In The News

Syria: No End in Sight

Fawaz A. Gerges July 17, 2012
With Damascus in flames and massacres in the countryside, a diplomatic solution to the Syrian crisis seems impossible. International and regional powers are fiercely divided: The US and other Western powers won’t try a military intervention without approval from the UN Security Council. Russia and China, permanent members of the UN Security Council, threaten to veto military intervention, and US...

Mali: Refugee Flows and Increased Hunger Point to Need for Mali Federation

Rene Wadlow July 1, 2012
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees drew attention to the increased number of refugees and internally-displaced people in Mali – a crisis deteriorating a society and economy already in disarray. Analysts point to political conflict as a root cause. The UNHCR is experienced in assisting refugees, but has not addressed the underlying political issues. Two rival Tuareg groups, the Mouvement...

Syrian Conflict Promises Toxic Outcome – Part II

Dilip Hiro June 28, 2012
Underlying unrest and conflict in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East is sectarian divide. In Syria, Alawites, a Shia sub-sect, rule over a population that’s 70 percent Sunni. Sunni-run Qatar and Saudi Arabia supply weapons to Syrian rebels, mostly Sunni, even while hoping to keep their own sizable Shia populations at bay. War in Syria poses regional dangers, and in the second article of a two...

Syrian Conflict Promises Toxic Outcome – Part I

Leonard S. Spector June 26, 2012
Stability for Syria – with its deep sectarian divide, authoritarian minority rule by Alawites over Sunnis, and heavy military support from the likes of Iran and Russia – has long been tenuous. As the US assists Saudi Arabia and Qatar in arming Syrian rebels, eruption of war is anticipated within weeks. Stockpiles of chemical weapons, hundreds of tons concentrated in a handful of sites, guarded by...

The Court Rules in Pakistan

Paula Newberg June 21, 2012
Pakistan has a history of its civilian government being removed from power by the military, and last week the country’s Supreme Court mounted what could be the first judicial coup. As Pakistan faces terrorist challenges, political turmoil and economic crises, the activist Supreme Court has compounded the challenges – ruling that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani’s contempt-of-court conviction...

Standoff in the South China Sea

Carlyle A. Thayer June 12, 2012
The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS, designates boundaries for the seas, sorting out nation’s rights to fish and exploit other resources, including gas and oil. An offshore island, defined as a naturally formed feature with an economic function, is entitled to a 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone; rocks are entitled to 12 nautical miles of territorial waters, but not an...

China’s New Flexibility on Foreign Intervention

Johan Lagerkvist May 29, 2012
Authoritarian regimes around the world took note as protests spread swiftly throughout the Middle East, spurred by deep societal anger and the internet. Global powers had to take a stance, whether to side with brutal, corrupt, even delusional dictators or with citizens demanding justice and human rights. With its investments reaching every corner of the globe, China has struggled to rationalize...