Though international observers had hoped Somalia's transitional federal government would bring stability to the war-torn nation after sixteen years of “failed state” status, by mid-2008 experts said it was fraught by internal divisions.

The Suffolk Transnational Law Review examines the Medellin decision and its implications for the United States and the rule of law in international affairs.

Jerome A. Cohen calls for legal reform in China.

Michael Gerson writes that, “by one estimate, 27,000 women and girls were raped in eastern Congo in 2006. The hospital has seen victims as young as 3.”

Timothy J. Colton, a leading expert on Russia, says even though Vladimir Putin will step down as president in 2008 he is likely to maintain a major role in Russia’s leadership.

An interview conducted by the Scripps Howard Foundation with Ali Ahmad Jalali, interior minister of Afghanistan from January 2003 until September 2005 and now a professor at the National Defense University faculty in the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies.

CRS Report for Congress updated March 27, 2007 collating evidence for the debate on whether there has been any improvement in governance and security in Iraq in the recent period.

As the U.S. security plan for Iraq takes shape in Baghdad, Muqtada al-Sadr appears to be moving to forestall a U.S. crackdown on his Shiite militia.

Saddam Hussein’s death may have little influence on the ongoing insurgency and sectarian violence, but beyond Iraq’s borders it may portend worsening relations between the region’s Shiite and Sunni communities.  

The UN reports that during the reporting period, the government of Iraq has continued its efforts aimed at strengthening the administration of justice and building up the rule of law in the country. However, urgent action is needed to strengthen rule of law institutions, in line with the new constitution, the government's priorities and Iraq's international obligations. This is central to creating conditions for re-establishing law and order in the country and ensuring the success and sustainability of security, national reconciliation and development efforts. In particular, the ability of new security plans to effect real change in Iraq will depend on a comprehensive reform program that can strengthen the rule of law and deliver justice for all Iraqis.

This paper from the German Marshall Fund of the United States notes Georgia's better performance compared to Ukraine in two key areas of reform: improving the rule of law and battling corruption. The paper says that Ukraine’s failure to capitalize on the hopes raised by the ‘Orange Revolution’ has been highlighted by the recent Nato summit in Riga, where it became plain that plans to fast track Ukraine’s NATO membership application have been shelved indefinitely.

This report from USIP gives details of a public discussion in November 2006 of the Kosovo Internal Security Sector Review (ISSR). The ISSR, conducted by the United Nations Development Program, was a non-traditional approach to security sector review. The program evaluated Kosovo's security situation from the inside out, looking at the threat of insecurity with the help and participation of the citizens of Kosovo. With talks on the future status of Kosovo well underway, the international community must prioritize security sector reform, says USIP. Stability in the region will hinge on Kosovo's ability to maintain security for all its citizens. Security will be the key to economic development, civic responsibility, and productive relations both among Kosovo's citizens and between Kosovo and its neighbors in the Balkans.

The number of militias is reportedly multiplying in Iraq, while their loyalties grow more dispersed and their tactics more violent and sectarian-focused.    

Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), a Brazilian prison gang, staged a series of attacks in May that paralyzed the city of Sao Paulo. Subsequent waves of violence have raised concerns about the organization’s expanding influence.

First published in the Jerusalem Post, Kenneth Roth of Human Rights Watch discusses the indiscriminate bombardment in Lebanon during the summer of 2006.

A group of Islamist courts have seized power across much of Somalia. Many outside observers are anxiously watching—and interfering—as the power struggle plays out between the Islamists and the official government.