The opportunity to democratize international organizations 
By Rafael Moreno (for Safe Democracy)
Rafael Moreno believes that the resignation of Paul Wolfowitz as President of the World Bank opens up an opportunity to democratize the selection process of the leaders of International Organizations: a system which up until now has been manipulated by the great powers of the world.
Choosing between security and freedom 
Lev Weiss writes on the rise of a security craze in the United States following the terrorist attacks of 9/11. In Weiss‘ opinion, security is a farce, impossible to ensure without empowering government with authoritarian police power. Fear reduces our capacity to understand the complex and human phenomenon of fundamentalist Islam, and gives government the leeway to limit our freedoms. There is nothing to fear, but fear itself.
Military similarities between Iraq and Algeria 
Ricardo Israel Zipper compares the situation of the United States in Iraq with the experience of France in Algeria (1954-1962), and points out seven lessons that can be learned from the past and applied today in Iraq. Much more than the War in Vietnam, the French War in Algeria serves as a perfect example of both the military and political frustration that an invading force can suffer in a foreign country. In Israel Z‘s opinion, George W. Bush should heed the experience of France in Algeria to avoid making the same mistakes, which led to such tragic results in North Africa.
In the face of certain defeat, a push for more war 
The danger to international security of US Foreign Policy
Arshin Adib-Moghaddam writes on how with the growing conflict in Somalia, and the rising tension over Iran‘s nuclear program, it is the United States that has worsened the situation, taking violent, unjust, unilateral action with disastrous results. The War on Terror, Moghaddam writes, has been used as an excuse to perpetuate illegal intervention, international anarchy, and hegemonic control of the world. And while Iran is currently being portrayed as a danger to regional security, it is the US and Israel that present the real dangers. The rational majority must rise up against the dangerous ideology of US Foreign Policy in favour of coexistence and positive solutions to endemic problems.
George W. Bush’s destiny in the hands of the US Military 
Rafael Moreno analyzes Washington‘s change in Iraq strategy under the command of the new guru of guerilla warfare: David Petraeus. While other Generals have sought to destroy the rebels with force, Petraeus has as his objective the isolation of the insurgents by winning the hearts and minds of the local population. By providing security, employment, reconstruction, and democracy to the people, Petraeus has had some success in the Northern Provinces of Iraq, but in Moreno‘s opinion, the real test will be whether his model can be extended to the rest of the country, attaining security through force and power. Has Petraeus been given an impossible mission?
Complicating the War in Iraq 
Lev Weiss writes on the changing nature of war in the 21st century and on the failures of the United States government in adapting. In Weiss‘ opinion, no amount of military might will be sufficient to win the wars of the present. Instead, complex solutions need to be devised involving diplomacy, and thorough planning. Iraq could have been a success had the Pentagon planned properly to win the trust of the Iraqi people. And the US can still win the War on Terrorism, once it realizes that terrorism is not something that can be warred against. The US must leave behind its simplistic idealism, and open its eyes to the growing complexity of the twenty first century.
Government and private control over impoverished minorities 
Ryan C. Napoli argues that while politicians are now championing urban revitalization projects as the remedy to cure the ills suffered by American cities, in reality the only people to benefit are the rich and the private corporations. In Napoli‘s opinion, the past practice of redlining, whereby Federal and State government policies and practices pushed America‘s minority communities and poor into isolation in impoverished neighborhoods, is very much alive today in urban renewal projects. Today, with government approval, private corporations are again pushing minority communities and the poor out of their neighbors to make room for the rich and their expensive businesses.
The causes and consequences of the democratic triumph 
Ciro Di Costanzo details the causes and consequences of the Democratic Party’s overwhelming victory in the 2006 Midterm Elections. In Di Costanzo‘s opinion, the American electorate chose to punish the Republican Party for its errors in Iraq, provoking huge repercussions for the Bush Administration, and giving renewed hope to Democratic Party’s Presidential bid in 2008. The results of the elections will also benefit Mexico and the Latino population in the United States.
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Sindication
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