All Security Watch
Australia accused of 'Stalinist' curbs on disclosure of refugee crackdownAustralia is trying to deter asylum seekers arriving by boat. Information is part of the battleground, says Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
Pakistani boy who stopped suicide bomber: another Malala Yousafzai?Pakistanis are rallying around a teen who tackled a suicide bomber, but Pakistanis are also asking why it is youths who are standing up to the Taliban and not the government.聽
How far will Iran's hardliners go to stop Rouhani?President Rouhani trounced Iran's hardliners in last year's election. Sidelined by progress in nuclear talks, they are now turning to intimidation.
What's really going on in Iraq's Anbar Province?It's not the Al Qaeda resurgence, Sunni-Shiite fault line narrative you've been hearing.
Iraq: politics could be the solution, not the problemThe chaos in Iraq is largely a function of domestic political decisions. That means the democratic process can still work in Iraq's favor.聽
Libya yanks salaries for militiamen in bid to gain controlLibya's young government has failed to bring militias to heel, partly because they remained on government payrolls. But what if that money stops?
Bangkok braces for protest shutdown as election loomsProtesters marched in Bangkok in preparation for a anti-government shutdown. Security forces are mobilizing to prevent clashes in the run-up to a controversial election.聽
Path to peace eludes South Sudan mediatorsTalks in Ethiopia have stalled amid concerns that regional powers are pushing their interests over peacemaking in Africa's newest country.聽
Does Robert Gates memoir hint at Obama's next Afghanistan moves?Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he witnessed a president making the right decisions and following the right strategy in Afghanistan, but not really believing in them.
Global ViewpointObstacles to Syrian cease-fire aren鈥檛 insurmountableThe coming peace talks in Geneva provide hope for setting lines for a cease-fire in Syria. To draw those lines, three separate homelands must be created, with input by outside powers. Some will say this is impossible. Not so.
First shipment of Syrian chemical arms awaits destruction in international watersA multilateral effort to destroy the Syrian government's chemical arsenal cleared its first hurdle after missing year-end deadline.
As Iraq battles Al Qaeda in Fallujah, Pentagon takes note. Will Afghanistan?Anbar Province, where Iraq is battling insurgents, was once lauded for the decision of tribal elders to cast out Al Qaeda. The question is whether Afghan officials are receptive to the Iraqi lesson.
Fall of Fallujah reverberates in Washington. But will US help Iraq?After militants seized Fallujah over the weekend, Secretary Kerry vowed 'everything that is possible' to help Iraq fight a resurgent Al Qaeda. Iraq has sought US arms for years, but Congress has balked.
The Syria effect: Lebanese Sunnis begin to strap on bombsLebanon's moderate Sunni community is radicalizing, as shown by last week's suicide bombing in Beirut. Residents of the bomber's hometown expressed admiration for him to the Monitor.
Is Iran the United States' new best friend in the Middle East?Iran turned down a limited US invitation to the Syria peace conference, but the two have an increasingly common interest in stemming the rise of Sunni militancy in places like Iraq.
Syria power struggle: Are fortunes of the more moderate rebels rising?Just a month ago, the Free Syrian Army appeared to be in disarray. But on Monday, Al Qaeda-aligned rebels retreated from some of their strongholds after clashes with the FSA and moderate Islamists.
John Kerry on Iraq's growing Al Qaeda problem: 'This is their fight'The US promised to support Iraq's fight to oust Al Qaeda fighters from occupied cities in Anbar Province 鈥� but no boots on the ground. Iran has also offered support.
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks: Is Kerry offering up US troops?Unconfirmed news reports out of Israel signal that an offer of US troops to secure the borders of a new Palestinian state is in the mix in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. US defense analysts urge caution.聽
Al Qaeda-linked insurgents, with ties to Syria, fight for control of Iraqi citiesNowhere did US troops fight harder to expel Al Qaeda-linked insurgents than in Fallujah and Ramadi. But two years after the US withdrawal, the group fights on.
Fighting intensifies in S. Sudan as faction leaders sit at luxury hotelPeace talks may be near but the US Embassy is pulling more staff from Juba, fighting is raging, and aid groups say delivering humanitarian assistance is daunting.
