Monday, August 6 07

Darfur rebel factions except one now endorse principles of future "power-sharing, wealth-sharing, security arrangements, land and humanitarian issues" (1,2,3), with negotiations scheduled shortly. Deadlock is broken in East Timor, as Gusmao is named P.M., and sporadic violence erupts in Dili. With recognition virtually guaranteed, Serbia announces support for Kosovo's partial sovereignty. Priority of the U.S. military should be to reduce the small arms available in Iraq (1,2). Ivo Daalder and Robert Kagen anchor their liberal interventionism in the U.N. Security Council and/or a broad, bipartisan consensus among the U.S.A.'s democratic partners.

Sunday, August 5 07

This month's Crisis Watch (No. 48) puts the spotlight on peace operation in The Sudan and elections in DR. Congo. U.N. Security Council Resolution 1789 (here's a primer) has already given stakeholders like U.N. Sec. Gen. Ban Ki-moon authority to engage all main factions except the most powerful. The main concern so far is that the force is too weak (1,2), or could fade against Khartoum's opposition. According to Enrique Barón Crespo of the European Parliament, the European Union has a duty to fight for "globalized democracy". Colombo government now prepared to enter talks with Sri Lanka's Tamil rebels.