To what extent is American support of the Lebanese military doing more harm than good to US interests in the country if this aid falls into the hands of Hezbollah? Paul Salem of the Carnegie Endowment tackled this question recently in Politico, arguing that aid should not be stopped as Lebanon’s military actually provides an important counterweight to Hezbollah, and stopping aid could undermine their power in the country.
Iran has the highest rate of child executions in the world, and the rate is increasing. While sentences are often approved by the country’s highest judicial authorities, they are often the result of improper adjudication; lack or limited access to legal representation and contradictory sentences by different branches of the judiciary. Among the challenges to the abolishment of the death penalty for children is the low age of criminal responsibility. With his report “From Cradle to Coffin,” Christian Salazar Volkmann from the Foreign Policy Centre sheds light on a crucial human aspect of Iran’s violations of international law.
As a power vacuum develops in Iraq, Paul Salem reviews the least likely but most desirable of three scenarios for the future of the sub-region. Outlining the most positive aspects of Middle Eastern relations, Salem calls for a formal framework for communication and cooperation in order to encourage stability and economic development in this critical part of the world.
Tom Cargil, assistant head of the Africa Programme at Chatham House, seeks to readdress familiar development issues in the world’s poorest continent by shedding light on the tendency to view these issues as a single insoluble problem for which the word “Africa” has become shorthand. By looking towards a new, multilateral era in the post-G8 world, Cargill calls for recognition of Africa’s increasingly important strategic role in international affairs.
The legacy of the Soviet Union’s 10-year incursion in Afghanistan and its humiliating defeat at the hands of the mujahideen lives on in the memory of many Russians today. Even post 9/11 Russia refused, and still refuses, to set foot in Afghanistan again, leaving the groundwork to the US-led coalition forces. The Carnegie Endowment report Afghanistan: A View from Moscow explains that, despite Russia’s hesitation to become involved, it does take an invested interest in the outcome of the war as Afghanistan presents several serious risks to its security and status in the region.
Following the death of Rafic Hariri, his son, Saad Hariri, was propelled into the center of Lebanese politics. Now as prime minister, he will face the daunting task of attenuating sectarian tensions if the fragile stability he has managed to put in place is to become sustainable.
Despite the recognition of the impact of this disease on the wellbeing of individuals, less attention has been given to the economic affects of the disease. In a recent report by Chatham House, Catherine Pazderka takes a look at how HIV/AIDS impacts the food supply chain. For governments and institutions wishing to see the development and economic stabilization of a region like Sub-Saharan Africa, HIV/AIDS will have to be prioritized.
In a recent article for The New Yorker, Steve Coll delved into a complicated question regarding Afghanistan’s future, a question that the Obama administration has been reluctant to answer: Is it possible to negotiate with the Taliban. Coll explains that currently the Obama administration has an unclear policy towards the possibility of negotiations. Although their need is clear, multiple obstacles currently stand in the way of an effective reconciliation process with the Taliban.
A recent report by the Council on Foreign Relations discusses the future of America’s relationship with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in ensuring immunity from prosecution for US nationals. Its suggestion, however, that the US refuses to play by the ICC’s rulebook, are questionable, particularly given the importance of the ICC’s universal jurisdiction to its ability to fairly account for injustice world wide.
Counterterrorism strategies risk being further complicated by developments in the jihadi movements of Central Asia. In an innovative report, the Center for Strategic and International Studies preempts a mass migration of Central Asian jihadists from Afghanistan and Pakistan back home and suggests ways of preventing Central Asia from becoming the next hot spot of extremism and instability.
Human Rights Watch released a report disclosing the existence of a secret prison where over 400 Iraqis had been systematically tortured and held without charges since September 2009. The detention of predominantly Sunnis could have a negative impact on Iraq’s sectarian tensions.
The recent arrests of members of the Shura by the ISI have led many to argue that Pakistan has re-evaluated its relationship to the Taliban. Tellis, however, argues the contrary, explaining in her most recent report that the Pakistan’s preoccupation with leading negotiations between the Taliban and Afghanistan played a more important role in these arrests than any fundamental redirection of its policy towards the Taliban.
A global survey shows a steep decline in US approval ratings in Muslim countries
As many regional variables begin to play into the future defi nition of Saudi-US ties, the formula that was once used to characterize their rapport no longer applies writes Caryle Murphy
Subscribe to Majalla iPhone to receive the latest news and political analysis around the clock wherever you are.
A brilliantly well-measured piece of thought-provoking reflection which should merit the attention a ...
Dr. Kwaku Asante-Darko at Aug 18, 2010 5:36 PM
I believe that egypt has to
1. Free its dependency on US for aid.
2. Have an assertive pol
...
Mike Edwards at Aug 10, 2010 6:16 PM
thanks for great informations It's a wonderful
finance personal software at Aug 10, 2010 6:10 PM
© Copyright 2010 Al Majalla
