Beirut/Jerusalem/Damascus/Washington/Brussels : The Israeli-Lebanese border is exceptionally calm and uniquely dangerous, both for the same reason: fear that a new round of hostilities would be far more violent and could spill over regionally.
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Brussels/Jakarta - Divisions and ideological debates generated by Jama’ah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT), an organisation founded by Indonesia’s best-known radical cleric, Abu Bakar Ba’asyir, show the weakness of Indonesia’s jihadi movement.
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Pristina/Brussels - Kosovo must bolster its failing justice system and establish rule of law throughout the country if it is to achieve prosperity and greater international recognition.
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Brussels - Newly revealed evidence of war crimes in Sri Lanka last year makes an international inquiry essential.
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Bangkok/Brussels - The Thai political system has broken down and seems incapable of pulling the country back from the brink of widespread conflict. The stand-off in the streets of Bangkok between the government and Red Shirt protesters is worsening and could deteriorate into an undeclared civil war. The country's polarisation demands immediate action in the form of assistance from neutral figures from outside. It is time for Thailand to consider help from international friends to avoid a slide into wider violence. Even the most advanced democracies have accepted this.
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Port-au-Prince/Bogotá/Brussels - As a critical strategy conference convenes today at the UN, a Haitian-owned and led process, based on broad consensus among Haitians and with resolute international support, is needed to build the country back better after the devastating earthquake.
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Nairobi/Brussels - The Khartoum government is rigging the 11-13 April elections in Darfur to return an indicted president and his party to power with catastrophic consequences for Sudan.
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Beijing/Brussels -While China resists tougher UN Security Council sanctions on Iran, it is likely to ultimately come on board but will seek to delay and weaken the West’s desired measures.
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Multi-billion dollar arms deals announced by the US on Friday caused strong protests from China along with an announcement halting all military and diplomatic visits. The latter had seen happier days in late 2009 when both countries exchanged high-ranking delegations, including a visit by US President Barack Obama to Beijing in November.
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By David T. Johnson, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
The threat of terror and the origins of terrorist groups spans beyond any single region. Moreover, terrorist groups’ links to criminal activity is not a new phenomenon. In the 70s and 80s, for example, groups like the Red Army Faction, the Red Brigades and the domestic Symbionese Liberation Army financed violent terrorism with violent crimes like bank robbery.
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