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The authors claim that Israel cannot achieve national security by engaging militarily with political and military group Hamas. As Palestinian civilian deaths mount in Israel's intervention in the Gaza Strip, its moral standing is at stake, the authors assert. Instead, Israel must reach a political settlement with Hamas and ultimately agree to a Palestinian state alongside its own, according to the authors.

The article focuses on possible repercussions of U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq. According to the article, the two schools of thought are wrong. One argument, represented by many Democrats, is for the U.S. to leave as quickly as possible while the other argument is to stay as long as it takes or risk a bloodbath. Information is given for what a troop pullout would look like, the fate of the Iraqi people, the Al-Qaeda factor and redefining success.

The article discusses the turmoil going on within Iran over the leadership of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. According to the author, Ahmadinejad has caused the backlash through his domestic policies, including firing thousands of bureaucrats and hiring personal friends in their place and refusing policies pushed for by his own party. Iran's policies towards Israel and the United States are also discussed.

This article describes the war between Iraq's Sunnis and Shiites which continues to threaten the hopes of promoting stability throughout the Middle East. Besides belief in the same god, these warring sects share a common ethnicity, language, cuisine and apparel. Mistaken identity is not an exact science and the lines of differentiation are often blurred. The article discusses how name, prayer, mosques, home decor, dialects, and automobiles are measures of sectarian designation.

The article focuses on U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Rice has a job-approval rating 20 points higher than her boss, U.S. President George W. Bush, and may be the only person in the Administration who can reasonably expect to have a political future beyond the end of the current administration in 2008. The article discusses many instances in which Rice urged Bush to pursue measures, such as the creation of the Iraq Study Group, only to see him disregard their recommendations. Comments regarding Rice's political determination are presented. INSET: "THIS CAN BE DONE THROUGH DIPLOMACY".

This article addresses the involvement of the United States military in Iraq. This issue has invoked outrage among the nation since the war's inception in 2003. Democrats, Republicans and citizens alike are divided over how to best handle the eventual withdrawal of troops. The article offers five points of advice for U.S. policy makers, including cleaning out rogues, deal with Al-Sadr, bring the Sunnis back, wake up the neighbors, and lastly, get though, then get out.

This article discusses the nuclear arms crisis between North Korea and the international community. After President Kim Jong II of North Korea successfully completed a nuclear bomb test, world leaders, including U.S. President George W. Bush, are analyzing the political, economical and technological impact the test will have in the future. Terrorism concerns and risk management are also a concern. INSET: NUCLEAR WORLD.

The article considers the possibility of a U.S.-Iran war. The U.S. is already stretched thin both militarily and financially. Iran has sponsored terrorist organizations and has increased its power in the Mideast. Iran has delayed and side-stepped around demands to stop enriching uranium. It is estimated that the nation is five years away from having a nuclear bomb, but may only be a year from being a nuclear power. If Iran continues, U.S. and its allies will have to step in.

This article provides advice for establishing peace in the Arab-Israeli conflict in the wake of battles between Israel and Lebanon in 2006. Among the actions advised are involvement from the U.S. military, the inclusion of Palestine in peace talks, a guarantee of Israel's security, the stabilization of Lebanon, and handling of political insurgency in Iraq and Iran.

The article focuses on increased escalating violence between Israel and the Hamas controlled Palestinian government and the Hizballah terrorist organization in Lebanon. Recent causes of the conflict are discussed, as well as diplomatic interventions by the United Nations, Arab countries interested in stability, or the United States through Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.

The article discusses the change in U.S. President George W. Bush's stance on diplomacy. Bush is no longer the tough talker, now suggesting that the U.S. work closely with other countries to resolve issues diplomatically. Several reasons are discussed for why Bush's stance may have changed. Iran and North Korea both continue to work towards obtaining weapons of mass destruction which is the opposite of what the president wanted in response to the current war. The author states that if Bush wants to improve his legacy, he needs to attain major changes that do not involve Iraq.

