President Obama’s confirmation that the United States would begin arming Syrian rebels has prompted an urgent debate about both the legality and the effectiveness of the decision.
Civil War
From Arab Spring to regional sectarian war?
The significance of Syria, from a regional perspective and apart from the worsening humanitarian crisis, is that the intensely bloody conflict there may be a sign of what the region as a whole may yet experience. Syria is a likely catalyst for such a regional escalation and a definite battle field for the proxy wars already happening.
Managing Expectations in Yemen’s National Dialogue Conference
Managing expectations inside and outside of Yemen about what the National Dialogue can accomplish will enable broadly acceptable outcomes to be achieved by participants in the conference and their subsequent sustainable implementation by all stakeholders.
Libya: Planning for the Day after
The balance sheet of internationalised peace and state building is less than stellar, but it offers important lessons for the conflict in Libya.
Libya: 100 Days On
One-hundred days on from the beginning of NATO’s “Operation Unified Protector”, the question remains whether an eventual solution to the on-going crisis in Libya will be worse than the problem it was meant to deal with.
Negotiating with the Taliban: A promising exit strategy?
A political settlement will only be possible and sustainable if both the Afghan government and the Taliban commit to it credibly and if it has broad regional and international support during its negotiation and implementation.
Three reasons why we should not arm the Libyan rebels
Thus far, the enforcement of the no-fly zone has served its purpose and stopped Gaddafi’s forces from further advances. Perhaps it is time to scale back military talk and give diplomacy another chance, including by working closely with, rather than arming, the rebels.
Libya: A solution worse than the problem?
Related NotesAs the crisis in Libya unfolds and as the US, France and the UK get potentially sucked ever deeper into yet another disastrous military intervention, policy debates and decisions appear to be driven primarily by humanitarian concern. Unsurprisingly,...
South Sudan: The Challenges of Independence
As clear as the vote in favour of independence was, as formidable are the challenges lying ahead for North and South, as well as the international community, in managing the coming separation.