Today's Headlines and Commentary

Tensions are rising again in Ukraine. The Guardian reports that the country’s acting president, Oleksandr Turchynov, called for a resumption of military operations against pro-Russian separatists, accusing them of violently torturing and killing two members of his political party. The move, along with constant violence scattered in the east of the country, further calls into question the efficacy of the Geneva agreement that was hastily put together last week by ministers from the Ukraine, the EU and the U.S.. The struggle in Homs, a city in the center of Syria, is turning out to be a pivotal strategic moment for both sides of the ongoing Syrian conflict. The New York Times explains that the Syrian government is close to pushing out rebels from the city, which would be a turning point for the country. The rebels hope to sustain power in the city, which they believe is to their struggle against the regime. As with most things in this conflict, the AP explains that any resolution in regards to the status of the city is still far off and will likely involve further bloodshed. In more optimistic news regarding Syria, the Los Angeles Times is reporting that almost 90 percent of Syrian chemical weapons have been removed from the country. An international monitor charged with overseeing the removal of chemical weapons from the country has confirmed that the Syrian government might just be on track to meet a Sunday deadline to comply with a disarmament accord. France is clamping down on the "radicalization" of potential future Syria jihadists. Following the release of four French journalists who were held captive in Syria for nearly a year and information that suggests that some of their captors could have come from France, the French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, is putting measures in place to prevent radical youth from going to Syria. The Guardian reports that measures put in place include a plan to stop minors from leaving France without parental consent, more surveillance of Islamist websites and their users and a "system to encourage parents to signal suspicious behavior in their children." France isn’t the only country paying careful attention to Islamic extremism. Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, is slated to address Bloomberg in London today, where he will speak out about combating extremism and will encourage the U.K. to not be afraid to “take sides” in some conflicts. That’s over at the Guardian. The Israel-Palestine situation goes beyond two clashing governments. Al Jazeera reports that rival Palestinian factions are coming together to try to unite since the first time since 2006 to present more united front to Israel, the U.S. and to the world. The United States has announced that it will partially resume military aid to Egypt. The Washington Post reports that the Pentagon announced that it will resume delivery of Apache helicopters to Egypt. Though the Obama administration cannot fully resume aid because it lacks congressional approval, it will complete the delivery of these aircraft to aid in the combating of extremist cells in the Sinai. The ongoing trial of ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Mursi has been adjourned until April 28 and a media ban on all aspects of the trial renewed. EuroNews has---what it can get---of the story. President Obama has quite a bit of work to do to convince his Asian allies that the U.S. can be a counterweight to China, or Russia. The AP reports that the optics aren’t great currently; the situation in Crimea has countries, like the Philippines, worried that the U.S. won’t always follow through on its commitments to defending its allies. The United Nations is encouraging the global community to pay attention to the situation in South Sudan. A BBC special reports focuses on Toby Lanzer, the U.N.’s top humanitarian official, who compares the situation to events in Rwanda 20 years ago. The White House has responded to the U.N.’s call, calling the situation in South Sudan “horrific” and called the recent acts of violence in the country, like the attack of the U.N. mission in Bor, an “abomination,” according to Reuters. Over 200 young women are still missing in Nigeria, one week after their abduction from their school. The Wire reports that the capture of the girls, allegedly abducted by the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, points to an increase of violence in the country---violence that the government cannot seem to control. Email the Roundup Team noteworthy law and security-related articles to include, and follow us on Twitter and Facebook for additional commentary on these issues. Sign up to receive Lawfare in your inbox. Visit our Events Calendar to learn about upcoming national security events, and check out relevant job openings on our Job Board.