Hush-hush talks staged near Paris by independent organizers bring leaders of enemy sides in the Afghan war together for informal talks. Will this lead to official peace negotiations?
Conflict
Mali’s Crisis: Is the Plan for Western Intervention ‘Crap’?
Though significant differences over details remain, French officials tell TIME to expect an international intervention plan into Mali to get accepted by the U.N. before the year’s end
Carry On Regardless in South Africa, as ANC Re-elects Zuma
In a normal democracy, a crushing victory at the polls by the incumbent generally means an overwhelming popular desire for more of the same. Tuesday’s triumph by South African President Jacob Zuma in a contest to lead the African …
Send in Sarkozy: Will Former French President Rescue His Imploding Party?
After a week of an increasingly bitter leadership fight, France’s main conservative party appeals to former President Nicolas Sarkozy to negotiate peace–or fill the void his departure from politics created in the first place.
A Deeply Divided European Union Faces Its Own Budgetary Cliff
France, Germany and Britain become central antagonists in more general discord over a multiyear E.U. budget — and risk preventing Europe from fulfilling one of its most basic operational tasks
Congo’s Crisis: Rebels Launch Offensive in Country’s East
In the war-torn, mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo, rebels belonging to an armed group known as the M23 have launched a devastating offensive against the government of President Joseph Kabila, capturing the main …
France Recognizes Syria’s Opposition—Will the West Follow Suit?
French President François Hollande becomes the first Western leader to recognize the newly-formed coalition leadership of Syrian rebel forces, and ups pressure on other nations to follow his lead.
Algeria’s Ghosts: France Acknowledges a 1961 Police Massacre
French President François Hollande reverses 51 years of official denial about the violent deaths of perhaps 200 people killed during a 1961 demonstration against the Algerian war
Why the Syrian Rebels May Be Guilty of War Crimes
A new Human Rights Watch report details abuses by the Free Syrian Army
Syria’s Looted Past: How Ancient Artifacts Are Being Traded for Guns
The ongoing civil war in Syria, a land brimming with history, has led to a dangerous, tragic surge in the looting and smuggling of Syrian antiquities
As Syrian Conflict Rages, France Examines Potential Terrorism Risks
French security officials reveal to TIME evidence of aspiring militants leaving France for Syria to join Islamists battling the Assad regime — and warn the Middle Eastern country could join Afghanistan, Iraq and Yemen as a …
Must-Reads from Around the World
Israel’s quandary over the rising Iranian nuclear threat, Indian and Pakistani leaders meet and unusually critical commentaries in China’s state-run media.
“The Iranians rolled out the red carpet for Morsy. But he didn't follow the Iranian script.”