A COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT – COMMUNITY POLICING APPROACH TO AFGHANISTAN

A COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT – COMMUNITY POLICING APPROACH TO AFGHANISTAN Stephen M. Sachs, “A Community Development – Community Policing approach to Afghanistan” IUPUI, February 19, 2009 I am very concerned that Afghanistan is about to turn into another quagmire, as it has done for centuries for outsiders who have intervened there, once they become conceived of [...]

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THE HOPES FOR OBAMA MAY DIE IN AFGHANISTAN

THE HOPES FOR OBAMA MAY DIE IN AFGHANISTAN Marc Pilisuk* This article was first published in Common Dreams. Sometimes we separate foreign policy and national security issues from our domestic agenda, leaving the former inordinately in the hands of experts and officials. Today, we do so at our peril. Secretary of Defense Bob Gates has [...]

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THE FRUIT OF DENIAL

THE FRUIT OF DENIAL John Bell* This article was written for, and distributed by, the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) with permission to publish. On 5 June 1967, Israel invaded Egypt and conquered the Sinai Peninsula. This victory, alongside the capture of the Golan, the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, led to the concept [...]

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THE PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI CONFLICT: A NEW PERSPECTIVE

THE PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI CONFLICT: A NEW PERSPECTIVE Omar Shaban* This article was written for, and distributed by, the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) with permission for publication. Israelis and Palestinians have been prevented from looking deeper into hidden and untapped opportunities, stuck in the limiting perspective afforded by the prolonged conflict, continued Israeli occupation, and failed [...]

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MS TATNATLUS [ON THE MEANING OF THE ISRAELI ELECTIONS]

MS TATNATLUS [ON THE MEANING OF THE ISRAELI ELECTIONS] Uri Avnery Tantalus is punished by the Gods for reasons that are not entirely clear. He is hungry and thirsty, but the water in which he stands recedes when he bends down to drink from it and the fruit above his head continually evades his hand. [...]

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ISRAEL’S BIGGEST DANGER

ISRAEL‘S BIGGEST DANGER Fareed Zakaria* Source: Newsweek (www.newsweek.com), February 14, 2009. Distributed by Common Ground News with permission for republication. Even before a new coalition could emerge, Israel‚s latest election was historic. It marked the collapse of Labour, the party that can plausibly claim to have founded Israel and produced its most celebrated prime ministers, [...]

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THE VIOLENCE AND SETTLEMENTS ANATHEMA (PART 2)

THE VIOLENCE AND SETTLEMENTS ANATHEMA (PART 2) Alon Ben-Meir,* February 9, 2009 (This is part two of a two-part analysis on violence and the settlements in Israel and the Palestinian territories.) To make serious progress toward a final status agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, George Mitchell must first work on restoring confidence in a [...]

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HOLDING THE WHOLE

HOLDING THE WHOLE Shelley Ostroff* This article was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews www.commongroundnews.org), who distributed it with permission for publication. Israel’s military power and diplomatic efforts are crucial to its survival, but at this point they are clearly insufficient for ongoing security. Since the recent Cast Lead operation, and the concomitant [...]

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RELIGIOUS ORGANISATIONS ARE THE KEY TO THE MIDDLE EAST

RELIGIOUS ORGANISATIONS ARE THE KEY TO THE MIDDLE EAST Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf* Source: McClatchy Washington Bureau (http://www.mcclatchydc.com), February 23, 2009, and is distributed by the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) with permission to republish. Welcome back from the Middle East, Ambassador George Mitchell. If there was any doubt in your mind before you left, [...]

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EGYPT’S STATEGY TOWARD GAZA IS INCREMENTAL, LONG TERM

EGYPT‘S STATEGY TOWARD GAZA IS INCREMENTAL, LONG TERM Gamal A. G. Soltan* Distributed by Commmon Ground News Service with permission to publish. The Gaza war was seemingly an inevitable conflict. The pre-war reality was unacceptable to any of the concerned parties. Hamas was not satisfied with a ceasefire that kept the tiny Gaza Strip isolated [...]

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HOPING FOR A NONVIOLENCE MOVEMENT IN PALESTINE

HOPING FOR A NONVIOLENCE MOVEMENT IN PALESTINE Achmad Munjid* Source: The Jakarta Post (thejakartapost.com), January 18, 2009. This article is distributed by the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) with permission to republish. Since I was a small child, I have been taught that the powerless party always deserves ‘affirmative action’ in any unbalanced conflict before [...]

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U.S. FACES PARADIGM SHIFT IN RELATIONS WITH LEBANON

U.S. FACES PARADIGM SHIFT IN RELATIONS WITH LEBANON Mona Yacoubian* Source: The Washington Times (www.washingtontimes.com), January 23, 2009. This article is distributed by the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) with permission for republication. Following the recent violence in Gaza, the complex challenge posed by grassroots militant organisations such as Hamas in the Gaza Strip is [...]

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RESPONSIBLE JOURNALISM SERIES: A VITAL MEDIUM

RESPONSIBLE JOURNALISM SERIES: A VITAL MEDIUM Khaled Diab* This article was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews, www.commongroundnews.org) who distributed it. With for publication. Although the Israeli-Palestinian media battlefield is bitter and deeply entrenched, journalists have a responsibility to venture into the no-man‚s-land between the two sides, even if it means getting caught [...]

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RESPONSIBLE JOURNALISM SERIES: HUMAN TRADGEDY AS A CATALYST FOR CHANGE

RESPONSIBLE JOURNALISM SERIES: HUMAN TRADGEDY AS A CATALYST FOR CHANGE Yizhar Be’er* This article was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews, www.commongroundnews.org), who distributed it with permission to publish. Almost every violent national conflict is retained in the public consciousness through an emblematic image which captures the essence of the story. The first [...]

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INTERFAITH HARMONY FOR WORLD PEACE AND HUMAN UNITY

INTERFAITH HARMONY FOR WORLD PEACE AND HUMAN UNITY Subhash Chandra* This article was first presented as a Paper for ‘A Global Congress on “World’s Religions after September 11 – An Asian Perspective” In New Delhi from January 17-20, 2009 at New Delhi, India, in Session 5: Theme: Religion, Conflict and Peace (Grassroots Initiatives) on 18th [...]

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