The article focuses on the potential threat of a nuclear armed Iran under president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The article explores multiple questions surrounding the issue, including what Iran wants, how close the country is to gaining a nuclear bomb, and what the United States can do about it. Iran's boldness in the face of the international community may result from what it sees as a vulnerable Western world, with high oil prices and troops deployed in Iraq.

The article explains why the controversy over the Muhammad cartoons erupted months after the caricatures appeared, and discusses how the crisis could have been averted. Caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, first published by a Danish newspaper, have provoked Muslims across the Islamic world to protest. Given the violence of the protests, some in the U.S. and Europe have lashed back. Broader issues raised by the furor will remain. To some, the dispute is a bellwether of a growing divide between Islam and Western societies, revealing cultural ignorance on both sides. INSET: Anatomy of an Uproar.

The article offers a look at how and when United States military forces may begin a withdrawal from the war in Iraq. The author reviews how the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush has begun to shed light on a possible timetable for trimming America's presence in Iraq after a nationwide increase in criticism related to the war. The author discusses whether or not Bush's troop-reduction plan is serious and which conditions need to be met in Iraq for the troop level to be drawn down.

Profiles U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Her efforts promoting U.S. foreign policy worldwide; Comments of Rice; How her enthusiasm for travel has transformed her image; Influence of Rice on the President George W. Bush administration; Approach to dealing with the war in Iraq; Questions over Iraq's political policy; Issue of how long the administration plans to keep U.S. troops in Iraq; Career background, including her tenure as National Security Adviser; Achievements; Relationship with Bush; Question of whether Rice's commitment to the Bush doctrine of bringing democracy to societies that have never known it is impairing her judgment; Qualities; Outlook for Iraq.

Comments on the impact of the July 7, 2005 London subway bombings on the War on Terrorism. Portrait of the organization of terrorist activities under Al Qaeda; Impact of the U.S.-led War on Terrorism on Al Qaeda's organization and leadership; Influence of the London bombings on the world's understanding of Al Qaeda's actions and goals; Argument that Europe has become a central focus of both terrorist activity and counterterrorism efforts; Changes in the organizational behavior of terrorist groups since the capture of key leaders in Afghanistan and Iraq; Discussion of the impact of the Iraq War on the prevention of terrorism worldwide.

Looks at Condoleezza Rice and her dazzling of audiences abroad. Evidence that the new Secretary of State has consolidated her power as the chief exponent of the Administration's foreign policy; Belief her best asset is her direct line to President George W. Bush with whom she is very close; Actions she has taken to calm the U.S. position towards Hizballah in Lebanon and leading the push for reform in the Middle East.

Focuses on encouraging pro-democracy developments in the Middle East. Announcement by President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt that Egypt would hold its first-ever secret ballot, multiparty presidential election; Demonstrations in Beirut forcing the resignation of the Syrian-backed Prime Minister and his cabinet; Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Abdullah's demand that Syrian President Bashar Assad remove Syrian troops from Lebanon; Hopes of U.S. President George W. Bush and his administration that these developments mark a course towards democracy.

Discusses the difficulties involved in melding American legal principles with the global pursuit of terrorists. Example of the case of Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, who is accused of plotting to kill President Bush; Suggestion that the charges of his involvement in an alleged al-Qaeda plot to assassinate President George W. Bush are questionable; Claim by Abu Ali that he was tortured in a Saudi prison; Basis of the Abu-Ali case largely on evidence gathered by the foreign intelligence service of a Saudi regime that has scant regard for human rights; Denial of all charges by Abu Ali; Highlights from what is described as a typical American upbringing; Statement that justice officials have had a clear directive since the attacks of September 11, 2001: disrupt first, prosecute later; Suggestion that this can lead to gathering evidence in unorthodox or inadmissable ways.

