In The News

Let Colombia End Its Civil War

Washington Office on Latin America June 5, 2014
The illicit drug trade in Colombia has left hundreds of thousands dead and displaced millions, even though the United States has spent $9 billion since 2000, mostly on security. The government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) are engaged in peace talks in Cuba and have signed a preliminary accord: “The agreement offers a viable plan for the FARC to end its involvement in the...

Why Pope Francis’s Peace Plan Won't Pay Off

Benny Avni May 29, 2014
President Shimon Peres and Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization Mahmoud Abbas accepted an invitation from the leader of the world’s Catholics to participate in peace talks at the Vatican. Many remain skeptical that a “prayer for peace” will have significant impact on a long and bitter conflict. As Benny Avni of Newsweek details, one obstacle is the power differential between the two...

Palestinian Agreement on Unity Government Troubles Israel, US

Ahmed Abuhamda and Nicholas Casey April 25, 2014
Palestine factions plan a unity government, and United States and Israel argue the move undermines peace talks shepherded by US Secretary of State John Kerry. The West Bank has been controlled by Fatah and Gaza Strip by Hamas, a group committed to the destruction of Israel. The Israeli prime minister canceled a meeting of peace negotiators and Hamas reported Israel fired rockets into the Gaza...

The West’s Financial Arsenal

Harold James April 23, 2014
After Russia’s annexation of Crimea, pro-Russian militants continue efforts to occupy public buildings in Eastern Ukraine and destabilize an interim government. “Putin is attempting to boost Russia’s appeal by doubling Crimeans’ pensions, boosting the salaries of the region’s 200,000 civil servants, and constructing large, Sochi-style infrastructure,” explains history professor Harold James for...

“Partner for Russia”: Europe's Far Right Flirts With Moscow

Charles Hawley April 16, 2014
Members of the far right want to put a chokehold on government power in Europe, a goal shared by Russia. “Skepticism of immigration and a keen worry about the threat posed by Islamist extremism make Putin a natural ally for a xenophobic right whose political bread and butter is their vociferous attacks on European immigration policy,” reports Charles Hawley for Spiegel Online. “His heavy-handed...

MH370 Amuses as Syria Suffers

Tony Burman April 1, 2014
The global audience appears to be more curious about the mystery of 239 people on board Malaysian Flight MH370 than the victims of the civil war in Syria – as many as 125,000 dead, including nearly 12,000 children, and millions of refugees as of December. Tony Burman, journalism professor, reviews the news coverage of a search by 25 nations for a missing jet versus the suffering in a refugee camp...

Putin’s Dangerous Game

Strobe Talbott March 11, 2014
Displeased by the removal of its ally in Ukraine, and contending a need to protect ethnic Russians wherever they live, Russia has dispatched troops to the neighboring state. The next step is redrawing Ukrainian borders by annexing Crimea under the guise of a hastily arranged election limited to the peninsula. The international community is unlikely to respond with military force, but could...