While military officers wait for President Barack Obama to conclude his agonizingly slow review of Afghanistan policy, they've been reading a paper by an Army Special Forces operative arguing that the only hope for success in that country is to work with tribal leaders. This tribal approach has widespread support, in principle.
The new Lebanese government would do well to put high on its agenda one of the chronic stress points in the country, but one that now shows glimmers of hope of being resolved: Palestinian-Lebanese relations. This is one of the thorniest issues in a country that has been one of the most turbulent in the Middle East for the past half-century.|Full Story
A political leader's decision not to seek re-election usually triggers fervent discussion about potential heirs. Yet, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' withdrawal from the presidential election scheduled for January 24, 2010, has produced nothing of the kind in Palestine - not because of a dearth of leadership or a reluctance to mention possible successors.|Full Story
I hesitate to use the phrase "a moment of truth" when referring to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. But we have finally arrived there. Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas' threat to resign and not seek another term, US President Barack Obama's failure to convince Israel to halt its illegal settlement activity and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's complete yet.|Full Story
Recently, I saw four boys sitting at lunch near Bliss Street. They were talking about politics and student elections before moving to a conversation about civil war. Though only about 20 years of age, they discussed violence with a sense of normalcy, their debate echoing confessional odium and distrust.|Full Story
Why does the International Monetary Fund make it so hard for people like me to love it? The IMF has said and done all the right things since the crisis. It has acted as quickly as any international bureaucracy can to establish new lines of credit for battered emerging-market countries. It revamped its loan conditions to fit the times.|Full Story
Looking at the city of Ramallah, you can imagine what a Palestinian state could someday be like if folks got serious: The streets are clean, there's new construction in every direction, and Palestinian soldiers line the roads. A visitor sees new apartment buildings, banks, brokerage firms, luxury car dealerships, and even health clubs.|Full Story
