be just

Wars strip $284 billion from African economies: report�|�International News�|�Reuters.com : "Wars stripped about $284 billion from Africa's economies between 1990 and 2005, roughly equal to the amount of aid money given to the world's poorest continent, according to a report on Thursday by Oxfam International."

U.S. military: 19 insurgents and 15 civilians, including 9 children, killed in raid targeting al-Qaida in Iraq - International Herald Tribune

FT.com / World - Ethiopia to exchange famine for food : "The government of Ethiopia, which has one of Africa’s most state-dominated economies, is stepping into uncharted territory by launching a commodity exchange to help alleviate food shortages and encourage the commercialisation of agriculture."

Violence has Pakistanis debating US tie - Yahoo! News : "ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Violence linked to growing Islamic militancy in Pakistan has killed more than 1,000 people in a little over three months, fanning opposition to the country's close alliance with the United States."

No, the US Is Not Winning in Anbar - by William S. Lind : "The fact that some Sunni tribes have turned on al-Qaeda does not mean they like us. It just means we have for the moment become the #2 enemy instead of #1, or perhaps #3, with the Shi'ites ranking ahead of us. Some think the Sunnis are just getting whatever they can from us as they prepare for another, more bitter round of the Sunni vs. Shi'ite civil war."

Al Jazeera English - News - Myanmar's War Against Minorities While the recent protests in Myanmar were staged by pro-democracy campaigners, the government has been waging a longer battle with the country's ethnic minorities. There are 100 ethnic communities in Myanmar, but the main ones are found in the state of Chin in the west, and Shan and Karen in the east. They make up roughly one-third of Myanmar's population of 47 million but decades of fighting have seen more than 500,000 people flee across the border to neighbouring countries, mostly to Thailand. Although a number of groups have signed ceasefire agreements with Myanmar's military government some, including those in Karen, continue their armed struggle for autonomy with the help of more than 11,000 members.