Safe Democracy Foundation - Safe Democracy

A giant like Russia cannot be threatened with retaliation by its Western neighbors, above all because the energy that makes the European countries run comes in a large part from Gazprom, the most important oil company in the world. The author says that by merely understanding Moscow’s historic need to have a safety line, a stable relationship between the Russian bear and its Western neighbors can be achieved.

Find out why the crisis in South Ossetia has constituted a tough international setback for Russia and the Slavophile and pro-Oriental positions that the new president Medvedev and his prime minister Putin defend. However, should Europe expect some type retaliation by Moscow in terms of energy?

From Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Cambodia, Afghanistan and Colombia, a large number of countries have been –and continue to be– afflicted with serious conflicts over the control of natural resources (oil, diamonds, hardwood, cocoa beans, cocaine and opium). Although some conflicts have come to an end, others are still ongoing and it is possible that many more will arise in the future if the matter is not addressed, from both within and outside of the borders of the war-afflicted countries, in an efficient manner.

• Climate Change: A New Source of Armed Conflict
  por Mabel González Bustelo
• The dispute for African Oil
  por Eloísa Vaello Marco

Now that Pervez Musharraf has finally resigned as Pakistan’s president, the author analyzes his legacy, and attempts to pick apart the unstable coalition currently ruling Pakistan. Read on to discover why the Pakistani people gradually turned against a man they initially trusted, and why a poor civilian government is always better than a poor military one.

• Islamabad’s Next Steps
  por Sohail Mahmood
• Assessing the creation of the new civilian government in Pakistan
  por Sohail Mahmood

Hezbolah is attempting to get its point across in Lebanon through violence and has decided to abandon its low-intensity strategy of taking hostages and waiting, which it had employed up until now. The delivery of the corpses of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev in exchange for Lebanese and Palestinian corpses and prisoners boosts Hezbolah’s image in the eyes of the Arab world, says the author. Read and find out why.

• Is a Comprehensive Middle Eastern Peace Possible?
  por Walid Salem

After several years in isolation, Bashar al-Assad has returned to the scene, with the help of Nicolas Sarkozy. Al-Assad has realized that in order to regain international respect, Syria must hold negotiations with Israel. But, how long will Bashar’s return to the international scene last? What will happen the day that Damascus withdraws its support for Hezbolah and Hamas? And what will become of Damascus’ relationship with Teheran?

As globalization increasingly provides access to resources necessary for the spread of militant radicalism, it also allows valuable opportunities to begin healing animosities between certain Western countries and the developing world. The slogan of the environmental movement, think globally and act locally, would be an appropriate point of departure for building a global peace movement, says the author.

The big question is whether an agreement can actually be reached between Israel and Syria that does simply return Golan Heights to Damascus, but that brings peace in the true sense of the word. With Iran in the background, and with its alliance with Syria, peace is difficult to fathom, says the author.

• The Importace of Dialogue between Jerusalem and Damascus
  por Mario Sznajder

Although the terrorist group ETA was beheaded in France and this political blow had psychological effects on the morale of the terrorists, this operation does not mean the end of the terrorist group, but rather the relay point for new leadership, said the author.