Saturday, May 3 08

Canadian Government beside itself over whether to open direct Taliban talks. Afghan tribal chief arrested in U.S. reveals interconnections between smuggling, terrorism and warlordism. Recent internal audit notes "command and control, fear-inducing, top-down management style" that has long "served as the basis for day-to-day operations" in United Nations bureaucracy. For Russia, the U.S./E.U. stance on statehood for Kosovo overstepped Security Council authority. Meanwhile, the U.S. establishes diplomatic contacts with the leader of Nepal's Maoists. Lacing political will and public endorsement, war crimes trials increasingly unlikely in Serbia.