school shooting in Toulouse, the candidates in France’s presidential election had halted their campaigns. But that demonstration of national unity was all but forgotten by Thursday …
A Killing Spree in France Ends with a Barrage of Gunfire
Nearly two weeks of terror in France came to an end Thursday, when an assault by elite police forces left self-declared al-Qaeda member and avowed serial killer Mohammed Merah dead in the southwest city Toulouse. The raid was …
Siege in Toulouse Wears On as Details of Suspect’s Jihadist Past Emerge
The fear and tension wore on in France as elite police officers continued their standoff with a self-declared al-Qaeda militant who claimed responsibility for the slayings of seven people in three attacks since March 11. Security …
Civilian Massacres and Koran Burnings: A Tale of Two Misdeeds in Afghanistan
When mullah Abdul Rahim Shah Ghaa thinks back to the day in February when a couple of Afghan employees at a U.S.-run detention center outside Kabul yanked five partly burned Korans out of a trash incinerator, he shudders with …
“Yet if history tells us one thing, it is that forecasting the demise of NATO has been a popular yet unsuccessful pastime for academics, journalists and politicians for more than two decades.”
French Police Corner Suspected Toulouse Killer Claiming Al-Qaeda Membership
French police have pinned down a self-declared jihadist believed to be the killer of seven people in southwestern France in the past 10 days—including three small children and a rabbi outside a Jewish school in Toulouse on Monday. The suspect has been barricaded inside a house in eastern Toulouse, where officials say he has claimed …
The Afghan Massacre Is the Result of War, Not Just One Soldier Going Rogue
For most of the media, the story regarding Staff Sergeant Robert Bales has moved to American soil. The U.S. soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians is now under watch at a base in Kansas, with a veritable full-court press …
Must-Reads from Around the World: March 16, 2012
Learning More – New details have emerged about the U.S. Soldier who allegedly killed 16 Afghan civilians. The Telegraph reports the accused has hired attorney John Henry Browne, who is best known for his involvement in the …
Must-Reads from Around the World: March 15, 2012
Assad Emails — The Guardian exclusively releases a cache of correspondence purportedly between Syrian President Bashar Assad, his wife Asma and a small inner circle. They show the leader took advice from Iran on how to handle …