Hugo Chávez needs the FARC for his carom shot on the great Bolivarian homeland table, which includes Colombian territory. Álvaro Uribe has reasons to confront Chávez and to line up behind him the national unit of Colombians that are being held in check and offended from both the inside and the outside. Washington backs Uribe, its main ally in South America, but it is in need of a Chávez that will guarantee that, at the end of the day, Venezuelan oil finds its way to the American gas pumps and tanks.

• The international mediation in Colombia, is it defusing the conflict?
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Al Qaeda wants to take control of a country and Pakistan presents some ideal conditions: as neighbors it has Iran, Afghanistan and India; it has a conflict (Cachemir) that is considered universal by the Muslims, and, above all, it has an exit to the Arabian Sea which would close the oil traffic of the Golf monarchies, who are considered by Al Qaeda to be the principal source of corruption. Besides, it has nuclear missiles (Ghauri). Benazir Bhutto represented the only democratic option opposing Pervez Musharraf and the Islamist radicals.

The author argues that far from being isolated, Iran is embedded in myriad political and economic relations with global outreach. Sanctioning Iran is thus a futile strategy and needs to be substituted with a systematic effort to establish diplomatic relations between the United States and Iran, once the belligerent Bush and Ahmadinejad administrations leave office.

This is not the first time that the Afghan president Hamid Karzai has offered to engage in dialogue with the Taliban, even if it is the first time that support has been shown from the United States and the rest of the international coalition, as well as the Taliban response. In other words: this is the first negotiation, but with conditions (control of the southern provinces, a timetable for the exit of international troops and the liberation of all prisoners). Why is Karzai’s offer being put forth now when the violence is growing and the Taliban control nearly half of Afghanistan?

It is easy to understand why there is interest in Antarctica; not only is it very probable that it has oil, gas and mineral riches, but it also has something that could be of even greater importance in the future, and which is neither possible nor probable, but unmistakably there: fresh water, of which Antarctica must be the largest known reserve.

Amidst all of the current mayhem in Pakistan today, there is much finger pointing as to who was responsible for the assassination of leading opposition candidate Benazir Bhutto, with both Musharraf’s government and Islamist radicals bearing the brunt of the blame. In the meantime, elections have been postponed and Musharraf is trying to remain in power despite widespread domestic opposition, especially from the PPP and the poorer sectors of society. The author argues that fair and free elections are the only way out of this political crisis, and calls upon the West to intervene and ensure that they are carried out.

• Pakistan, a key ally of the United States
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• The destabilization of Pakistan
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Israel’s Declaration of Independence ensures civil equality for all non-Jews, but the way the country is run today says something different. The author argues that Israel is actually a multiethnic state in which (especially secular) Jews are privileged to more rights than any other group. He argues that, especially in view of the demographics of the country, it is imperative that Arabs and other non-Jewish minorities not be treated as second-class citizens, especially if Israel is to be thought of as a democratic state.

• How might we learn to live together?
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• Is a Comprehensive Middle Eastern Peace Possible?
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A particular political, diplomatic and legal phenomenon can be observed in relation to the drama of the kidnappings in Colombia: the matter has gone international. The question is whether this fact complicates or simplifies the liberation of those kidnapped, including those in the present as well as the future, those in Colombia and those that are held captive throughout the entire world.

Finding a solution to the future of Kosovo that satisfies the Serbs and the Albanian-Kosovars is proving to be a difficult task; perhaps the alternative could at one stage be the creation of a Confederation between Serbia and Kosovo, which is still its province; it would not be an optimal situation for either of the parties, but it could be an intermediate route towards the final, peaceful solution to the conflict.