“Is it working?” is the question most commonly asked of aid. In response, aid agencies feed the public a diet of overwhelmingly “good news stories” to convince them that it is working. This diverts attention from the central question: how to reduce the major gap between what aid currently does and what it could achieve. How donors provide aid is a major cause of aid’s current ineffectiveness.

Obama demands cooperation from Iran and North Korea at South Korean summit. Karzai sworn in as president. Peshawar faces further bombing. Yemeni forces claim scalps in battle with Houthi rebels. South African mercenaries training pro-government militia in Guinea. All this and more in today's update.

International Alert supports a series of small post-conflict initiatives in Burundi. And some of the values that motivate these are also dear to the liberal hearts of the international community. A reply to Oliver Richmond’s ‘Liberal Peace Transitions’.