Jennifer MattsonMay 18, 2013 12:05

The Defense Department had earlier concerns that the products might not be secure enough for its workers to use.

Jorge Rafael Videla, Argentinian junta leader, dies in prison

Talia RalphMay 17, 2013 13:50

Jorge Rafael Videla, a general during Argentina's "dirty war," died in prison Friday. He was 87 years old. Videla was serving life in prison for crimes against humanity committed while he was the head of the military junta that ruled Argentina from 1976 until 1983. The period of dictatorship saw at least 15,000 people tortured and killed, though human rights groups cite the death toll at around 30,000.

Analysis: Russia steps up its old game over Syria

Gregory FeiferMay 17, 2013 12:55

A staunch supporter of national sovereignty, Russia steadfastly opposes international intervention in Syria. However, its latest moves are only partly motivated by the fact that Damascus is Moscow’s last ally in the Middle East. Russia’s main interest in blocking attempts to resolve the crisis peacefully lies in increasing its own influence in the world.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews protest in Jerusalem against military draft

Noga Tarnopolsky and David TrifunovMay 17, 2013 12:22

JERUSALEM — Court ruling last February said allowing ultra-Orthodox Jews to skip military service is unconstitutional.

Ultra-orthodox Jews protest in Jerusalem against military draft

Noga Tarnopolsky and David TrifunovMay 17, 2013 13:48

Ultra-orthodox Jews protest in Jerusalem against military draft.

Nigerian military kills at least 21 in Boko Haram offensive

News Desk and Heather MurdockMay 17, 2013 11:51

ABUJA — Nigeria's military offensive against Boko Haram strongholds this week has left at least 21 insurgents dead, an official said Friday.

Mac DefordMay 16, 2013 10:53

Sharif’s election gives US an opening to help stabilize Pakistan

Commentary: Partisan US politics may undercut chances for a renewed US-Pak alliance.

Pakistan historic election violence may 11 2013 1

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Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif waves as he addresses his supporters during an election campaign meeting in Islamabad on May 5, 2013. A roadside bomb exploded at an election rally in southwest Pakistan on May 5 killing two people, officials said as violence continued ahead of historic polls on Saturday. Pakistan will elect its new government for the next five years in polls on May 11. The election of the national and four provincial assemblies will mark the first time a civilian government has completed a full term and handed over to another, in a country that has been ruled by the military for half its existence. (AAMIR QURESHI/AFP/Getty Images)

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There's not much good news coming out of the broader Middle East these days and so the successful election this past weekend in Pakistan is cause for at least muted elation. It is, after all, the first time in Pakistan's beleaguered 65-year history that a democratically elected government has been replaced by a democratically elected government. So that's the good news. Toss in the fact that the voter turnout, the highest for parliamentary elections in nearly two generations, was spurred upward by women and younger voters, and was not deterred by Taliban attacks, then add that Pakistan does have a remarkably free press and a quite independent judiciary and, obviously, a military that now is willing to let democracy play out -- and things don't look so bad.

Lessons from Guatemala on how to catch a dictator

Mike McDonaldMay 15, 2013 05:32

GUATEMALA CITY — Elena Caba waited more than 30 years for justice after she was raped and left for dead in a river alongside her neighbors during Guatemala’s bloody civil war. She was 9 when soldiers stormed her Ixil Maya village and pulled her and her father out of their home before torching the town to ashes on April 3, 1982.

Tytti Erästö and Sven-Eric Fikenscher May 18, 2013 08:58

Why a Middle East role is essential for the nuclear nonproliferation regime

Commentary: Iran’s participation would increase confidence in its nuclear intentions.

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Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (L) during the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in 2010. (Chris Hondros/Getty Images)

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The PrepCom meeting just concluded in Geneva predictably ended in failure to lay the ground for the 2015 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference. The core reason was the inability to convene a meeting in Helsinki last December on the establishment of a Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone (WMDFZ) in the Middle East.

Marines aim to eliminate Facebook posts degrading women by July

David TrifunovMay 14, 2013 16:56

Discovery of Facebook page comes after reports there were 26,000 sexual assaults in military last year.