Political Comment (16 January 2012)

The Arab League's intervention in the Syrian crisis appeared to be teetering on the edge of fiasco as the violent repression of anti-regime demonstrators continued despite the presence of League monitors. In Iraq, the federal government has formally asked the Kurds to hand over Vice-President Tariq al-Hashimi for trial in Baghdad.  The international Quartet is once again involved in the seemingly hopeless task of trying to kick start final status...