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STEPHEN WAS NO stranger to New York. He'd been to the city as a boy, and regularly came here for work now that he was in his twenties. A consultant, [...]

At the heart of Afghanistan is an empty space, a striking absence, where the larger of the colossal Bamian Buddhas once stood. In March 2001 the Taliban fired rockets at [...]

The article focuses on Colonel General Khodaidad, Afghanistan's minister of counternarcotics. It highlights the challenges he faces which include abolishing poppy fields in a country which is the source of 93% of the world's heroin, and waging a war on heroin traffickers who fund Taliban terrorists. It considers how he is practically powerless amid government corruption and drug traffickers.

This article reports on Ehud Olmert, prime minister of Israel. Elected in 2006, Olmert was thought to be a candidate committed to the peace process. However, when Hizballah struck in Israel, killing 8 soldiers and kidnapping 2, Olmert struck back ordering extensive air strikes and limited ground incursions in Lebanon, Hizballah's home ground. The move had provoked fears that it will escalate into a wider war in the Middle East.

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.

This article focuses on the search in the Gaza Strip for Isreali solider, Corporal Gilad Shalit, abducted by Palestinian militants. The subsequent Isreali raid against Hamas is also seen as a message to the Palestinian leadership and an attempt to smash Hamas. The Isreali strategy may shatter hopes for the Middle East peace process.

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 reports that the release of the new audiotape from Osama bin Laden is not provoking the kind of unease in security officials it once would have. The tape reveals the weakened voice of an ailing bin Laden, offering a truce and making vague intimations of future terrorist attacks. U.S. officials are hoping that the recent presumed deaths of a number of al Qaeda operatives and the thinning of the al Qaeda ranks since 9/11 will make the organization and bin Laden ineffectual.

Discusses how the U.S. Pentagon ended up with a shortage of armored vehicles for U.S. soldiers in Iraq. Response of U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld when questioned by a soldier regarding protective armor for military vehicles; Concerns among soldiers serving in Iraq and their families as the death toll has climbed; Reasons for the shortage of armored humvees; Outlook for speeding up the production cycle of vehicles with improved armor; Suggestion that the demand for armored vehicles in Iraq will keep rising.

The article discusses the outlook for the draft to be re-established in the United States. Over the course of the U.S. adventure in Iraq, military commanders and Bush Administration officials have been united in their insistence that they have enough troops to win the war. The demands of war in Iraq and Afghanistan have forced the U.S. to keep some units on a constant combat footing, sharply reducing the recuperation and retraining period that military experts say is essential to maintain a first-rate Army. The Pentagon is rushing to train 200,000 Iraqi troops to take over combat duties by next August, but meanwhile the U.S. military is trapped in a nation-building marathon that the Army is ill prepared to carry out. The prospect of an open-ended U.S. commitment in Iraq has heightened anxieties that manpower shortages may lead the Pentagon to reinstitute the draft. The U.S. needs to find more troops. Deployed in more than 120 nations around the world, from Iraq to Mongolia, the nation's fighting forces are stretched, by all accounts, to the breaking point. Since 9/11, the number of active-duty and reservist troops deployed overseas has shot up from 203,000 to 500,000. All the Army's combat brigades have been dispatched into war zones over the past two years; some have already gone twice. The Pentagon has applied a host of manpower tourniquets to keep bodies in uniform and on the front lines. For example, the military has issued "stop loss" orders that have prohibited thousands of soldiers at the end of their enlistment obligations from leaving if their units are bound for Iraq, which has been referred to as a "back-door draft." But given the scale of the U.S. commitment in Iraq and the range of potential conflicts beyond it, a few military experts are beginning to say the U.S. may someday reach a point where--no matter who is elected in November--it will have no choice but to reconsider the draft.

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.

Presents a guide to the hurdles faced by the United States in ensuring a smooth transition of government to the Iraqis. Challenges to the interim constitution from Shiite members of the Iraqi Governing Council; Dependence on the state of Iraq's security and sovereignty for a successful exit strategy by the U.S.; Perspective of the international community on the responsibility of the U.S. in Iraq; Tension for the U.S. between staying and going.

