(update below) United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Amr announced ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. There was no signed agreement. The ceasefire is essentially “quiet in exchange for quiet,” as one Israeli diplomatic source put it. In the announcement, Clinton reiterated the US’s position that “all rocket attacks must [...]

The Obama Administration announced new sanctions on Syria today, in conjunction with a statement calling for President Asad to step down. Such sanctions may not be effective, and they tend to have adverse consequences for innocents. Pressure from neighboring states may be more effective.

The British press is reporting that ten major human rights and anti-torture organizations have announced they will not be cooperating or participating in the United Kingdom Torture Inquiry, headed by Sir Peter Gibson. The organizations, who sent a letter on August 3 to Sara Carnegie, Solicitor to the Detainee Inquiry, cited a lack of transparency and credibility in the proposed investigation, noting, “Plainly an Inquiry conducted in the way that you describe and in accordance with the Protocol would not comply with Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.”

A new phase in the struggle for accountability for torture and war crimes is sure to begin.