Washington Struggles to Find a Path Forward on Syria

As the Syrian army has stepped up its attacks against opposition strongholds in Homs and elsewhere, the U.S. and its allies have achieved little consensus in choosing a course of action to oust President Bashar al-Assad.

U.N. Special Envoy on Iran Details Pattern of Rights Abuses

A United Nations envoy has called on the Iranian government to release all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, and to conduct an extensive, impartial and independent investigation into the violence that followed the 2009 presidential election.

Syria’s Chemical Weapons Trigger New Threats in War Zone

As the besieged government of President Bashar al-Assad continues to violently suppress the warring political opposition in Syria, the United Nations has expressed "concern" over reports "on the possible existence of chemical weapons" in the embattled Middle Eastern country.

Egyptian Ties with US on Civil Society Rocks

Egypt's legal campaign against a handful of foreign NGOs reached a crescendo last week with the repatriation of several U.S. nationals indicted on charges of engaging in unauthorised civil society activity. But many local analysts believe the latest developments - far from signifying the end of the crisis - portend nothing less than a seismic shift in Egypt's longstanding "strategic relationship" with the U.S.

No Red Lines, But No Red Light Either

Intense consultations at the highest level between the U.S. and Israel on how to coordinate their respective strategies vis-à-vis Iran indicate that a strike on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear sites, if launched by Israel, the U.S., or in tandem, wouldn’t occur this spring, probably not even before November.

Arab Women Bring Spring to the Screen

Women have been at the forefront of each uprising in the Arab world. Last week, the ‘8 Arab Women Filmmakers’ festival offered a platform to Arab women directors to give their perspectives on the future of the region.

Festival Brings Human Drama from Headlines to the Screen

The often heroic struggles of some of the world's human rights victims and advocates are on full view at the Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival, which runs through Friday at the TIFF Bell Lightbox theatre.

Following the Money Trail in Gender Financing

Promising methods of tracking aid funding intended to improve women's and girls' livelihoods also offer the possibility of revealing whether donors and policymakers are walking the walk when it comes to gender financing.

U.S. Weapons Claiming Palestinian Lives, Group Says

A new policy paper published earlier this week by the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation documents a number of cases occurring over the past decade in which weapons and ammunition produced and financed by the U.S. have been used to kill unarmed Palestinians and U.S. citizens.

U.S. Lags in Legalising Women’s Rights Treaty

The United States has fallen behind. Many other countries have already implemented it, but the United States still has yet to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which promotes women's rights as human rights.

Protesters Lift Roadblocks in Southern Chile

Leaders of the protests in Aysén decided to end the roadblocks that had paralysed this southern region of Chile for more than three weeks, and the government promised to "immediately" resume talks to defuse the conflict.

Brazil to Open Doors to Skilled Immigrants, Slam Shut to Others

In designing a new immigration policy, Brazil is caught between the need to attract skilled workers and professionals in order to meet the challenges posed by economic growth, and its tradition of taking in immigrants for humanitarian reasons.

‘Human Rights Hell’ in Balochistan Inflames Separatist Sentiments

"We want our homeland; we want freedom from Pakistan and will fight till our last breath," said Zarmine Baloch (23), veiled from head to toe with just her eyes showing.

Groups Reject Holder’s Defence of Targeted Assassination

Two days after U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder outlined the statutory justifications for "targeted killings", civil liberties groups here continue to question the legality of the Obama administration's policy, particularly as it applies to the rights and very lives of both U.S. citizens and foreign nationals.

Q&A: “Social Unrest Can Be a Creative Force”

Social unrest and demands for change are not a negative thing during times of crisis like today, says Rubens Ricupero, a prominent Brazilian diplomat and intellectual.

After Pro-Israel Conference, Gaps Remain Between Netanyahu and Obama

More than 10,000 U.S. citizens descended on Capitol Hill Tuesday under the direction of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the leading voice of the powerful Israel lobby here, to urge their congressional representatives to take a more aggressive stance towards Iran.

Greece Takes the Shine Off Serbian EU Candidacy

Serbia has reached its historic goal of becoming a European Union (EU) member candidate after being a pariah state for years. But analysts warn that the undisputed political success may not bring immediate results.

The Tale of Iran’s “Critical” Election

Iran's Mar. 2 parliamentary elections were touted by many Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the most "critical" event since the establishment of the Islamic Republic 33 years ago.

Prospects for War with Iran Unclear As Obama, Netanyahu End Summit

Is war against Iran, either by Israel, the U.S. or both, closer or farther off after this week's meeting here between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu?

Obama to Pro-Israel Lobby Group: ‘Too Much Loose Talk of War’

U.S. President Barack Obama Sunday made a clear statement against a rush to war - either by the U.S. or Israel - with Iran, while also emphasising that he would pursue that option if alternatives were unsuccessful in ensuring that Iran would not develop a nuclear weapon.

Green Economy Seeks to Maintain Growth Threatened by Disasters

There is every indication that major disasters could be the new midwives of history. Seeking to prevent them, the green economy aims to reduce "environmental risks" and "ecological scarcities" while improving human well-being and social equity.