
Russia has traditionally been a close ally of the Syrian government and is the country's biggest arms supplier. Both countries say the Syrian crisis will top the agenda on their visit to London next week for peace talks.


Women are also essential to building and sustaining peace. Today, nearly half of peace agreements fail within five years in no small measure because half the stakeholders are excluded. When women participate, they help bridge the gap between different groups and ensure that a broader range of issues, from food security to sexual violence, are addressed. As a result, peace is more likely to take root.
Classical history from Britain: When her husband died, Boudicca became queen of the Iceni in Britain. She tried peace talks, which failed. In frenzied response to their treatment of her and the rape of her daughters, she led her tribe in revolt against the Romans for several months during A.D. 60-61. Her followers burned three major Roman towns, Londinium (London), Verulamium (St. Albans), and Camulodunum (Colchester). Boudicca fought with the Iceni in her final battle against the Roman governor's troops close to where I live on the Old Roman Road leading to St. Albans.
"Women can break down barriers to opportunity, and men, many of them reluctantly, have learned to relate to women as their equals in thought and action. But except for an eccentric few, women do not want to become warriors." Suzanne Fields.