Armed Conflicts

U.S. Urged to Delink Foreign Military, State-building Actions

By Carey L. Biron
Development workers and aid strategists are urging the U.S. government to adopt a comprehensive strategy for addressing root problems in “fragile states”, warning that an outdated focus on military intervention is draining resources and exacerbating security problems.

“Censorship by Murder Will Not Silence Truth”

By Kanya D'Almeida
It was almost four o’clock in the morning on Feb. 18, 1990, when Dr. Manorani Saravanamuththu pulled into the driveway of No. 42 Castle Street, an old Portuguese-style home located in a suburb of Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo.

World’s Nuclear Environment Remains Politically Toxic

By Thalif Deen
The world's nuclear environment has increasingly turned politically toxic, replete with threats, accusations and open defiance of Security Council resolutions.

Taliban Running Out of Suicide Bombers

By Ashfaq Yusufzai
Taliban militants have been losing grip over the handling of their would-be suicide bombers. Of late they failed to carry out their missions as planned.

Switzerland Checks Mercenaries, Partially

By Ray Smith
The Swiss government has presented a draft law regulating the private military industry but critics argue the law is toothless.

Gangnam Style Finds a Tragic Touch in Gaza

By Eva Bartlett
“We wanted to do something to bring focus to the plight of Palestinian political prisoners, of which there are around 5,000 in Israeli jails, including hunger strikers, children, women,” says Mohannad Barakat, 30, one of seven Palestinians who have made a Palestinian version of the Gangnam style.

Yemen’s Youth Denied the Revolutionary Change

By Rebecca Murray
This week in Sana’a thousands of Yemenis – mostly youth - crowded the highway near the landmark ‘Change Square’ to celebrate the second anniversary of the revolution. Adjacent to the university, this was the site of a tented encampment that drew tens of thousands of demonstrators throughout 2011.

Crisis Group Urges Comprehensive Talks to End Sudan Conflicts

By Jim Lobe
Amidst ongoing violence and continuing humanitarian emergencies in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, the International Crisis Group (ICG) called Thursday for a comprehensive solution to Sudan’s many regional conflicts.

Obama Administration Reveals Deep Divisions on Syria Policy

By Samer Araabi
Though President Barack Obama has been reticent to involve his administration too deeply in the Syrian uprising, revelations over the past week have shown near-unanimous agreement among the president’s top national security advisors for greater military intervention.

Israelis Ski on Thin Snow

By Pierre Klochendler
Unbending winds howl in the mountain, seldom carrying echoes of the two-year-old civil war closing in on Damascus just 35 kilometres away. But Israelis revel in immaculate pleasure. Albeit an internationally-recognised Syrian territory, the Israeli-controlled high ground is de facto their one and only ski resort.

African Troops Arrive As Divisions Fracture Malian Army

By Soumaila T. Diarra
Soldiers belonging to the African-led International Support Mission to Mali continue to stream into this West African nation, as several hundred troops have already been deployed to secure towns across the country.

North Korean Test Puts More Pressure on Obama

By Jim Lobe
Tuesday’s nuclear test by North Korea poses major new questions about the sustainability of President Barack Obama’s first-term policy of “strategic patience” in dealing with Pyongyang.

Advocates Lay Groundwork for New Arms Trade Talks

By Carey L. Biron
With a new round of negotiations for an international treaty regulating the international trade of small-scale weapons slated for next month, advocates here have stepped up a campaign to clarify what exactly the treaty is trying to accomplish – and to eliminate some opposition to the treaty from within the U.S. Congress that, they say, is based on misinformation.

Christian or Muslim – ‘We are All Victims of Those Terrorists’

By Marc-Andre Boisvert
At the entrance to the Evangelical church in Mopti, central Mali, military soldiers stood on either side of the door as Pastor Luc Sagara greeted his parishioners for Sunday mass.

‘We Grow, They Bulldoze, We Re-Plant’

By Eva Bartlett
Tawfiq Mandil, 45, stands amongst hundreds of Palestinian farmers, activists, and international supporters in the Gaza Strip's eastern Zeitoun district, about half a kilometre from the border with Israel. They are renewing a call for the boycott of Israeli goods.

OP-ED: Succeed or Fail? What Obama Must Do in the Middle East

By Robert E. Hunter
Every U.S. president since Harry Truman has sought to disentangle the United States from the Middle East, and all have been sucked back into the region and its problems.

Victor’s Justice Plays Out in Côte d’Ivoire

By Robbie Corey-Boulet
The extradition of high-level allies of former Côte d’Ivoire President Laurent Gbagbo from Ghana back to their home country, including a most recent one on Feb. 5, has brought renewed scrutiny to the Ivorian judiciary, which critics say is implementing a form of one-sided victor’s justice since the 2010 to 2011 post-election conflict.

Golan Heights Braces for More Fighting

By Jillian Kestler-D'Amours
After Israeli war planes reportedly bombed targets in Syrian territory last week, individuals and groups in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights are quietly preparing for the possibility of escalating violence between Syria and Israel.

“Drone” a Dirty Word in the U.N. Lexicon

By Thalif Deen
The "drone", one of the eminently controversial lethal weapons deployed by the United States in its war against terrorism, is obviously a dirty word in the U.N. lexicon.

Northern Mali Faces Food and Currency Shortages

By Emmanuel Haddad
Communities in northern Mali are in need of humanitarian intervention following the recent military operations in Gao and Timbuktu, leading non-governmental organisations to call for deliveries of food aid, fuel and even currency notes.

Israeli Activists Invite Palestinian Vote

By Mel Frykberg
Unknown to the Israeli government or the Israeli electorate, hundreds of Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza took part in the recent Israeli elections by default thanks to an act of civil disobedience by Israeli peace activists.
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