The FPA’s Must Reads (June 7 – June 13)

Belarus: 20 years under dictatorship and a revolution behind the rest of Europe
The Guardian
By Mark Rice-Oxley

From the omnipresent statues of Soviet dignitaries absent even in Moscow, to the outrageously cheap metro fare, the clean-cut youth and shining streets, to the cult of personality and ruthless political repression, Mark Rice-Oxley writes that Belarus is still living, and will continue to live, deep in the past.

Can General Linder’s Special Operations Forces Stop the Next Terrorist Threat?
The New York Times
By Eliza Griswold

General Linder, commander of U.S. special operations in Africa, shares his thoughts about “the battleground of the future” and how a variety of global factors like climate change are contributing to a rapidly escalating situation.

Assisted Suicide
Politico
By Michael Weiss

Michael Weiss’s analysis of the Iraq’s continuing breakdown is a must read for anyone trying to understand how power dynamics, alliances and even geography might change in the Middle East.

African Asylum Seekers Make Epic Trek Through Latin America To Reach The U.S.
Buzzfeed
By John Stanton

John Stanton reports on the remarkable lengths Africans seeking asylum, whether fleeing homophobia or outright terrorism, are willing to go to in order to reach the U.S.

The Story of Thaksin Shinawatra
London Review of Books
By Richard Lloyd Parry

Richard Lloyd Parry ruminates on on the fate of democracy in Thailand and offers deep insight on the consequences of its latest coup.

Blogs:

On Negotiations…with Terrorists and with Congress by Scott Monje
Chaos deepens in Libya by Ilyana Ovshieva
That hiatus on drone strikes in Pakistan? No more. by Hannah Gais
Beijing’s A La Carte Approach to Foreign Policy by Gary Sands
American leadership in the 21st century by Maxime H. A. Larivé