Humanitarian Intervention: Whom to Protect, Whom to Abandon

Death and taxes are always with us, and so are arguments about whether nations ever have the right or duty to intervene in the affairs of others. The case for “humanitarian intervention,” under a variety of names, has been asserted at least since the great powers threw their weight behind Greece’s struggle for independence in the 1820s, but in its modern form was developed during the Wars of the Yugoslav Succession, when it appeared to many that armed force was the only way to end terrible atrocities.

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Uruguay headed for presidential runoff next month

A former guerrilla fighter jailed for 14 years and an ex-president were headed for a runoff next month for the presidency of Uruguay, after neither was expected to capture more than 50 percent of the vote in Sunday’s election. Mujica had led in two polls last week, but both showed him falling short of the 50-percent-plus-one vote he needed to win outright.

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Obama signs $7.5 billion Pakistan aid bill

President Obama signed legislation Thursday providing an additional $7.5 billion in assistance to the Pakistani government. The aid guarantee comes as the Pakistani government combats a wave of attacks believed to have been orchestrated by Taliban militants and as the Obama administration works on a comprehensive review of U.S.

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