This article offers details on the life of A.Q. Kahn of Pakistan who outwitted Western intelligence and built a global nuclear-smuggling ring. One year after Khan appeared on Pakistani television and confessed to selling some of that country's most prized secrets, the world is only beginning to uncover the extent of his treachery--and comprehend how one man did more to destabilize the planet than did many of the world's worst regimes. For more than a decade, Khan, the father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb, masterminded a vast, clandestine and hugely profitable enterprise whose mission boiled down to selling to a rogues' gallery of nations the technology and equipment to make nuclear weapons. Among Khan's customers were Iran and North Korea whose nuclear ambitions present the U.S. with two of its biggest foreign policy quandaries. Who else did business with this merchant of menace? The list of suspected nuclear clients is dizzying. Investigators believe that Khan traveled the world for more than a decade, visiting countries in Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East. Many questions remain unresolved, including whether Khan sold blueprints for building a nuclear warhead to Iran, as he did with Libya. Khan's illicit network of suppliers and middlemen is still out there. "Nothing has changed," one of Khan's former aides says. "The hardware is still available, and the network hasn't stopped."

Discusses the role of insurgent Abu Mousab al-Zarqawi in organizing the rebel forces in Iraq to fight against U.S. troops and their Iraqi allies. How al-Zarqawi has successfully organized daily bombings, kidnappings, mass executions, and televised beheadings in Fallujah and other Iraqi cities; Consideration of how religious extremists and national resistance were two major factors in the growth of the insurgency in Iraq; Contempt expressed by al-Zarqawi for the Shi'ites and those who sympathize with the U.S. and the new Iraqi authorities; Assassination of Ayatullah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, a prominent Shi'ite leader, in an August 2003 bombing in Najaf; How al-Zarqawi has pledged his allegiance to terrorist Osama bin Ladin in various Web announcements.

Focuses on building tensions between the United States and Iran over Iran's uranium-enrichment program. Accusations by the United States that Iran's enrichment program is an attempt to gain nuclear weapons; Signs that ruling clerics in Iran will not agree to permanently abandon nuclear technology; Fears of the U.S. and allies at the thought of an undemocratic terrorist-supporting Islamist regime possessing nuclear capabilities.

Considers what the death of Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat might mean for Middle East peace. Reaction from world leaders which offers some hope; Questions of who will fill the leadership void; Failure of the U.S. to act on the optimism by getting peace talks underway; New chairman of the PLO who is Mahmoud Abbas, a moderate former Prime Minister and longtime No. 2 in the organization who will share authority with current Prime Minster Ahmed Qurei; Belief of many that an election will be won by Abbas and why that would be encouraging; The current plan of the Bush administration which to wait; Burden which is on the Palestinians to turn themselves into a model partner before the U.S. or Israel will offer a helping hand; Why this is not really possible; Suggestion that waiting will be defeating to the peace process and that all parties need to sever old stances to make peace possible.

Discusses five goals that should be met before the U.S. leaves Iraq. Overview of recent political violence in Iraq, including kidnappings and decapitations of foreigners; Doubts about the future of the American effort in Iraq; Views of President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry; Importance of launching offensives against the insurgency, training Iraqi forces and improving intelligence; Reconstruction efforts; Goal of holding real elections; Outlook for Iraq, if all the suggested goals are achieved.

Offers a look at the U.S. military occupation and strategy in Iraq as of September 2004. Statement that the U.S. troops are caught in a conflict where fighting cannot win the war; Discussion of the despair faced by Iraqi civilians because of a lack of security, electricity and other amenities; Growth of the Iraqi insurgency against the U.S. forces; Report that the number of war casualties for United States soldiers passed 1,000; Statement that the U.S. waited too long to train and equip an Iraqi force strong enough to take over the job of dispersing the insurgents and policing the cities; Rise of anti-Americanism in Iraq among civilians; Report that the President George W. Bush administration lacks a military strategy for dealing with the conflict. INSET: WHO'S IN CONTROL?.

Presents a look at the Islamic world three years after the September 11th attacks in the U.S. How the U.S. and its allies have succeeded in killing and apprehending hundreds of al-Qaeda terrorists but have yet to defuse the appeal of Islamic extremism and win over those who sympathize with al-Qaeda; Statistics on the world Muslim population; Concerns that Muslim communities are vulnerable to the 'radical influences' of extremists; How the majority of Muslims condem violent acts; How critics of the Bush Administration have said that the U.S. has failed to invest in 'public diplomacy' programs aimed at improving the image of the U.S. in Muslim countries; State of Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Focuses on the fighting in Najaf, Iraq, between U.S. forces and Shiite militiamen for control of the holy city. Determination of Shiite leader, cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to remain in the Najaf shrine; Details of the battle in the city's cemetery; Breakdown of negotiations; Risks for both sides; Challenges of the uprising to Iraq's interim government; Intent of al-Sadr on undermining the new Iraqi regime; Background on al-Sadr, whose rise has been one of the most unexpected consequences of the U.S. invasion; Outlook for national reconciliation.

