Guardian op-ed: Breaking the cycle of violence in Sudan

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On 18 August, at least 600 died in Uror county, Jonglei state, as Murle raiders attacked Lou Nuer villagers, in the latest in a series of raids and tit-for-tat attacks between the two groups that have left more than 1,000 dead since February. In grisly but illuminating symmetry, the UN said that around 26,000 cattle were stolen and 26,800 people displaced in the latest series of clashes.

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Annalemma short story: "When the War Began"

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Today, I asked R to get a manicure. He complained for hours before accepting. Your hands are hard, I told him, your fingers rough. That’s because I work, he said. Everyday I work for you, for our family. I thought he was being ridiculous. You can still work when you have soft hands. He said that men will think he sits in an office, that he has never done a day’s work in his life. R is proud of the time he spent in the bush, and proud of working in the factory.
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Washington Monthly article leads to Senate inquiry

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At the beginning of the month, Meg Stalcup and I published an article in the Washington Monthly. It analyzes the unregulated explosion of counterterrorism trainers in America. Building off sham qualifications and a very dubious knowledge of Islam, they capitalize on America's fear, and teach law enforcement tactics that will neither help them fight terrorism, nor build good relations with the Muslim community they should be serving. You can read the article here. The Nation Institute Investigative Fund, who funded our investigation, has a good round-up of the reaction to the story in the sidebar here.

Yesterday, Senators Susan Collins and Joe Lieberman started a Senate inquiry into counterterrorism training, quoting the article.

I never thought I would say this, but thank you Joe Lieberman.