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.