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
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• The aftermath of the Benazir assassination in Pakistan’s politics
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When it tore down part of the wall at Rafah, Hamas was acting for the party’s own benefit, in an attempt to implement its Islamic Revolution program at the expense of unity between Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The author argues that Israel should lift the sanctions imposed upon Gaza and negotiate a comprehensive peace plan with Palestinian President Abu Mazen for the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Neighboring countries such as Egypt should partake in the dialog, and Hamas and other factions must also comply with the peace process.

• Olmert is unaffected by Jerusalem’s storms
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Regarding the release of FARC’s hostages, the presidents of Colombia and Venezuela are prisoners of domestic policy, the author says. Chávez needs outside success to assimilate the referendum’s political debate, and Uribe needs to demonstrate that Chávez is not the only one capable of leading negotiations to free hostages. The author points out that the international community is hoping that these events will reduce the current tension between Colombia and Venezuela, and not the other way around.

• The intimate relationship between narcotrafficking and the State
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• The international mediation in Colombia, is it defusing the conflict?
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After years of colonial and dictatorial rule in the Philippines, the People Power Revolution of 1986 installed a new government and led to the initiation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). Yet more than twenty years later, poverty remains high in rural areas and income inequality remains a serious problem. The author faults the program’s land to the tiller concept and goes on to argue that access to jobs, and not land ownership, is a better way to reduce rural poverty.

The progress that Peru has experienced since Alan García regained the presidency is obvious: to the latest economic results (production growth, low inflation rate and proper fiscal discipline) we must add the FTA with the United States and the election of Lima as the host of the Fifth European Union–Latin America and Caribbean (EU–LAC) Summit, as well as the APEC summit. Even with all of this, the recent cases of corruption indicate that there is still a lot left to do, beginning with reform of the public, education, and health sectors, which is a major pending task.

The publication of the Winograd Commission’s final report on the 2006 Lebanon War has not caused the political destabilization in Jerusalem that could have been expected a couple of months ago. There are several reasons for this, but two stand out above the rest: the report presented the image of an idealized (on a political and military level) Israel that no longer exists. And if the Minister of Defense, Ehud Bark (Labor Party), withdraws from Ehud Olmert’s coalition government, forcing elections to be moved forward, Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud) will win.

In spite of sustained macroeconomic growth, which was close to 4 percent in 2007 but not duly reflected in the majority of the population’s pockets, Spain continues to suffer from important production, competition and exportation shortages, among other problems. Neither the Socialist Party nor the Popular Party’s programs addresses the economic transformations that Spain urgently needs.

• Why Spain’s future is at stake
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• The electoral contest intensifies in Spain
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No one disputes the growing weight of the emerging Indian giant in the economic scene and global geopolitics. However, if India is to achieve a more influential position on the international level, it must strengthen its democratic system and be aware of the need to confront inequality and injustice with ambitious long-term policies. It is faced with an imbalance that cannot be resolved by its macroeconomic growth alone, regardless of how spectacular it may be.

• Southeast Asia reduces poverty, but increases inequality
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