Illegal drug trafficking is deeply embedded in Mexico. Collusion between the state and ‘self-defence’ groups is not, however, the answer to it.
In the first of a series of articles marking the hundredth year of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Cynthia Cockburn explores the roots of the women's peace movement and its aim not just to outlaw war, but to root out its causes.
Jordan appears to have been relatively unaffected by the upheavals of the Arab uprisings, but growing resentment at nepotism, pandemic corruption, and economic deprivation lies just beneath the surface.
News that the British government has accepted Cornwall as a national minority may be a cynical attempt to win a couple of marginal seats, but it should be welcomed.
China's rich history is a seductive resource for China's modern politicians. But its complexity can also make it a selective one, says Kerry Brown.
Turkey's political leadership has created a distinctive form of rule. But growing strains now make it harder than ever to sustain the model, says Kerem Öktem.
A question asked on the radio impels the author to ponder about the absense of peace demonstrations in Israel, Netanyahu's and Abbas' visits to the White House and why matza is what it is.
Euroscepticism is a strategically invented social construct – much like the myth of “ever closer union” itself – to capture and channel growing popular discontent with the aftermath of the European integration process.
Minstrels must demonstrate musical nerve, whether in Brussels or in their national headquarters. If not, they are just sycophant turncoats!
One key driver of escalation in the Balkans in the early 1990s also poses a continuing risk as the Ukraine crisis unfolds. That is the contribution of ostensibly 'democratic' processes - elections, referenda, even constitution-making - to inflaming tensions.