Examines how Taliban forces continue to pose a threat to the U.S.-backed Afghan government of Hamid Karzai. Efforts of Taliban fighters to attack U.S. troops and their Afghan allies; View that Taliban forces are re-energized and determined to avenge their defeat; Overview of the deteriorating situation; How Taliban fighters are able to find a haven in Pakistan; Reasons for the Taliban's revival; Frustration of U.S. officials over Pakistan's role in apprehending Taliban fighters; Establishment of Taliban cells; Why the Taliban's revival means trouble beyond the region; Outlook for more violence.

Byline: Phil Zabriskie Desert High The visitors centers at these national parks, monuments, and recreation areas will give you all you need to start exploring. Here's where to rest and [...]

Reports on the surveillance and capture of al-Qaeda member Ramzi Binalshibh, a Yemeni accused of involvement in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Failure to obtain visas; Investigation by U.S. officials; His role in the hijacking; Importance of his capture; Interrogation of Omar al-Faruq; Concerns about alleged al-Qaeda sympathizers in Lackawanna, New York; Changing strategies of terrorists due to war in Afghanistan.

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Looks at the severe stress American troops are under in Iraq. How the men and women are under fire from the moment they arrive to the moment they leave; Uncertainty of knowing where attacks will come from; Comments from Navy Captain Bill Nash, a psychiatrist who heads the Marines' Operational Stress Control Readiness program on the intensity of the stress being felt by the troops; Symptoms of battle related stress; How some try to control their reactions; Efforts of the military to handle these "wounds that don't bleed."

Reports on the efforts of United States and Iraqi forces to crush the insurgency in Fallujah and Ramadi. Fallujah which is the presumed base of Abu Mousab al-Zarqawi, the most potent terrorist in Iraq; Description of an early foray into Fallujah to test the reaction of the insurgents; Details of the assault on Ramadi; How the terrorists are dictating the terms of battle; Statement from one soldier that he hasn't enough men to fight an army that constantly recruits new members.

Discusses the efforts of cleric Grand Ayatullah Ali Sistani to demand elections for the transitional Iraqi government. Consideration of how Sistani is respected by the Shi'ite Muslim majority in Iraq; Decision of the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush to reduce the presence of troops in Iraq; Concern from U.S. officials that an early election would give the Shi'ites an unfair advantages over other groups such as the Sunnis; Plight of Sistani to defend the rights of Iraqis and protect the interests of the Shi'ites.

Early in 2008 I came back to the United States after living and reporting overseas for seven years in Asia and the Middle East. It didn't take long for the [...]

Questions whether the hunt for Muslim rebels in the Philippines by United States soldiers is the most pressing threat in the U.S.-led war on terrorism. Role of U.S. soldiers in Mindanao province; Underlying purposes of this operation; Belief that Manila is a hideaway for al-Qaeda cells in Southeast Asia; Focus on uprooting the Muslim rebel group Abu Sayyaf, which is holding hostages; The campaign that is being waged against Abu Sayyaf by Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

New York to see my parents, Los Angeles to see my sister. That much I knew. But I wanted to go somewhere else, somewhere in between. I'd been living in [...]

The article profiles the Hazaras people of Afghanistan. The author chronicles the history and plight of this ethnic minority dating back to the 1300s. The author also states that they endured persecution under the Taliban for their ethnic and religious differences. The author highlights the emphasis on education and speculates that Hazaras young people will likely will play a key role in the future of the country.

The article discusses why the U.S. Department of Defense ended up with a shortage of armored vehicles for its soldiers in Iraq. U.S. Army Specialist Thomas Wilson questioned U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld recently why soldiers are being sent to war vehicles so vulnerable that troops must forage for rusted scrap metal and compromised ballistic glass.

The article talks about unsafe Asian roads. Asia accounts for more than half of the roughly 1.2 million traffic fatalities that occur globally every year. More than 600,000 Asians are killed and another 9.4 million are severely injured in traffic accidents annually. In Thailand, road accidents are the third leading cause of death after AIDS and heart attacks.

