Reflex panic about terrorism driving operation
You probably haven't given much thought to the problems in Mali, but United Nations Secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon has, and his advice on military intervention in the West African country could be
World View
Separatist dreams in West usually just that
In other parts of the world, separatist movements are usually violent (e.g. Kashmir, Sri Lanka, the various Kurdish revolts) and they sometimes succeed (South Sudan, Eritrea, East Timor).
Egypt in for a rough ride after Morsi decree
"There is no middle ground, no dialogue before [Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi] rescinds this declaration," said pro-democracy advocate and Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohamed ElBaradei.
Madness in rush to abandon nuclear power
Not pre-election ploy, but a pointless cock-up
Syrian civil war may drag on inconclusively
Unexpected, promising conjunction of events
World view: Israel- the two-state solution is dead
"Everybody knows how this will end," wrote Nahum Barnea, one of Israel's best-known journalists, in the newspaper Yediot Aharonot recently.
"There will be a bi-national [state]."
How wars will come to an end
More or less at opposite ends of the world, two very long wars are coming to a negotiated end, with no victors and no vanquished.
Damned if you do and damned if you don't
Six years in jail and an average fine of more than a million dollars: that was the punishment given to six Italian scientists this week for getting their earthquake advice wrong.