The very first fundamental condition that must be met in order for a State to exist is for other international players to recognize it. In that case, Kosovo is already a full State, since it has been recognized by the strongest members of the European Union (France, the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany) and the United States. But is this recognition enough for Kosovo to begin its independent life? Does Western support make the Kosovan State viable?

• An intermediate solution to the Kosovo conflict
  por Ferran Requejo
• Kosovo´s final status: another chapter of turmoil in the Balkans?
  por Borja Lasheras

Pakistani voters have sent a clear signal to Musharraf and the PMLQ: Get out! The author pleads for the political leadership to close ranks and provide a united front against the powerful military-led ruling dispensation, and calls on the West to pressure Musharraf into stepping down. The Pakistani people will benefit from the transition to civilian rule, as will the West, who in a democratic Pakistan will have a bulwark against Islamic radicalism, he argues.

• Can Pakistan turn over a new leaf?
  por Sohail Mahmood
• The aftermath of the Benazir assassination in Pakistan’s politics
  por Sohail Mahmood

No one disputes Juan Carlos I’s role as facilitator of democracy during the Spanish transition. Regardless of the current crown-wearer’s behavior, the author believes it is necessary to open up a serious debate concerning the viability of the monarchy, and he directly points to the type of regime that we want in Spain.

Mercosur still has two types of imbalances: structural (territory, population, infrastructures…) inbalances and public policy (fiscal matters, investment promotion exports) ones. The author believes that responding to these imbalances means implementing a genuine strategy for regional solidarity, which is not derived from dispersing charity among the poor but instead from the pragmatic necessity of greater benefits.

• How to Overcome the Mercosur Crisis
  por Luciano Anzelini

The limit to energy sources poses a threat to the sustainability of Chile’s economic growth, which is a reason why Michelle Bachelet’s government strongly supports the development of hydroelectric energy in Patagonia. The initiative is tempting for Chilean and Spanish investors and the authorities, but ecologists, farmers, livestock farmers, fishermen, professionals and local cultural associations are making their concerns about the project known. The government’s objective is to have by 2011 or 2012 an energy grid that is more assured than the current one.

The French President, Nicolas Sarkozy was Minister of the Interior during the greatest urban disturbances in recent French history, which took place in the most marginalized neighborhoods of the principal cities. He wants to avoid repetition of these events. The twentieth plan that he wants to apply to the suburbs has been dubbed Hope. Are the measures effective? What is the origin of the violence? Are we dealing with an Islamic revolt? Will it be useful to maintain a hard line?

More than a hundred familial clans control 25 million hectares in Bolivia, five times the territory in the hands of the peasants. This figure translates to a hegemonic standoff, in which the political forces of today (historically low status majority groups) and the economic forces (dominant ethnic minority) do not converge, preventing each group from leading the country as it would like to. In this article I lay out the responsibility of Evo Morales, who will have to ensure a consensus in order to achieve the drafting of a constitution that is accepted by all sectors and guarantees national unity and the principle of authority.

The origin and expansion of think tanks on a global level: does it have to do with civil society’s greater level of involvement in governmental duties, or, on the contrary, is it a response to the crisis of representation in political parties? Do they act as bridges between the rulers and the citizens, or as a new, elitist model where the experts substitute those politicians branded as demagogues and populists that are in power. To follow: the first part of an analysis of the impact and transcendence of think tanks in current cyber-democracies.

With the once-postponed elections almost upon us, the PPP is still riding on the crest of a sympathy wave and will most likely come out on top and reach an agreement with Sharif’s party. However, the United States continues to support Musharraf. The author argues that if this misguided trend continues, Islamic radicals could gain a stronger foothold in the region, which would certainly not aid the American-led global war on terror.

• Why Pakistan is a "desirable" state for radical Jihadism
  por Alberto Priego
• The aftermath of the Benazir assassination in Pakistan’s politics
  por Sohail Mahmood