The article focuses on the efforts of Asian nations to help the U.S. in rebuilding Iraq. The mission of the Japanese forces is to support the development of water-purification projects and the reconstruction of schools and medical facilities. Protesters against troop dispatches in Iraq have created protests in Bangkok, Seoul and Tokyo. The calculus of helping the U.S. in Iraq was a complicated collision of political and economic interests. INSET: ASIA'S PRESENCE.

Examines how Taliban forces continue to pose a threat to the U.S.-backed Afghan government of Hamid Karzai. Efforts of Taliban fighters to attack U.S. troops and their Afghan allies; View that Taliban forces are re-energized and determined to avenge their defeat; Overview of the deteriorating situation; How Taliban fighters are able to find a haven in Pakistan; Reasons for the Taliban's revival; Frustration of U.S. officials over Pakistan's role in apprehending Taliban fighters; Establishment of Taliban cells; Why the Taliban's revival means trouble beyond the region; Outlook for more violence.

Examines Mongolia's nomads and how their way of life is under threat. Devastating weather that has driven thousands of herders out of the countryside and into the capital city; Difficulty of the country to city transition for herders; Death of the herders livestock, which is their life's blood; Scarcity of jobs available in the capital.

Reports on the surveillance and capture of al-Qaeda member Ramzi Binalshibh, a Yemeni accused of involvement in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Failure to obtain visas; Investigation by U.S. officials; His role in the hijacking; Importance of his capture; Interrogation of Omar al-Faruq; Concerns about alleged al-Qaeda sympathizers in Lackawanna, New York; Changing strategies of terrorists due to war in Afghanistan.

The article focuses on violence in Afghanistan, where a widespread drug trade often funds the Taliban insurgency. Afghanistan produces 90% of the world's heroin, and the poppy flower accounts for 1/3 to 1/2 of the country's gross national product. 1,600 Afghans and 99 U.S. soldiers were killed in 2005, the most since the fall of the Taliban government.

Explains why Fallujah will not be the last bloody battle in the race to pacify Iraq in time for its elections. Overview of the long-awaited U.S.-led assault on Fallujah against insurgents; Suggestion that victory over the insurgency in Iraq is not necessarily any closer; Observation that many fighters and most of the rebel leadership escaped from the city; Prospect of more urban street fights; Views of U.S. commanders; Importance of making sure Fallujah stays secure once the insurgents are routed; Outlook for the Iraqi police and national guard forces to perform security tasks; Possible strike in Mosul, where there is political unrest; Risks for the U.S.; Significance of the Sunnis in Iraq's elections.

Discusses the possibility that, with former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in captivity, Islamic extremists are playing a larger role in the anti-U.S. insurgency. Ambitions of religiously motivated militants; Fears of officials that assaults on U.S. troops are increasingly being directed by jihadists; Challenges for the U.S.; Role of mosques in providing support for insurgents; Difficulties identifying jihadists; Growing influence of Salafism; Popular support of guerrilla forces.

Focuses on Islamic teachings in Indonesia. Profile of Agung Syuhada who runs a Islamic boarding school; Respect Syuhada has for Osama bin Laden; Reasons why Indonesians do not trust the government; How moderate to liberal Muslims are dominant.

Describes the assassination attempt against Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan, in September 2002. Indication that the country is filled with militants intent on destroying the Karzai government and attacking Western soldiers who back it; Assertion that the gunman, Abdul Rahman, was part of Al-Qaeda and the security detail of Gul Agha Sherzai, the provincial governor of Kandahar; Report that former Afghan Prime Minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar declared jihad against Karzai's U.S. allies; Efforts of Karzai to eliminate violent opponents.

