The Palestinians’ right of return challenges not only international law itself, but more so the political will of UN member states to act in the face of blatant racism and forced dispossession. A reply to Ahmed Badawi’s “Palestine: seize the initiative”.
China launches crackdown in Xinjiang region. Iran urged to accept nuclear proposals. Karadzic attends trial for first time. Fiji lashes out at Australia and New Zealand. All this and more in today's update.
How does the great uprising of 1989 look now, in the perspective of twenty years? Many questions still surround the events when “we the people” became the subjects of history in east-central Europe, the Berlin wall fell, the communist governments in the region disintegrated, and the cold war expir
Afghan President Hamid Karzai wins tarnished election. US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton sparks criticism for praise of Israeli concessions. Suicide bombing kills dozens in Rawalpindi. South Sudan leader calls for independence. UN chides Congolese army for civilian massacres. All this and more
Brazil’s social and economic achievement during President Lula’s period in office is the foundation of its rising international status. But to ensure its future Brazil needs to pass two major tests, says Arthur Ituassu.
Iran seeks alterations to an international agreement over its nuclear programme. The political stand off in Honduras appears to have been solved by an agreement between Manuel Zelaya and Roberto Micheletti. Presidential hopeful Abdullah Abdullah withdraws his candidacy from the Afghanistan elector
Eight boats in the hands of Somali pirates following spate of hijackings. Zimbabwe calls UN human rights experts a gatecrasher. US officials seek resolution prior to Honduran elections. Venezuela accuses Colombia of US-backed espionage. India will withdraw troops from Jammu. All this and more in t
A powerful bomb blast in Peshawar leaves ninety dead, hundreds wounded. Six UN employees killed in Kabul. Guinea’s September massacre pre-planned according to Human Rights Watch. The political crisis deepens in Zimbabwe. The Hague hears how Karadzic ‘ordered’ ethnic cleansing. All this and more in
As the UN moves to create a strong women's agency led by an Under Secretary General, Charlotte Bunch argues that leadership and funding will determine the real success of the new unit and how powerful it will be.
Barack Obama’s achievement has been to improve the United States-China relationship while unsettling China’s elite by offering it co-superpower status. North Korea is a test of Beijing’s resulting dilemma, says Kerry Brown.
The international intervention in Afghanistan is beset by problems. But it can still be put right if the strategy is “civilianised” and “Afghanised” under United Nations leadership, say Pierre Schori & Shahrbanou Tadjbakhsh.
The danger of security agencies and violent groups using “incapacitatant” chemical agents to disable armed or civilian adversaries has grown since the Moscow theatre siege of 2002. There is urgent need and imminent opportunity for regulation, says Michael Crowley.
