Monday, December 3 07

Lebanon's political deadlock makes General Suleiman the likely choice as a new consensus head of state. Star power pushed Darfur into the headlines, yet civil wars of equal brutality in Sri Lanka and Ethiopia's Ogaden continue to ravage civilians under the radar. The politics of humanitarian intervention plays right into Sudanese government's hands. Iranian President Ahmadinejad appeals to Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) for "peace and security without foreign intervention". Strong criticism and suggestions of future instability plague Russian parliamentary vote. Is there no difference between falling short of OSCE standards and outright election-rigging? In Canada, Privy Council purse strings are tightening as Afghan mission costs go through the roof.