The White House announced that the US would start providing military aid to some of the rebel groups, but it remains unclear whether arming rebel groups in Syria will contribute to achieving the stated aims of US and UK policy: to save lives, to pressure the Assad regime to negotiate seriously, and to prevent the growth of extremism and terrorism.
Middle East and North Africa
Syria casts its shadow as G8 leaders gather
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.
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.
Libya’s Draft Constitutional Charter for the Transitional Stage: Promise and Drawbacks
The Draft Constitutional Charter reflects, by its very existence and publication, a remarkable degree of forward-planning by the National Transitional Council. It is a bold break with the past, but there are also some drawbacks, both in what is included in the Draft Constitutional Charter and what is missing from it.
Building a democratic state for the new Libya
Sustainable peace, democracy and prosperity depend crucially on choosing the right institutions, but these institutions cannot flourish unless there is security.
Three questions on Libya and one on the region
Resistance by the old regime collapsed relatively quickly on the road to, and in, Tripoli and the rebels clearly have the upper hand now and momentum is on their side, but there is a danger of setbacks.
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.
The EU’s New European Neighbourhood Policy
Is the EU’s New European Neighbourhood Policy fit to address security challenges in the Southern Neighbourhood?