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The effectiveness of partition as a tool for achieving peace is examined in order to determine whether dividing Kosovo would stabilize the Balkans. Partition has historically created huge humanitarian problems & enduring interstate conflicts. In addition, separation has often bolstered authoritarian rulers that use a "divide & rule" approach to maintain power instead of attempting to develop a consensus. No leader from the Albanian majority in Kosovo has tried to unite the various communities. Tens of thousands of Kosovar Serbs have been displaced since 1999, & the UN Interim Administration Mission (UNMIK) has been unable to guarantee their safety. Other issues addressed include the determination of Albanian extremists to "cleanse" Kosovo of Serbs; the critical need for UNMIK to maintain law/order; & the possibility of establishing a protectorate as an alternative to a partition based on ethnic intolerance. Once law & order are established, the international community must increase aid in order to allow Kosovo to enjoy the economic progress needed for peace & an inclusive democracy capable of accommodating diversity. J. Lindroth

Singh reviews Breaking The Real Axis Of Evil: How To Oust The World's Last Dictators By 2025 by Mark Palmer.

Examines problems of democratization, particularly in Central and South Asia, in context of the global war on terrorism; US alliances with authoritarian governments, domestic factors including Islam, and whether democracy is "exportable".

With the Cold War over, democracy became the only game in town. But the "war" against terror made allies of authoritarian states, especially in Asia. Now democracy is said to be part of the answer for the Middle East, but is it really for export? Adapted from the source document.

In this article, the author takes issue with a number of points raised by Will Kymlicka. These issues include the role of elites in defining and manipulating minority claims, the problem of intolerant minorities, and democratic consolidation in relation to minority rights. The author further discusses Kymlicka's point about territorial autonomy with reference to the work of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities. (ECMI)

Examines relations between Russia and its immediate neighbors, and why war and ethnic conflict have not occurred between them following the break-up of the Soviet Union. Focus on Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan,