Country Briefings provide background history on specific world conflicts - past, present and future.

The study of past conflicts should be helpful in identifying lessons learned about what actions provoke and enflame, or which measures can help bring about a peaceful resolution. The study of current and past conflicts could be valuable in helping to prevent the outbreak of violence in weak, failed or transitioning states. And the review and attention to possible future conflicts could help avert continuing political violence.

Despite the efforts of the international community and concerned citizens, however, it seems that violence is often a prerequisite before adversaries can agree to the inevitability of compromise that's necessary to restore peace.

Conflicts by Region

AFRICA

Algeria
Angola
Congo (Zaire)
Egypt
Eritrea
Ivory Coast
Liberia
Libya
Morocco
Rwanda
Sierra Leone
Somalia
Sudan
Tunisia
Zimbabwe

THE AMERICAS

Colombia
Cuba
Guatemala
Haiti
Mexico
Mexican-American Border
Nicaragua
Peru
Venezuela

ASIA & PACIFIC REGION

Afghanistan
Kashmir: India-Pakistan
Korea
Burma (Myanmar)
Pakistan
Philippines
Sri Lanka
Uzbekistan

EUROPE & BALKANS

Basque Country (Spain)
Cyprus
Kosovo-Serbia
Northern Ireland

MIDDLE EAST & NEAR EAST

Abkhazia-Georgia
Armenia- Azerbaijan
Bahrain
Chechnya
Iran
Iraq
Israel-Palestine
Lebanon
Nagorno-Karabakh
Saudi Arabia
Syria
Turkey-Kurdistan
Yemen

 

2011 Middle East - Days of Rage

Following is a brief summary of the Days of Rage protests sweeping the Middle East in early 2011. Additional information is available in Flashpoints Conflict Briefings. Developments will be updated as available. (Summaries courtesy of CNN)

TUNISIA

The revolt was triggered when an unemployed college graduate set himself ablaze after police confiscated his fruit cart, cutting off his source of income. Protesters complained about high unemployment, corruption, rising prices and political repression. An interim government came to power after an uprising prompted autocratic President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to leave the country January 14. Those demonstrations helped spark protests across North Africa and the Middle East.

EGYPT

Complaints about police corruption and abuses were among the top grievances of demonstrators who forced President Hosni Mubarak from office. Demonstrators also were angry about Mubarak's 30-year rule, a lack of free elections and economic issues, such as high food prices, low wages and high unemployment. Since Mubarak's departure, several thousand people have protested in Cairo's Tahrir Square to urge Egypt's new rulers to implement promised reforms. They pressed Egypt's Supreme Council to end an emergency law and release political prisoners, among other things. They also demanded civilian representation in government.

LIBYA

Protests in Libya started in February when demonstrators, fed up with delays, broke into a housing project the government was building and occupied it. Gadhafi's government, which has ruled since a 1969 coup, responded with a $24 billion fund for housing and development. A month later, more demonstrations were sparked when police detained relatives of those killed in an alleged 1996 massacre at the Abu Salim prison, according to Human Rights Watch. High unemployment and demands for freedom have also fueled the protests.

YEMEN

Protesters have called for the ouster of Saleh, who has ruled Yemen since 1978. The country has been wracked by a Shiite Muslim uprising, a U.S.-aided crackdown on al Qaeda operatives and a looming shortage of water. High unemployment fuels much of the anger among a growing young population who have suffered from poverty. The protesters also cite government corruption and a lack of political freedom. Saleh has promised not to run for president in the next round of elections.

SYRIA

Opponents of the al-Assad government allege massive human rights abuses, and an emergency law has been in effect since 1963. Earlier in March, Syrian human rights attorney Haitham Maleh -- arrested in October 2009 during a government crackdown on lawyers and activists -- was freed, his son said. The move comes amid demands by many citizens for more economic prosperity, political freedom, and civil liberty.

BAHRAIN

Protesters initially took to the streets of Manama to demand reform and the introduction of a constitutional monarchy. But some are now calling for the removal of the royal family, which has led the Persian Gulf state since the 18th century. Young members of the country's Shiite Muslim majority have staged protests in recent years to complain about discrimination, unemployment and corruption, issues they say the country's Sunni rulers have done little to address. The Bahrain Center for Human Rights said authorities launched a clampdown on dissent in 2010. It accused the government of torturing some human rights activists.

JORDAN

Jordan's economy has been hit hard by the global economic downturn and rising commodity prices, and youth unemployment is high, as it is in Egypt. Officials close to the palace have told CNN that King Abdullah II is trying to turn a regional upheaval into an opportunity for reform. He swore in a new government following anti-government protests. The new government has a mandate for political reform and is headed by a former general, with opposition and media figures among its ranks.

SAUDI ARABIA

Demonstrators have demanded the release of Shiite prisoners who they feel are being held without cause. Others have taken to the streets over the creation of a constitutional monarchy, more rights and other reforms. Late last month, King Abdullah announced a series of sweeping measures aimed at relieving economic hardship.

MOROCCO

Protesters are seeking, among other things, political reforms to limit the monarchy's power and have not accepted reforms proposed by King Mohammed VI that demonstrators say do not go far enough, according to Human Rights Watch. As uprisings swept the region, the king proposed the creation of an elected prime minister position to serve as the government's chief executive, promotion of human rights and gender equality and economic improvements.