MOVING FORWARD IN MINDANAO
Last month, the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front gathered in Kuala Lumpur to exchange draft peace agreements - a positive sign in the recently-resumed negotiations to end four decades of violent conflict in the southern Philippines. With promises to meet again in three weeks, the two sides have vowed to reach an agreement as soon as possible to avoid distractions from the May 2010 election campaigns. Reaching a consensus on the future of Mindanao won't be easy, with questions over the fate of thousands of internally displaced citizens and other contentious issues still unresolved. Outrage over the November 23 election-related massacre in Maguindanao helped put the phenomenon of "warlordism" that plagues the south back in the spotlight. Steven Rood blogs this week about the way forward for Mindanao, and for the Philippines.
