All Backchannels
In Egypt, the army wins. Again.Egypt's presidential election Sunday was supposed to be the culmination of a transition to democracy. Instead, the military junta made it clear it has no interest in a truly democratic transition.- Why the UN suspended ineffective observer mission in SyriaCiting the safety of unarmed observers, the UN has suspended its Syria monitoring effort. It's the first step toward crafting a new international approach.
- Thomas Friedman... for her!A new bar has been set for internet parodies of the New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman.
Egypt's ruling junta consolidates its positionWith parliament dissolved, a retired air force general and long-time Mubarak crony in a runoff for the presidency, and democracy activists in disarray, Egypt's ruling junta is in the catbird seat.
Syria war drumbeat builds, but where is it leading?Pundits from John Bolton to Nick Kristof are issuing calls to arms. But there's little regard for national interest, or the law of unintended consequences, in the urgings to act now.
Kofi Annan admits Syria plan failing, calls for international actionFormer UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, the UN's special envoy to Syria, essentially admitted his mediation efforts have failed in a speech at the UN and laid most of the blame at the feet of Bashar al-Assad.- Can we declare the war on terrorism over?Or at least stop spending so much money on it?
The latest 'top Al Qaeda leader' reported killed in PakistanThe US says it has confirmed that it killed Abu Yahya al-Libi, an Al Qaeda leader who escaped US custody in 2005, in a drone strike in Pakistan, but what's in this report?
Why it's time to call Syria a civil warA generally accepted definition of civil war is a fight for control of a nation, involving the state, one or more non-state actors, and at least 1,000 battlefield casualties. Sounds like Syria.
Assange and allies claim vast conspiracy as extradition fight hits home stretchTwo women in Sweden allege they were sexually assaulted by Julian Assange, the Wikileaks founder. Assange and many supporters say they're part of a vast conspiracy against him.
You can't say it enough: Syria is really different from LibyaSyria's war is as violent today as at any point of the over year-long conflict, and a UN peace plan spearheaded by Kofi Annan is in tatters. But that doesn't spell military intervention.
The horror in Syria, the cold realities of international actionSyria's civil war is horrific, with most of the crimes committed by the Assad regime and its supporters. This may lead to moral clarity, but not necessarily to international military action.
The sacred and the profane: Indonesian churches and Lady GagaThe pop-star Lady Gaga and Indonesian churches have both been the recent target of a thuggish group called the Islam Defenders Front.
Saudi's Al Qaeda intelligence coup and the perils of too much disclosureAl Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's second underwear bomb plot went nowhere thanks to great intelligence work. But this is a case where too much disclosure is a problem.
Where does the Israeli security establishment stand on attacking Iran?A look at disclosed positions.- Out of ideas, Palestinian Authority censors criticsThe Palestinian Authority of Mahmoud Abbas is growing increasingly intolerant of criticism. Last week the PA blocked eight websites tied to an Abbas rival.
Concerns ahead for Egypt's election monitoringThe rules governing the monitors overseeing Egypt's presidential elections are very restrictive, reducing election transparency and making it easy for monitors to be disqualified.
Egypt political chaos threatening to foment actual chaosClashes between gunmen and protesters near the Egyptian Ministry of Defense in Cairo have left at least 11 dead in the past 24 hours, inflaming an already tense and uncertain political transition.
In Malaysia, a May Day pay raise, but no victory for democratic reformersThe protesters of the Malaysia's Bersih democracy reform movement appear to have pushed Malaysia into announcing its first ever minimum wage. Electoral reform is something else again.
Rupert Murdoch declared unfit to lead. The price of half-truths?A UK parliamentary committee declared Rupert Murdoch 'unfit' to run his global media empire, which could have implications for his stake in the profitable satellite TV network BskyB.
