Commentary

Commentary / Asia

Pakistan: At the Tipping Point?

As Pakistan faces interlocking crises that threaten the outbreak of violence, political stability is of the utmost importance. In this excerpt from the Watch List 2023 – Spring Update, Crisis Group explains what the EU can do to help.

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Latin America Wrestles with a New Crime Wave

The threat of organised crime in Latin America is growing and poses risks to security and human rights. In this excerpt from the Watch List 2023 – Spring Update, Crisis Group explains how the EU and its member states can help address the issue.

Also available in Français, Español

Kosovo-Serbia: Finding a Way Forward

Kosovo-Serbia relations have floundered in recent months, reflecting underlying tensions over Kosovo’s northern municipalities. In this excerpt from the Watch List 2023 – Spring Update, Crisis Group encourages the EU to mediate and promote normalisation of relations between the two countries.

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Commentary / Asia

Pakistan : sur le point de basculer ?

Alors que le Pakistan est confronté à des crises interdépendantes qui menacent d'éclater, la stabilité politique est de la plus haute importance. Dans cet extrait de l’édition de printemps de la Watch List 2023, Crisis Group explique ce que l'UE peut faire pour aider.

 

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Yemen’s Troubled Presidential Leadership Council

The eight-member body heading Yemen’s internationally recognised government lacks a common vision for the country’s future. With Saudi Arabia looking to exit the Yemeni war, and negotiations with the Huthi rebels on the horizon, now is the time for the council to fix its problems.

Also available in العربية

مجلس القيادة الرئاسي اليمني المضطرب

يفتقر المجلس ذو الأعضاء الثمانية الذي يرأس الحكومة اليمنية المعترف بها دولياً إلى رؤية مشتركة لمستقبل البلاد. ومع تطلُّع المملكة العربية السعودية إلى مخرج من حرب اليمن، وظهور المفاوضات مع المتمردين الحوثيين في الأفق، فإن الآن هو الوقت المناسب كي يحلّ المجلس مشاكله.

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Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud: Russia’s New Vision for Taking on the West

In its latest foreign policy blueprint, published at the end of March, the Kremlin outlines ambitious but vague plans for countering the United States and Washington’s allies around the globe

Commentary / Africa

What Facebook Does (and Doesn’t) Have to Do with Ethiopia’s Ethnic Violence

A victim’s relative is among those accusing Meta in a Kenyan court of failing to adequately police incendiary speech on Facebook during Ethiopia’s civil war. Much greater effort from the company is warranted. But Meta’s task is hardly straightforward.

The Impact of the Saudi-Iranian Rapprochement on Middle East Conflicts

On 10 March, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore diplomatic relations as part of a Chinese-sponsored initiative that appears aimed at reducing tensions across the Middle East. Crisis Group experts offer a 360-degree view of the implications for the region’s many flashpoints.

Also available in العربية

أثر المصالحة السعودية – الإيرانية على صراعات الشرق الأوسط

في 10 آذار/مارس، اتفقت السعودية وإيران على استعادة العلاقات الدبلوماسية كجزء من مبادرة برعاية صينية يبدو أنها تهدف إلى تخفيف حدة التوترات في جميع أنحاء الشرق الأوسط. يقدم خبراء مجموعة الأزمات بنظرة بـ 360 درجة تداعيات ذلك على بؤر التوتر الكثيرة في المنطقة.

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“I Don’t Want to Disappear”: How Mexico’s Criminal Violence Reshapes Women’s Lives

As crime rises in Mexico, women are in particular danger – of “disappearance”, kidnapping, sexual assault and murder. The state has taken some steps to address this crisis, but it can do much more. 

Also available in Español

“No quiero desaparecer”: cómo la violencia criminal en México reconfigura la vida de las mujeres

A medida que aumenta la delincuencia en México, las mujeres corren un particular riesgo de ser víctimas de “desapariciones”, secuestros, agresiones sexuales y asesinatos. El Estado ha tomado algunas medidas para abordar esta crisis, pero puede hacer mucho más.

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The New Generation of Palestinian Armed Groups: A Paper Tiger?

Young Palestinians have formed new armed groups across the West Bank. Small, disjointed and scattered, they lack a clear political agenda. But both Israel and the Palestinian Authority have found reason to exaggerate the threat they pose to the status quo.

Also available in العربية

الجيل الجديد من المجموعات الفلسطينية المسلحة: نمر من ورق؟

لقد شكل الشباب الفلسطينيون مجموعات مسلحة جديدة في جميع أنحاء الضفة الغربية. هذه المجموعات الصغيرة، والمفككة والمبعثرة تفتقر إلى أجندة سياسية واضحة. إلا أن إسرائيل والسلطة الفلسطينية على حد سواء وجدتا ما يبرر المبالغة بالتهديد الذي تشكله هذه المجموعات للوضع القائم.

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Iraqi Kurdistan Twenty Years After

The 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq infused the country’s Kurds with renewed hope of loosening the bonds that tie them to Baghdad. But subsequent events have dampened that spirit. Despite considerable progress toward autonomy, the historical Kurdish predicament endures.

Also available in العربية

كردستان العراق بعد عشرين عاماً

منح الغزو الأميركي للعراق عام 2003 أكراد البلاد أملاً متجدداً في تخفيف القيود التي تربطهم ببغداد.إلّا أن الأحداث التي تلت الغزو أوهنت تلك الروح. فرغم التقدم الكبير الذي حققه الأكراد  نحو الاستقلال، فإن المأزق الكردي التاريخي ما يزال قائماً.

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Commentary / Asia

The Pakistani Taliban Test Ties between Islamabad and Kabul

Two large attacks on police installations have rocked Pakistan, compelling the authorities to rethink their approach to countering militancy. Their dilemma is that the insurgents’ main supporters – the new authorities in Afghanistan – are also their long-time allies.

Also available in پښتو, فارسی
Commentary / Asia

طالبان پاکستانی روابط اسلام آباد و کابل را آزمایش کردند

دو حملهٔ بزرگ به تأسیسات پولیس ،دولت پاکستان را تکان داد و مقامات را وادار کرد تا در رویکرد خود برای مقابله با ستیزه جویان تجدید نظر کنند. معضل آنها این است که حامیان اصلی شورشیان - مقامات جدید در افغانستان - متحدان دیرینهٔ آنها نیز هستند.

 

Also available in English, پښتو
Commentary / Global

Global Politics in the Shadow of Ukraine

The following is adapted from a March 2023 report by Crisis Group’s President and CEO Comfort Ero to the organisation’s Trustees (before Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s 20-21 March visit to Moscow). She looks at the Ukraine war and its knock-on effects – from big-power polarisation to middle-power activism and disquiet outside the West about the conflict.

Also available in Français, Русский, Español and other languages

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