Monday, July 31 06

The election in D.R. Congo in pictures. Enduring Freedom begins to end, as NATO takes control in southern Afghanistan. NATO troops will be tasked for full combat , not handcuffed by a 'peacekeeping' role, and Canada is digging in for a long haul. A complicated proposal for a way out of the Lebanon crisis with cease-fire by the International Crisis Group (ICG). Failed states and emerging states present different kinds of international challenges. Hagel takes on Bush on mid-east intervention. What was the phrase former U.S. Sectretary of State Colin Powell had for the challenges of post-intervention occupation?

Sunday, July 30 06

With its rich natural resources, warlords and corrupt politicians have much to gain from post-election instability in the D.R. Congo. Is it possible that U.S. troops could play a role in armed peacekeeping intervention in Lebanon? Violence in villages and in the Baidoa national assembly in Somalia. Sri Lankan government troops continue their advance. Intervention Without Intervening? is a new book by Andrew F. Cooper and Thomas Legler examining the Organization of American States (OAS) multilateral democracy promotion.

Saturday, July 29 06

What are the details of the new 'humanitarian truce' the U.N. is proposing in the Arab/Israeli conflict? Having successfully completed its overseeing of a pullout of SPLA forces, the U.N. mission in Sudan (UNMIS) pulls out of Kessala sector of eastern Sudan, as Minni Minnawi steps up as a leader of the rebels. How does U.S. society's hostility to this Iraq war compare with hostility toward Vietnam? The 'summer of discontent' for the Canadian aboriginal community marks a turning point for relationship with Ottawa. David S. Wright argues in this C.D. Howe Institute Commentary that Canadian foreign policy should chart its own course through international crises, and follow both Canadian interests and values. It's unfortunate the Peacekeeping Intelligence Website stopped updating. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosts an event on politics in Uzbekistan.

Friday, July 28 06

No cool heads today as Russia 'expresses concern' about Georgia's attacks on Abkhaz border positions, and Russian peacekeepers block a Georgian military convoy in Abkhazia. Two more Canadian troops die in Afghanistan, days after reports of a split in support for Operation Athena, Michael Ignatieff stands firm against critics of his Afghanistan position. The Canadian Department of National Defense (DND) Defense Policy Group has a good vantage point to study the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) approach. This article on ZNet back in May, 2006 described the Canadian Invasion of Southern Afghanistan. Here's part II of: 'How Australia orchestrated "“regime change" in East Timor' from the World Socialist Web Site. It's official: hair-split elections are some kind of recurring trend. Is high-altitude bombing an effective tool in modern war? Darfur refugee camps in recent CBC and BBC pictures. The International Rescue Team (IRT) is a New-York-based NGO anti-genocide advocacy group with and emphasis outside North America, that receives funding from major corporatdonorsrs, and Crossfire War is a web log for: 'Analysis of international events in the Eurasian Continent and other regions involved in WWIII: 1994-2007.' This article lays out some arguments for political secession of the city New York (!?). A rebel group in eastern D.R. Congo agrees to a cease-fire leading up to the key election.

Thursday, July 27 06

Georgian armed forces continued to attack Abkhaz rebels today, amid fears that tension on the Russian border could boil over. Somalia's central government is powerless to re-establish internal security, as Ethiopian forces continue to advance. However, against a U.N. arms embargo, weaponry continues to find its way into the country. In a bizarre twist, U.N. officials claim to have instructed Israel repeatedly to cease fire on its border outpost. In response to recent government attacks, Tamil Tigers appear ready to escalate.

Wednesday, July 26 06

With the conflicting messages leaving Afghanistan, hard to tell whether the major operations taking place are achieving real success. Robert Fisk: 'Israeli missiles had clearly pierced the very centre of the red cross on the roof of each ambulance'. In Rome talks, mideast ceasefire is likely a non-option, but consensus emerges about peacekeepers. In Sri Lanka, government troops attacked Tamil Tiger positions yesterday, likely signaling further escalation. Constitutional crisis continues to unfold in Ukraine. Chad and Sudan rivalry continues, but agreement is reached not to host rebel groups. A big election day in D.R. Congo.

Tuesday, July 25 06

Seven years after NATO's intervention, Kosovo remains under U.N. control, and talks with Belgrade end deadlocked. The security situation and direct attacks against humanitarian workers and NGOs in the Sudan prevent aid from reaching camps for refugees. With its army demobilized and 15,000 U.N. peacekeeping troops currently deployed, Liberia now begins to train new armed forces.

Monday, July 24 06

Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki says that foreign troops could leave his country 'within months', but senior Iraqi government officials report that sectarian break-up of Iraq is inevitable. In the words of Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari; "Iraq as a political project is finished". Nepal's rebels have agreed to extend June 16th's ceasefire, which could breathe life into peace talks. Chomsky debates NATO's inconsistency and credibility in the Kosovo bombing campaign.

july 23

In Somalia, tensions increase as Ethiopian forces continue reclaim territory for the precarious transitional government. Finally the U.N. speaks on the pre-election political violence destabilizing D.R. Congo. As Australia contemplates boosting its troops in Afghanistan, two more Canadians die in a major military operation.

july 22

After week of high-altitude strikes, Israel is ready but reluctant to punch tanks across the border. Do Harper and MacKay have this crisis under control? Washington is a long way from southern Lebanon, but rival lobby groups are nevertheless involved in the action. Several sources report a spike in the violence occurring in the Sudan, but according to U.N. sources, an international intervention is not feasible until early 2007. A unilateral referendum on political independence will take place this fall in Transdniestria, Moldova, but the OSCE won't be around to observe it. At the same time, Moldova negotiated a major petro partnership with the Russian gas giant Gazprom. With an election nearing in D.R. Congo, repression and indiscriminate violence increase in incumbent President Joseph Kabila's home province. Are Iranians are becoming skeptical about the consequences of their government's foreign entanglements?

july 21

Ethiopian armed forces crossed into Somalia yesterday in an effort to protect the vulnerable government in Baidoa, as Somalian militias promised a wider confilct. A top military leader of the Cambodian Khmer Rouge dies while during genocide trial. Ukraine remains unable to form a new government, but the possibility of a compromise solution remains. The Canadian International Council (CIC) is an organization recently formed through a partnership between the Canadian Institute of International Affairs (CIIA) and the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), with the goal of promoting public interest and discussion about Canadian foreign policy and international relations.