Background on the News - 2006-02-22

Seven years after the end of the war in Kosovo, the terrority's final status is still up in the air. Formal negotiations about independence for the semi-autonomous province of the federation known as Serbia and Montenegro resume this week, but it is unclear where the talks (among representatives of Serbia, Kosovo, the United States, NATO, and the UN) will lead. The Albanian Kosovars have just lost their long-time leader Ibrahim Rugova, who died last month. But as Charles Kupchan noted in Foreign Affairs last fall, given the atrocities they have suffered at the hands of the Serbs, they will not accept anything short of full independence from Belgrade, and other alternatives seem less promising.

• Full text of original essay (November/December 2005)

In the Current Issue of Foreign Affairs

The complete text of selected essays and of all the book reviews from the January/February issue can be found on the Foreign Affairs Web site. Currently the following essays are available in their full text:

Women, Islam, and the New Iraq

Isobel Coleman

Although questions of implementation remain, the new Iraqi constitution makes Islam the law of the land. This need not mean trouble for Iraq's women, however. Sharia is open to a wide range of interpretations, some quite egalitarian. If Washington still hopes for a liberal order in Iraq, it should start working with progressive Muslim scholars to advance women's rights through religious channels.

A Natural History of Peace

Robert M. Sapolsky

Humans like to think that they are unique, but the study of other primates has called into question the exceptionalism of our species. So what does primatology have to say about war and peace? Contrary to what was believed just a few decades ago, humans are not "killer apes" destined for violent conflict, but can make their own history.

Furthering Democracy in Mexico

Enrique Krauze

As it approaches its first presidential election in the post-PRI era, Mexico is at a crossroads: it could either consolidate democracy and proceed with needed reforms or fall back into a familiar state of crisis. Which way it goes will depend above all on the candidates of the three major political parties, who must rise above their short-term interests to further the nation's progress toward democratic stability.

Previously in Background on the News

Beware of What You Wish For
February 8, 2006
Although in his State of the Union address President Bush reiterated his commitment to spreading democracy in the Middle East, recent elections in the region have benefited Islamist radicals most of all. . . . Read more

Saudi Arabia Forever?
January 25, 2006
Since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita disrupted the world oil market a few months ago, the industry has continued to experience hiccups. Fears over security at oil facilities in Nigeria linger; President Hugo Chávez is still threatening to halt the flow of Venezuelan oil to the United States; and recently both Ukraine and Georgia have experienced disruptions of gas supplies from Russia. . . . Read more

Headless in Gaza
January 11, 2006
With Palestinian parliamentary elections scheduled for January 25, the Gaza Strip slipping into chaos, and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon fighting for his life, the Palestinians' future is once again up for grabs. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has tried to keep all internal and external factions happy simultaneously, but his balancing act has satisfied none of them and his mainstream Fatah movement might well lose electoral ground to Hamas as a result. . . . Read more

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