Discusses a rash of unpunished honor killings in Iraq. Killings of women by their family members in relation to traditional rule of chastity and fidelity, which Iraqi professionals believe are happening at an unprecedented rate; Murders which are largely treated as a family problem in Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries; Breakdown in law and order which may have contributed to the spike in honor killings.

Follows the power struggle in Iraq as the United States prepares to hand over power to the Iraq people. Focus on the work of United Nation envoy, Kajhdar Brahimi; Intention of Brahimi to release the names of the interim-government officials who will run the country for a time until national elections can be set up; How the selection of a new government has been fraught with clashes between ethnic groups and has forced Brahimi to make some concessions; The great unknown which is how long this interim government can last; Why the selection of officials is so controversial to the Iraqis; How each group is diluting the power of another group so that no one gets a majority.

Discusses the United States investigation of Ahmad Chalabi. Raid of Chalabi's home in west Baghdad; U.S.'s abandonment of Chalabi who little more than a year ago was flown into Iraq escorted by U.S. forces; FBI criminal probe into whether Chalabi and senior aides passed high-level secret intelligence to Iran; Risks associated with going after Chalabi for the U.S..

The article discusses the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by United States soldiers. Haider Sabbar Abed al-Abbadi kept his shame to himself until the world saw him stripped naked, his head in a hood, a nude fellow prisoner kneeling before him simulating oral sex. "That is me," he claims to a "Time" reporter, as one of the lurid photographs of detained Iraqis suffering sexual humiliation at the hands of U.S. soldiers scrolls down a computer screen. Nothing could hide the raw cruelty of U.S. soldiers ridiculing the manhood of Iraqi captives. Of all places, these atrocities occurred at Abu Ghraib prison, once the infamous home of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's torture chambers. Most immediately, the scandal has imperiled the U.S. effort to pacify Iraq by turning even more ordinary Iraqis against the occupation and reinforcing the sense that control is slipping everywhere, less than two months before the U.S. is due to hand sovereignty back to the nation. Testifying before the Senate, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said the Pentagon has obtained more photographs and video footage that show U.S. troops engaged in even worse behavior. On March 20, 2004, the military announced that seven soldiers of the 372nd Military Police Company were being held in Iraq and charged with conspiracy, dereliction of duty, assault, maltreatment and indecent acts.

Discusses the anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his militia's resistance to U.S.-led forces in Iraq. Aspects of al-Sadr's activities and call for action; Measures taken by the U.S. to neutralize al-Sadr; Aspects of al-Sadr's vision for strict Iranian-style theocracy; History into al-Sadr's past and ranking among Iraqi clerics.

Offers a look at the threat of terrorism in the world as of March 29, 2004. Search for al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden; Statement that the Madrid terrorist bombings and attacks on hotels in Iraq give evidence that the Islamist terrorist threat has survived a global war on terror; Belief of counterterrorism experts that the al-Qaeda organization is being replaced by a more elusive generation of extremists; Arrest of Jamal Zougam for the attacks in Madrid; Effect of the bombings in Madrid on the Spanish elections; Role of Abu Mousab al-Zarqawi in the violence in Baghdad, Iraq; Measures taken by the United States to prevent terrorism; Statement that the U.S. measures have not lessened the threat of Islamic terrorism.

Presents a report on efforts to find the terrorists responsible for a series of bomb explosions in commuter train stations in Madrid, Spain, which left more than 200 people dead and 1,500 wounded. Report that an unexploded bomb provided important clues for Spanish police in tracking down the terrorists; Details of the police investigation, which led to the arrest of three Moroccans who may be linked to bombings in Casablanca last May; Explanation of the Moroccans' possible connections to al Qaeda, Speculation about whether attempts to claim responsibility for the bombings by callers saying they are linked to al Qaeda are genuine; Reasons why the Spanish government initially thought ETA could be responsible for the attacks. INSET: A Deadly Morning.

