Conflict

Efforts to revive middle east peace talks overshadowed by Israeli settlement construction in east Jerusalem. Tibet marks anniversary of 1959 uprising. Ahmadinejad in Afghanistan for talks. Governor of Plateau State blames Nigerian army for killings. Aung San Suu Kyi barred from polls. Aid workers killed in Pakistan. All this and more in today’s security briefing.

Although plagued by internal armed conflict, massive displacement, and human rights abuses, the situation in CAR seems almost forgotten by the international community. Anna Husarska argues that more attention to the area is crucial now as the region works toward restoring peace and security

A shifting balance of calculation in the middle east makes Lebanon’s Hizbollah movement more confident in its strategy of “deterrence-by-terror” vis-à-vis Israel, says Robert G Rabil

Burmese military junta unveil laws for elections later this year. French navy captures 35 Somali pirate suspects. Bali bombing mastermind thought dead after shoot-out with Indonesian police. Iran calls for China to withstand sanctions pressure. All this and much more, in today's security briefing.

Attacks on election day kill 38 in Iraq. Renewed peace effort for Israel and Palestine. US-South Korean military drills spark North Korean anger. Reprisal attacks leave at least 100 dead in Nigeria. Explosion in Lahore kills 11. All this as more, in today’s update.

“Peace processes are bad men talking to bad government and other bad men.....women in civil society are doing tremendous work on the ground, but they are not heard, they are not respected, and above all they are not funded.” Mary Robinson speaking at the UNCSW....

Insurgents strike polling stations as Iraq votes for its new government. Turkey withdraws its ambassador to the US in the wake of a House committee vote condemning the Armenian genocide. The British PM defends the Iraq war. Clashes erupt at the al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. All this and more, in today’s security update.

Bangladesh has been rocked by the recent flaring up of decades old ethnic tensions, as Bengali settlers set fire to hundreds of indigenous homes. Pinaki Roy reports from Dhaka on the latest developments and explores the background to the violence

The ICTY's struggle to prosecute war criminals causes a further decline in credibility in times when progress is vital for Croatia and the relation between Serbia and Bosnia.

Daniel Goldhagen’s book “Worse Than War” includes British colonial rule in Kenya in the 1950s among its case-studies of “elimination”. A close reading of the demographic evidence reveals the falsity of the argument, says David Elstein.  

A leading lawyer sums it up, Britain's attack on Iraq was illegal

Suicide bombers target Iraqi city ahead of polls. Arab League backs indirect talks with Israel. Afghanistan bans coverage of Taliban attacks. Italy arrests Iran arms smugglers. Fighting kills twelve in Somalia. Agathe Habyarimana arrested for genocide. All this and more in today’s security briefing.

Viktor Yushchenko has left his successor a ticking time bomb. His name is Stepan Bandera. Should Yanukovych strip him of the official status of hero, which he has been accorded?

White House reconsiders nuclear weapons policy. Pakistani Taliban chief killed by US airstrike. Dubai moves to tighten Israeli entry ban. All this and much more, in today’s security briefing.

As campaigning in the Iraqi election intensifies, there is a danger that the race will be won by ill-gotten wealth.

Earthquake in Chile causes mass destruction and displacement. Islamist opposition orders the World Food Programme out of Somalia. Colombia’s election race begins as President Uribe denied third term. Northern Liberia under curfew following the outbreak of religious violence. Malaysian peace monitors arrive in the Philippines in an attempt to revive talks. All this and more in today's update.

There are some rare occasions when the powers-that-be discover that it is ‘realistic’ to support civilian peace initiatives; when the manipulation of grievance has to be put in rapid reverse…

The United States’s long-term operations in Helmand and elsewhere in Afghanistan face acute military and political pressures.

Hassan Nasrallah meets with Bashar al-Assad and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Damascus. A suicide attack kills seventeen in Kabul. A previously banned judgement on MI5’s use of torture is published. All this and more, in today’s security update.

Chittagong Hill Tracts shaken by riots and arson. India and Pakistan take steps to rebuild their relationship. Niger leaders rule themselves out of elections. Darfur rebels contradict president’s claim that the war is over. All this and more in today’s briefing.