Topic: The Balkans

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15 spring 2012 novels we think you'll like

A preview of new novels coming this spring.
5 National Book Award 2011 fiction finalists

The five books in the running for the 2011 National Book Award for fiction
Bestselling books the week of 6/30/11, according to IndieBound*

What's selling best in independent bookstores across America?
Top 10 books of 2011, according to Amazon's editors

Amazon's editors pick their top 10 books of 2011 so far.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan: 5 ways he has shaped Turkey

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was swept into office for a third term Sunday when his party won 50 percent of the vote in parliamentary elections.

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Ratko Mladic genocide trial suspended indefinitely (+video)

Ratko Mladic, a former Bosnian Serb military chief, won an indefinite suspension of his war crimes trial in the Hague because prosecutors failed to disclose documents to the defense.
Radko Mladic's genocide trial begins in the Hague

The Bosnian Serb general is accused of war crimes stemming from the Bosnian civil war in the early 1990s.
Ratko Mladic's Bosnian genocide trial begins (+video)

Former Bosnian Serb Army chief Ratko Mladic faces 11 counts of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. He is the last suspect from the 1992-95 Bosnian war to go on trial in The Hague.
Heed Balkan lessons for a fragmenting Syria and revise Kofi Annan plan

Kofi Annan's peace plan is failing to stop violence and ensure a political dialogue in Syria. To avoid a Balkans-like tragedy, an updated plan must include negotiations between Bashar al-Assad's regime and the opposition and deploy armed UN peacekeepers.
Ethnic violence belies Balkans peace

Peace agreements brought the last Balkan conflict to an end more than two decades ago, but they didn't resolve ethnic tensions, which are rising to the surface again.
Terrorism & Security
Syria violence raises concerns Assad is only buying time with UN cease-fire deal

The day after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad reportedly agreed to UN envoy Kofi Annan's cease-fire plan, fighting continued in several cities.
Toulouse gunman puts spotlight on France's growing illegal gun trade

France's strict gun laws sharply limit legal ownership. But illegal trafficking is on the rise – at prices that people like Toulouse gunman Mohamed Merah can afford.
15 spring 2012 novels we think you'll like

A preview of new novels coming this spring.
Backchannels
Senator McCain calls for war in Syria

Senator John McCain took to the senate floor and made an impassioned plea for a US-led war effort. He's probably not going to get what he's asking for.
Syrian forces continue shelling rebel stronghold

Soldiers loyal to President Assad have been bombarding Homs, a prominent rebel stronghold, despite Red Cross appeals.
For Serbia, membership in troubled EU still a prize

The European Union will make Serbia an official candidate for EU membership this week. It's a positive development for a country that wants to show it's in line with democratic ideals.
WikiLeaks publishes Stratfor e-mails. What's in them?

An initial survey of the Stratfor e-mails published so far on the WikiLeaks website reveals not so much a corporate CIA as a geopolitical version of the comedy 'The Office.'
Change Agent
Crisis Action makes a big noise using quiet citizen diplomacy

Crisis Action acts like a coach or talent scout for humanitarian and other citizen groups – but always behind the scenes.
Could talks over Iran nuclear crisis work? Turkish diplomat offers hints.

Turkey's foreign minister, in the US to discuss Syria and the Iran nuclear program, insists that the time for negotiations with Iran is not passed – and says Iran is willing to talk.
Global News Blog
As snow falls in Britain, Heathrow upholds reputation as travelers' 'black hole' (+video)

London's Heathrow airport is once again the target of criticism after a preemptive shutdown hours before a light snowfall in the United Kingdom.
Arabs, like others, don't buy into abuse of historic grievances

The Arab Spring reflects a trend away from people accepting leaders who try to exploit the ancient wrongs of other countries for their own political or violent ends.
Vaclav Havel and Kim Jong-il – moral opposites

Former Czech President Vaclav Havel was a victim of communist dictatorship; North Korean leader Kim Jong-il was a communist dictator. It is time to correct a historic injustice and award Havel the Nobel Peace Prize posthumously for his lifetime achievements.
Did Iran hijack the 'beast'? US experts cautious about bold claims. (Video)

To hijack the lost US drone, Iran would have to have overcome major technical hurdles. None are impossible, but US experts question Iran's capabilities in such high-end cyberwarfare.
Cover Story
Occupy Europe: How a generation went from indifferent to indignant

Occupy Europe? From Madrid to Athens, young people facing a bleak future are casting doubt on European identity.
Obama must learn from past mistakes in fight against Uganda's LRA

Obama’s deployment of 100 American military advisers to Uganda could help defeat Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army. But things could also go horribly wrong. That's what happened before. Still, the factors that led to past failure can be clearly identified – and hopefully avoided.
5 National Book Award 2011 fiction finalists

The five books in the running for the 2011 National Book Award for fiction
Protests underscore Bulgarians' fear of Roma, organized crime

Protests in Bulgaria started after a teenager was run down on Sept. 23, allegedly at the order of a Roma underworld boss, and highlight the worst ethnic tension there since 1990.
Change Agent
Young Palestinian sows seeds of peace where peace seems impossible

Mahmoud Jabari, who attended a Seeds of Peace camp, has learned to better understand both sides of the deadlocked Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Could NATO's Libya mission be its last hurrah?

With the austerity gripping Europe and a new generation of leaders not shaped by cold-war politics, NATO's future is increasingly in question.
Obama's rationale for Libya war may still stand

A moral imperative to protect civilians led President Obama to seek support for NATO air support of Libyan rebels. In post-Qaddafi Libya, a similar 'responsibility to protect" may be required.