Reports on seeming contradictions in U.S. President George W, Bush's foreign policy. Confusion over nuclear-security issues with Iran and North Korea; Struggle at the highest levels to find common tactical ground between two irreconcilable approaches which are engagement and confrontation; Hard line stance with Iran on finding of nuclear weaponry; Softening of confrontational politics; Roles of Britain, France and Germany in a face saving deal with Iran; Reaction of Washington; Compromise offered to North Korea regarding nuclear weapons; Reasons for the diplomatic offer. INSET: MEASURING THE THREATS.

Focuses on the state of Saudi Arabia as of September 2003. Efforts of the government to track down members of the terrorist organization Al Qaeda; Concerns over the fact that many of the September 11 terrorists were Saudi residents; Military and police raids conducted in the region to arrest Al Qaeda suspects; Terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia in May 2003; How the U.S. supports the Saudi's efforts to control terrorist funds; Efforts to end the teaching of intolerance. INSET: The Bush-Saudi Axis.

Discusses post-war Iraq and the challenge the United States faces in bringing peace to the country as coalition soldiers are being killed, despite the American victory in Iraq. Details of the battle at Majar and tribal justice; View that the number of coalition deaths indicate the attacks are part of an organized resistance to American occupation and that the situation is getting worse; Responsibility of U.S. Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez to determine who is responsible for that attacks; Question of whether the actions of the coalition forces contribute to the attacks; How allegations against soldiers cause dangerous rumors and resentment; Difficulty in preventing looting and protecting the power grid from sabotage.

From the rooftop balcony of the two-story house in northern Tikrit where he sought refuge early last week, Abid Hamid Mahmud al-Tikriti, the fourth-most-wanted man in Iraq, had a panorama on a life come undone. To the south he could make out the sprawling family farmlands where he used to spend weekends with his boss and cousin, Saddam Hussein. A few miles up the road stood the ex-regime's garish presidential palaces, occupied by soldiers of the U.S. Army's 4th Infantry Division. And to the north Mahmud could survey the open desert plains just beyond the city and ponder how to make a great escape. But he never got the chance. Three U.S. attack helicopters swooped toward the house, where Mahmud had been staying for two days. According to residents of the house, the soldiers quickly moved into the living room and forced six men who were sleeping there to the ground, tying their hands behind their backs and covering their heads with nylon bags. "Where's Saddam?" several soldiers yelled, apparently optimistic about whom they might find as they raced upstairs, tossing 15 stun grenades ahead of them. Perhaps sensing that capture was inevitable, Mahmud came in from the balcony. After an Iraqi interpreter for the soldiers recognized Mahmud's countenance--now gaunt and covered by a white beard--as that of the ace of diamonds in the Pentagon's deck of the 55 most-wanted Iraqis, a soldier seized Mahmud and led him out of the house. After Mahmud's arrest, say U.S. officials, he was taken to a site near Baghdad International Airport, where military and intelligence investigators began pumping him for information on the whereabouts of Saddam, his two sons Uday and Qusay, and the 23 other top henchmen still at large. As Saddam's closest adviser and consigliere, Mahmud is one of the likeliest figures to have remained in contact with Saddam after he disappeared. Even if Mahmud's interrogation sheds no light on Saddam's whereabouts, it might be useful to the U.S. in other ways.

Looks at reasons why the war on terrorism will never end. Terror attacks which occurred in May 2003 in Saudia Arabia and Morocco; Possible connection to the terrorist organization al-Qaeda; Questions regarding the location of Osama Bin Laden; Capability of al-Qaeda to organize and carry out terrorist attacks; Concerns over where the next attacks could occur.

