The wave of largely non-violent, popular movements that swept across large portions of the Arab world in early 2011 to demand government accountability, social responsiveness, women's rights, and other social reforms, is not necessarily incompatible with liberal democracy -- even if it is firmly based in political Islam.

Kichere Mwita draws attention to the precedent-setting role of the Arab Spring from an international law perspective. Highlighting the shift from international to domestic court jurisdiction over high-level crimes committed during the Arab Spring uprisings, Mwita argues for the implementation of a sub-international criminal court based on the model of

The Peace and Conflict Monitor digests some of 2011's most relevant events in peace and conflict.