Armed Conflicts

Non-Nuclear Ukraine Haunts Security Summit in The Hague

By Thalif Deen
The two-day, much-ballyhooed Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) in the Netherlands, which concluded Tuesday, was politically haunted by the upheaval in Ukraine - the former Soviet republic that renounced some 1,800 of its nuclear weapons in one of the world's most successful disarmament exercises back in 1994.

Fighting a ‘Losing’ War With the Taliban

By Ashfaq Yusufzai
Pakistan is in the midst of a heated debate on continuing military operations against the Taliban in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), especially after the brutal killing of 23 army soldiers last month.

OP-ED: The Elephant vs. the Shark

By Lawrence Wilkerson
To pivot, according to the venerable Oxford English Dictionary, means “to turn as on a pivot.” Which takes us to the noun, which seems more appropriate for describing the Obama administration’s Pacific policy: “That on which anything turns; a cardinal or central point.”

U.S. Joins Global Transparency Tide in Extractives Sector

By Carey L. Biron
An unusual combination of industry, government, investors and civil society here is celebrating the United States’ initial acceptance into a prominent global initiative aimed at strengthening transparency and accountability in the extractives industry.

The Uses of Ukraine

By Jim Lobe
The observation that the Chinese characters for the word “crisis” combine the characters for “danger” and “opportunity” has become a staple of Washington foreign policy discourse for years.

Sri Lanka Prepares for Geneva Showdown

By Amantha Perera
As Sri Lanka steadfastly refuses any external inquiry into human rights abuses allegedly committed when the government pushed a military victory over Tamil rebels in its decades-long sectarian conflict, right groups say the global community is left with no option but to push for an international investigation.

Ukraine Confronts Another Split

By Zack Baddorf
In Donetsk’s Lenin Square, Yuroslav Korotenko keeps a constant vigil inside a tent erected just a few feet away from a massive statue of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin.

A Budding Alliance: Vietnam and the Philippines Confront China

By Walden Bello
Last year, the Philippines brought a complaint against China’s aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea to the United Nations Arbitral Tribunal. It was a master stroke by the Philippine government.

OP-ED: A New World Order? Think Again

By James A. Russell
Russia’s storming of the Ukrainian naval base in Crimea just as Iran and world powers wrapped up another round of negotiations in Vienna earlier this week represent seemingly contradictory bookends to a world that some believe is spinning out of control.

In Accepting Ethiopia, Transparency Group “Sacrifices Credibility”

By Carey L. Biron
A major international initiative aimed at promoting transparency in the extractives industry is coming under harsh criticism for accepting an application from Ethiopia, despite significant ongoing legal restrictions on the country’s civil society.

West Africa’s Refugee and Security Crisis

By Marc-Andre Boisvert
In West Africa, the Malian and Ivorian political crises have resulted in the biggest number of refugees in the region. But brewing insecurity could mean that they will be unable to return home any time soon as armed groups remain a threat to West Africa.

Amidst the Guns, Free Choice for Crimeans

By Zack Baddorf
Crimean officials have reported that roughly 97 percent of Crimeans voted for independence from Ukraine on Sunday, with a turnout of about 80 percent. Yet the security situation in Crimea has led many to question how free the vote really was.

Cameroon ‘Safe Haven’ Town Strains Under CAR Refugee Influx

By Monde Kingsley Nfor
Abdul Karim arrived in Cameroon’s eastern border town of Garoua-Boula from Central African Republic’s Yaloke district at the end of February as part the largest influx of refugees into Cameroon.

Middle East Sustains Appetite for Arms

By Thalif Deen
The Middle East continues to be one of the world's most lucrative arms markets, with two Gulf nations - Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) - taking the lead, according to a new study released Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Past Crimes Haunt Afghan Progress

By Giuliano Battiston
As Afghanistan heads for presidential elections Apr. 5, people are asking if the country’s massive legacy of human rights violations will be swept under the carpet yet again by the new government.

Ukraine Gropes for Unity

By Justin Hyatt
Amidst rising tensions within Ukraine, between its government and Russia, and even more between Russia and the West, many are now beginning to fear the beginning of a new Cold War. Talk of sanctions is finding new supporters, and there are proposals to freeze plans for a G8 summit scheduled in Russia later this year.

U.S.-Russia Bickering May Trigger Nuclear Fallout

By Thalif Deen
The U.S.-Russian confrontation over Ukraine, which is threatening to undermine current bilateral talks on North Korea, Iran, Syria and Palestine, is also in danger of triggering a nuclear fallout.

Russian Repression Sweeps Crimea

By Pavol Stracansky
Crimea is facing a violent wave of human rights abuses, activists warn, with kidnappings of journalists and rights campaigners, harassment of non-Russian minorities and reports of growing persecution of anyone thought to be sympathising with the pro-European Kiev government.

Radicalised Right Grasps for Reins of Power in El Salvador

By Edgardo Ayala
The few tenths of a percentage between presidential candidates in the elections of Sunday Mar. 9 have been confirmed in the final vote tally, keeping the right in El Salvador in the opposition – and increasingly antagonistic toward the second consecutive government of the leftwing FMLN.

Split over Ukraine Could Undermine Peace in Syria

By Thalif Deen
As the protracted Syrian conflict enters its fourth year, there seems to be little or no hope of a resolution to the devastating crisis.

OP-ED: Participation Is Key to Women’s Equality and Empowerment

By Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury
The largest annual gathering with special focus on issues which impact on women and thereby humanity as a whole is now taking place in New York.
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