Armed Conflicts

OP-ED: Washington’s Anemic Resolve on Egypt’s Human Rights

By Emile Nakhleh
The unexpected resignation of Hazem al-Biblawi, Egypt’s interim prime minister, and his government this week and the appointment of Ibrahim Mehlib, a Mubarak-era industrialist, as a new prime minister seem to pave the way for Field Marshal Abdul Fattah al-Sisi’s anticipated presidential bid.

Economic Reforms Needed for Peace in South Sudan

By Charlton Doki
Gatmai Deng lost three family members in the violence that erupted in South Sudan on Dec. 15 and lasted until the end of January. And he blames their deaths on the government’s failure to use the country’s vast oil revenues to create a better life for its almost 11 million people.

North Korea Doing Fine Without the South

By Ahn Mi Young
If the North Korea of the 1990s was seen as a starving nation that produced an exodus of hungry people, then the picture should be even gloomier now – six years after it stopped receiving South Korea’s generous aid. But it’s not. The nation of 24 million people, widely said to be the most secretive in the world and a nuclear threat, appears to have weathered the years well.

U.N. Report on South Sudan Paints Grim Picture

By Samuel Oakford
An interim human rights report released by the beleaguered U.N. peacekeeping mission in South Sudan is being tentatively hailed by rights groups and observers who have pressured the mission to be more transparent with its findings.

U.S., EU Out-Manoeuvred by Syria

By Thalif Deen
An inflow of Russian-made weapons. Political and military support from Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Sharp dissension among fractious rebel groups. And the unyielding loyalty of the armed forces.

CORRECTION/OP-ED: Nuclear Disarmament, the State of Play

By Peter Weiss
If psychosis is a loss of contact with reality, the current status of nuclear disarmament can best be described as psychotic.

Hagel Urges Less Money for U.S. Army, More for Special Forces

By Jim Lobe
Signalling a somewhat more modest global U.S. military posture, Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel Monday called for sharp reductions in the size of the U.S. Army, the service that has borne the brunt of the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan over the past dozen years.

Students Take On the Army

By Ashfaq Yusufzai
Disturbed by civilian casualties and moved by the plight of people living like refugees in their own country, students from Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) are demanding an end to army operations against militants on their native soil.

Refugees Ski Too, in Iraq

By Jewan Abdi
No one here has heard of the Sochi Winter Olympics. But the snow conditions are perfect in these Kurdish mountains of Iraq and 11-year-old Syrian refugee Hassan Khishman is thrilled to glide on skis for the first time.

Somalia Powerless to Stop Al-Shabaab Mobile Internet Shutdown

By Ahmed Osman
Osman Ali, the owner of an electronics shop in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, has been hard-hit since Al-Shabaab forced the biggest telecoms company to switch off its mobile internet service in this Horn of Africa nation.

European Ruling Ignites Freedom Debate

By Ray Smith
A ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in relation to a Turkish national has kicked up a new row on anti-racism legislation.

Nuclear Weapons Leave Unspeakable Legacy

By Emilio Godoy
For decades, Yasuaki Yamashita kept secret his experiences as a survivor of the nuclear attack launched by the United States on the Japanese city of Nagasaki on Aug. 9, 1945.

USAID Unveils Five-Year Plan in Afghanistan

By Bryant Harris
Even as most international military forces are slated to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014, USAID, the foreign aid arm of the U.S. government, is emphasising its sustained commitment to developing Afghanistan’s economy after the withdrawal.

Obama’s Arms Sales Policy: Promotion or Restraint?

By William Hartung
The United States is the world’s leading arms trafficking nation, with $60 billion in arms transfer agreements last year alone. In 2011, U.S. companies and the U.S. government controlled over three-quarters of the international weapons trade.

Waiting for Justice for Mali’s Missing Soldiers

By Marc-Andre Boisvert
Aminata Diarra last saw her brother, Malamine, a member of the Malian Red Berets, special forces loyal to ousted president Amadou Toumani Toure, alive on national television almost two years ago.

After War Comes Peace, Not Prosperity

By Amantha Perera
Sri Lanka’s war-battered Northern Province had reason to celebrate when the results of a countrywide exam were announced last December. Of the 16,604 students from the province who sat for the exam, 63.8 percent secured the required marks for entry into prestigious national universities.

Nuke Summit Agenda Circumvents Armed Powers

By Thalif Deen
When over 50 world leaders meet in the Netherlands next month for a Nuclear Security Summit (NSS), the primary focus will be on a politically-loaded question: how do we prevent non-state actors and terrorists from getting their hands on nuclear weapons or nuclear materials?

An Iran in Flux Marks 35th Anniversary of Revolution

By Jasmin Ramsey
Thirty-five years ago today, millions of Iranians embraced a religious leader promising freedom from a corrupt monarchy and national independence. Now many want a better standard of living and improved civil rights.

Mexico Deputises Vigilantes in Cartel Wars

By Daniela Pastrana
“In the long term, what benefit will regulation of the autodefensas [self-defence groups] bring us? Do you think I have an aptitude or professional vocation for police work?” asked Juan Carlos Trujillo, a peace activist in the Mexican state of Michoacán.

Philippines Makes Tentative Truce With Islamists

By Richard Heydarian
After two years of intensive negotiations, the Philippine government and the country’s largest rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), have signed a final peace agreement, which paves the way for a lasting resolution of one of the world’s longest-running intra-state conflicts.

Bursting the ‘Blood Bubble’

By Pierre Klochendler
The longstanding Israeli practice of labelling settlement products “Made in Israel” is leading to mounting opposition to the occupation.
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