Saturday, August 19 06

It's no surprise that the recent push into Afghanistan's south faces challenges five years after the military intervention began. Azeris living in the Armenian breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh lose their cultural connections but live mainly in peace. In D.R. Congo, a run-off is likely to follow the split decision that marginally favoured President Kabila, as the country's 'political class' is seen as necessary to a peaceful solution. U.S. President Bush points out that Lebanon is a fragile democracy, and U.S. and Israeli militaries focus on Lebanon's borders and weapons smuggling. In the summer 2006 Dissent, Michael Walzer argues that regime change was an insufficient just war rationale for the 2003 Iraq invasion, and Jean Bethke Elshtain responds.