By: Richard Gowan | Column
Last week, President Barack Obama vented his frustration with
diplomacy over Syria, claiming that the alternative to a military strike
would be “the usual hocus-pocus” at the U.N. This was a sour if pithy
turn of phrase from a president who has scored some significant
victories at the U.N. in the past. But Obama should be aware that many
diplomats think the U.S. is guilty of “hocus-pocus” at the U.N. too.
By: Catherine Cheney | Trend Lines
The United Nations reported last week that the number of
refugees leaving Syria has now surpassed 2 million, even while more than
twice that many people are internally displaced. Combined, the numbers
of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) mean that Syria’s
intensifying conflict has forced one-third of the Syrian population from
their homes.
By: Jim Della-Giacoma, Richard Horsey | Feature
As Myanmar emerges from isolation, the challenges facing it can
appear overwhelming. Its top-down transition has turned the country
around in a way not imagined even three years ago, but it is beset by
problems as it tries to shake off years of military rule. Addressing
these challenges will be necessary but not sufficient: If Myanmar cannot
also achieve peace with its armed ethnic groups, then its grand project
of building the country anew will never be reached.
By: Peter Tinti | Column
Niger’s ascendance as a key U.S. ally in the Sahel began as
early as 2006 and quickly gained steam after the fall of Libya’s Moammar
Gadhafi in 2011 and the collapse of Mali in 2012. But France, which
considers its former colonies in the Sahel to be its backyard, is wary
of the increased U.S. presence in Niger. That has created the potential
for tensions to grow along with the U.S. presence in Niger.
By: Richard Weitz | Column
Until today, last week’s G-20 summit looked like a bust. Despite
efforts by President Barack Obama to convince the other leaders in
attendance of the need to respond to the Syrian government’s use of
chemical weapons with military force, the group remained sharply divided
on the issue. But it appears that behind the scenes the participants
were laying the foundations for a new Syrian initiative.
By: Graham Denyer Willis | Feature
Historically, violence and crime in Brazil have been synonymous
with Rio de Janeiro’s favelas. And from the 1990s until just recently,
such violence was public, visible and shocking. Yet much has changed.
Today, organized crime in Brazil is becoming ever more obscured, due to
two factors: the growing influence of a Sao Paulo criminal group known
as the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC); and shifting public security
policies in Rio de Janeiro.
By: Jennifer Giroux, Raymond Gilpin | Feature
Nigeria seems to be at a key moment in its history. Internal
divisions and tensions have been building over the past decade, with
violence now a near-constant part of daily life in some regions. Yet
such dynamics are tempered by the fact that the Nigerian people have
shown tremendous civic resourcefulness, partly due to the fact that over
time, a common sense of “Nigerian identity” has formed—no small feat in
this culturally complex space.
By: Steven Metz | Column
The tumultuous debate over the U.S. response to the use of
chemical weapons in Syria shows that there is no longer a consensus on
the purpose of American military power or even the meaning of "war." But
there is equally little agreement over what should replace the old
ideas. This is leading to a new notion of American power that allows the
direct use of military power only under direct threats to the homeland.
By: Khalid Koser | Briefing
During a recent visit to Afghanistan, I was struck by the
dissonance between the debates over Afghanistan’s future inside and
outside the country. The planned ISAF troop withdrawal in 2014 has
dominated the international agenda since it was announced. But Afghans I
spoke to tend to focus on two other transitions—one political, one
economic—that may be just as significant as for Afghanistan’s security.
By: Frida Ghitis | Column
Whatever happens next in the ongoing drama between the U.S. and
Syria over the use of chemical weapons, it would be difficult to
conclude that President Barack Obama has performed impressively in his
handling of the crisis. Obama’s response to Syria’s slow-motion
disintegration has been marked by a combination of neglect, ambivalence
and improvisation. Any success needs to be measured against these
errors.
By: Adam Isacson | Briefing
With Colombia potentially transitioning from civil war to peace,
the U.S.-Colombia diplomatic relationship is on autopilot, as U.S.
assistance to Colombia declines and the two countries diverge on issues
from drug policy to Syria. But their close military-to-military
relationship could be usefully repurposed to encourage Colombia’s armed
forces to support their government’s peace talks with the guerrillas.
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