Discusses aspects of the Iraqi War, including symbolic gains and world opinion. Battle for a bridge across the Euphrates River; Attack on the home of Iraqi Ali Hassan al-Majid; Fall of the Saddam International Airport in Baghdad, Iraq; Comments made by General Tommy Franks, head of the U.S. Central Command, and Air Force General Richard Myers; Desire of coalition forces to avoid door-to-door urban fighting in the streets of Baghdad; Use of Global Hawk drones by the U.S. military; Discussion on what Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein plans to do; Need for the U.S. to locate the weapons of mass destruction that President George W. Bush claimed Hussein had possession of. INSETS: THE OTHER VOICES OF THE REGIME;TANK BUSTER.

Focuses on the military preparedness of the United States in the war with Iraq. Assumptions made by the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush including little resistance from the Iraqi; Comments from Army Lieutenant General William Wallace regarding improper training received prior to war; Reasons why the Iraqi people are not welcoming coalition forces; Impact of trying to fight a war while limiting civilian casualties.

Focuses on the message U.S. President George W. Bush is trying to convey with respect to the war in Iraq while the American public and press question the progress made and military preparedness. Discussion of the administration's new message about resolve; View of the progress made by coalition forces as being stalled by guerrilla attacks and sand storms; Discussion of the expectations of the administration when entering the war; Recount of press conference.

Discusses why Saddam Hussein did not leave Iraq and go into exile when given an ultimatum by the United States. Background on how he came to power; His confidence that Iraq would emerge victorious from a war with the U.S.; His strategy for driving Western public opinion to demand a cease-fire; His career with the national Baath Party; History and ruthlessness of his regime; Idea that the dictator is seeking a legacy.

Discusses how the United States will invade, defeat and occupy Iraq to remove the regime of Saddam Hussein. Roles of retired Army lieutenant general Jay Garner and invasion commander General Tommy Franks in postwar Iraq; Issues of finding weapons of mass destruction, reforming Saddam's security forces, managing Iraq's oil, eliminating the Baath Party, promoting democracy, and keeping peace among the three main communities of Kurds, Sunnis and Shi'ites in Iraq; How success in Iraq could positively affect the Middle East, according to the plan of the U.S. President George W. Bush administration.

Focuses on U.S. President George W. Bush as he prepares for one final push to win support at the United Nations (UN) for a war to disarm Iraq. Role of Hans Blix, the UN's chief weapons inspector; Views of Blix; Why a second resolution offers advantages to the U.S. administration and to British Prime Minister Tony Blair; Outlook for the decision on whether Iraq is in material breach of UN Security Council resolutions; Difficulties for the U.S. if a new resolution proves unattainable. INSET: WHO'S GOING TO VOTE FOR WAR?.

Discusses the possibility of a war between the United States and Iraq. How U.S. strategists have decided to move 100,000 soldiers into the Persian Gulf region; Consideration of the nuclear arms crisis in North Korea; Role of the United Nations weapons inspections team in Iraq; Requirement of Security Council Resolution 1441 that Iraq allow the questioning of Iraqi weapons workers.

Discusses the reorganization of al-Qaeda and its terrorist affiliates since the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. Indication that terrorist cells exist in 60 countries; How the group has been waging jihad against the U.S. and its allies, including the bombing on Bali Island, Indonesia; Idea that al-Qaeda is avoiding conflict with the Pakistan government by keeping its training camps small; Challenge of crisis issues in the U.S. government concerning North Korea and Iraq; Refocus of the U.S. counterterrorism mission.

Poses questions about possible U.S. military action against Iraq and Saddam Hussein. Consideration of whether military inspections would be enough to end the threat from weapons of mass destruction in Iraq; Analysis of how integral support from the United Nations is for a U.S. attack; Speculation about how long a war with Iraq would be; Questions about whether Saddam would use his weapons of mass destruction; Analysis for the future of Iraq if Saddam Hussein is ousted; Consideration of the effects in the Middle East of a war.

Focuses on the United States relations with Saudi Arabia and the question of whether the U.S. will continue to rely on the Saudis for oil. Impact of anti-Americanism and sympathy for Osama bin Laden's cause that is prevalent in Saudi Arabia; Reluctance of Saudi Arabia to participate in a U.S. operation against Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein; Role of Wahhabism in breeding religious zealotry in Saudi Arabia.