Top North Korean Party Official Reportedly Arrested
If Choe Ryong-hae is purged, it could signal that Kim Jong-un is concentrating power in his own hands.
Asia
Saudi Arabia Seeks Pakistani Weapons, Deepens India Relations
The Saudis seek to weapons from Pakistan at the same time they are deepening defense relations with India.
Report Warns Afghanistan Security Force Must Not Shrink
If Afghan forces are to provide security, they must be sustained at their current levels.
Syrian Factions Fight Proxy War in Neighboring Lebanon
Radical Sunni groups target Hezbollah, which supports the Syrian regime of Bashar Assad.
Critics of Sykes-Picot Overlook Arab Agency
Western interference didn’t help, but the Arabs are also responsible for many mishaps themselves.
Prisoner Exchanges Hoped to Revive Taliban Talks
The discussion about exchanging prisoners comes as foreign troops are set to leave Afghanistan.
Report Accuses Assad of Detaining, Torturing Children
A United Nations study uncovers horrendous rights abuses in the Syrian dictator’s prisons.
Yemen Federation Plan Fails to Satisfy Southern Separatists
Leaders of the independence movement in the south fear a federation would dilute their authority.
Defying Sanctions, Iran, North Korea Help Syria Build Missiles
The Assad regime is both expanding its arsenal of missiles and making them less vulnerable to attack.
Snap Elections Fail to Put Thailand’s Political Crisis to Rest
Thailand’s cycle of political unrest might only end when the army or monarchy decides it has had enough.
“Industrial Scale” Syrian War Crimes: Report
An estimated eleven thousand prisoners of the Syrian regime have been brutalized and killed.
Syria’s Kurds Erect Own Government Ahead of Peace Talks
On the eve of negotiations in Switzerland, Syria’s Kurds declare a regional government of their own.
Political Resolution to Iraq Violence Still Far Away
The violence in Iraq is unlikely to stop until all of the country’s sects feel represented.
Ariel Sharon, Israel’s “Bulldozer” Premier, Dies
Whatever Ariel Sharon set out to obtain, he couldn’t be stopped once he was after it.
Iraq’s Maliki Faces Tough Choices in Fallujah
Defeating the Islamists carries the risk of high casualties, but the government may not have a choice.