Simon Roughneen

DILI, Timor-Leste -- Security sector reform is a vital part of state-building, especially in Timor-Leste, a country that came close to civil war in 2006. Significantly, though, few Timorese political leaders interviewed about the issue wanted to speak about one of the highest priorities for the U.N. Mission in Timor-Leste: completing -- and, by extension, to some degree implementing -- a comprehensive security sector review. more

For the Asian Tiger Economies, exports account for a majority of economic activity. Given that level of openness to global economic conditions, the muting of the Tigers' roar is not that much of a shock. More surprising, however, was a recent assessment suggesting the Tigers could be overtaken, for now at least, by economies that have long been regarded as stagnant basket cases. more

DILI, East Timor -- Little over a year after declaring his intent to launch an anti-corruption commission, East Timor's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao has been hit with renewed graft allegations. more

A revived maritime dispute between Indonesia and Malaysia has led to a series of face-offs between the two countries' navies, after Malaysian warships entered Indonesian territorial waters several times over the past two weeks. Though outright conflict is unlikely, the presence of oil reserves in the area, as well as domestics politics in both countries, could complicate the outcome of the stand-off.
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On her recent Asian tour, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made Jakarta a key stop, saying that the United States will "reach out" to Indonesia as a potential ally and conduit into the wider Muslim world. Indonesia does have some sway with at least some Muslim-majority countries. The problem for Obama is that it might not be the sort of leverage that he is looking for.
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With France's EU presidency now over, one of Nicolas Sarkozy's challenges remains unmet -- Ireland, which in June 2008 rejected the Union's Lisbon Treaty. Sarkozy managed to make some headway with a Dec. 12, EU Summit pledge by Ireland to restage the vote. But while Irish concerns will apparently be met, no decision has been taken on how to address this round of the "The Irish Question." more

TRIPOLI, Lebanon -- At the end July, the siren call of this would-be seaside paradise was drowned out by barrages of gunfire and explosions. Sunni and Alawite militias took to the streets to fight and, with the U.S.-backed Lebanese Army slow to intervene, by July 29 bombed-out buildings and bullet-pocked walls were visible on either side of the city's Sunni-Alawite divide. Sectarian fighting, of course, is nothing new to Lebanon. But there's more to Tripoli's recent skirmishes than a local Sunni-Alawite face-off.
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In the past, globalization's critics have alleged that the opening up of economic borders is little more than a license for giant Western companies to colonize emerging economies. But recent trends suggest otherwise. More and more companies based in developing economies are beating their Western rivals at home, challenge them abroad, and even acquiring Western companies and brands outright. From India's Tata to China's Lenovo, the era of the emerging-market multinational is upon us.
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The Khmer Rouge's 'Brother No. 2' was arrested Wednesday in Cambodia and will face trial for his crimes.
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The world has dithered in putting together the necessary political response to the humanitarian catastrophe in Darfur. The latest "breakthrough," with the Sudanese government consenting to a hybrid U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur, provides little hope for a quick end to the violence. Meanwhile, the agreement that, on paper at least, ended Sudan's other, older war -- the much larger 1983-2005 North-South conflict, which claimed over 2 million lives and displaced over 4 million people -- is now in jeopardy.
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