Reports on the locations and status of alleged terror suspects. Osama bin Laden, assumed alive; Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden's right-hand man, assumed alive; Mohammed Atef, bin Laden's military operations chief, killed in U.S. air strikes; Abu Zubaydah, caught in Pakistan; Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, al-Qaeda spokesman, assumed alive; Saif al-Adil, assumed alive and to have succeeded Abu Zubaydah; Saad bin Laden, son of bin Laden, assumed alive; Abu Hafs al-Mauritania, bin Laden's spiritual counselor, assumed alive.

The article reports that the civil rights of ethnic minority Montagnards have been curbed in Central Highlands of Vietnam in the aftermath of Hanoi protest. The foreign journalists are allowed in the troubled Central Highlands of Vietnam only after strict monitoring. The Montagnards are not allowed to speak to the journalists. They live in poverty and their land has been encroached upon by Vietnamese migrants. They have been subjected to religious persecution.

The article describes the situation of Filipino soldiers in Iraq. They have received a warm welcome from Iraqis in and around Hillah and have suffered no casualties yet, apart from a soldier who was slightly injured in a car accident. Sometimes the Filipinos seem almost like they are on vacation. They are based in the southern part of Iraq, and their mission is to help rebuild the nation.

The article focuses on the Islamic fundamentalist organization Taliban, which is regrouping on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border to continue its terrorist Taliban men have been hiding in Pakistan and are returning back to attack government offices in Afghanistan. In June 2003, they have launched scores of rockets at U.S. military bases and detonated explosives in several Afghan cities.

Focuses on the state of the Taliban government following its capitulation. Probability that most Taliban soldiers have gone back to their hometowns and villages and are not in hiding from authorities seeking ex-Taliban leaders; Conduct of these former soldiers, most of whom do not subscribe to the fundamentalist beliefs of the Taliban; Their general support for the government of Afghan leader Hamid Karzai; Progress of reconstruction; Police repression of ex-Taliban.

The article discusses a June 9, 2006 explosion on a beach in Palestine which killed seven members of a family. Following the event, which was blamed on an Israeli shell, the Palestinian Authority's ruling party, Hamas, abandoned a 16-month cease fire agreement with Israel. After an investigation, Israel does not think that it is to blame.

The article discusses the ending of the fragile cease-fire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas. An Israeli shelling of a Gaza beach which killed eight people, including five members of one family, united the Palestinians in outrage. Hamas' military wing ended the cease-fire, which had held for 15 months, and launched at least 15 rockets into Israel. The article discusses the implications of this event for the peace process.

The article reports an update on the health status of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon who suffered a severe stroke on January 4, 2006, and has since been in a coma. On May 28, 2006, as he was being transferred to a long-term care facility, Sharon opened his eyes several times, but it is not believed that it is an indication of improved condition.

The article discusses agricultural problems in Palestine after the election of Hamas. Since Hamas was elected, Israel has blocked commerce between the two countries, citing attacks by Palestinian militants. This has made it nearly impossible for Palestinian farmers to import or export agricultural goods.

This article reports on a U.S. attempt to kill Ayman al-Zawahiri that instead killed 18 innocent people, mostly women and children, in Damadola, Pakistan. Though an Arabic TV station, quoting sources close to al-Qaeda, said al-Zawahiri was alive and well, U.S. officials insisted it was too early to conclude they had missed him. Villagers staged protests, condemning the U.S. for killing civilians.

This article reports on the kidnapping of Margaret Hassan by insurgent forces in Iraq. What is the insurgents' purpose in going after humanitarian workers like Margaret Hassan, Care's longtime country director in Iraq, who was taken hostage last week? As it turns out, the tactic has sometimes been used successfully by the Taliban in Afghanistan, forcing aid organizations to suspend operations and driving a wedge between the people and those trying to bring improvements to the country. That seems to be the thinking of insurgents in Iraq who have been targeting aid workers for abduction in recent months and who are now believed to be holding Hassan. Born in Dublin, Hassan is married to an Iraqi, holds British, Irish and Iraqi citizenship and has lived in Iraq for more than 30 years. She has been a critic of sanctions over the years and a stalwart leader, before and during the war, of efforts to improve the country's faltering water, health and education systems.