The end-game in the war torn country is complex–and troop levels may be the simplest piece of the puzzle
peace
Must-Reads from Around the World
On deck for Thursday: Uruguay approves first-trimester abortions, Egyptian doctors protest over the state of the country’s public health care, the E.U. and U.S. will start talks on a free trade deal in 2013, Colombian government officials and member of the rebel group FARC meet in Oslo, Australia and India begin talks on civil nuclear …
The Sudans’ Fragile Peace: Will Economic Necessity Create Brotherly Love?
The sudden spurt of activity involving the still contentious border and oil prices has been inspired by the almost certain economic cataclysm in the event of war. So how long will this peace last?
Never Mind the Democrats’ Jerusalem Kerfuffle, Where’s the Peace Process?
There may be a bipartisan consensus on backing hawkish Israeli positions, but Washington has little to offer the Palestinians for sticking to the U.S. script
Must-Reads from Around the World, May 21, 2012
Spillover - Lebanon’s Daily Star reports on escalating violence inside the country after soldiers shot dead a prominent anti-Bashar al-Assad Muslim preacher Sunday. “The gravity of the incident… prompted leaders on both sides …
Three Years After War’s End, Sri Lanka Is Only Beginning to Make Peace
When war returned to the Vanni, the vast swath of land in Sri Lanka’s north, it came quickly and left just as fast. For over three decades as Tamil militants fought successive Sri Lankan governments seeking an independent Tamil …
Must-Reads from Around the World: April 30, 2012
Jungle Manhunt – The Washington Post reports on the U.S. military’s bid to capture messianic warlord Joseph Kony in the Central African Republic six months after President Barack Obama ordered 100 elite troops to spearhead the …
No Peace: Why Conflict Persists in Thailand’s Deep South
In late March, a series of orchestrated bomb blasts shook southern Thailand, killing 14 people and drawing the world’s attention to one of Southeast Asia’s longest-running conflicts. The deadly attacks targeted civilians and …
Syria: As His Adversaries Scramble for a Strategy, Assad Sets His Terms
That which has not been achieved on the battlefield can rarely be achieved at the negotiation table, and the harsh reality facing Syria’s opposition is that the regime of President Bashar al-Assad has not been defeated, nor is it …
Why Israel’s Netanyahu May Prefer a Waltz With Hamas to a Tango With Abbas
Tuesday’s milestone prisoner exchange does not, repeat does not portend a new peace process between Israel and Hamas. Neither side is even seeking that goal: If the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is unable to agree peace terms with the moderate President Mahmoud Abbas, it’s hardly about to seek a “grand bargain” to end …
After a U.N. Moment of Truth, Obama Will Struggle to Restore a Broken Mideast Peace Process
Perhaps nobody told President Barack Obama that last week’s United Nations showdown over Palestinian statehood was the proverbial “Emperor’s New Clothes” moment for his Mideast peace effort. U.S. officials are, this week, once again trying to herd the Palestinians back into the same unconditional talks that President Mahmoud Abbas …
Memo to Mideast Quartet: The Israeli-Palestinian Peace Train Derailed Ages Ago
The Obama Administration and its European allies meet Monday in Washington, under the auspices of the Middle East Quartet, in search of a formula to head off a Palestinian bid for recognition of statehood by the U.N. in September. A U.N. vote would be a “train wreck”, U.S. officials like to say, setting up renewed confrontation; …
Libya Clashes Escalate But a Diplomatic Compromise Looms
As NATO’s war in Libya entered its 100th day on Monday, an end to the conflict may be in sight — but not necessarily a decisive one. Military and diplomatic signs point increasingly towards some measure of compromise by both sides in shaping an outcome that neither the regime nor the rebels would have countenanced when their …
