THANKS, W:

A new friend for Israel in... South Sudan (Daniel R. DePetris, September 14, 2011, CS Monitor)

The world's newest member in the community of nations got plenty of press coverage when it formally declared independence in July. But one aspect of South Sudan's emergence went largely unnoticed: the establishment of official diplomatic relations with Israel. Far from a routine gesture, the mutual declaration of recognition between the two states could prove to be a significant boost to Israel's strategic position, not to mention the positives that may come as South Sudan attempts to get its new state on a strong footing.

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