By Mark C. Partridge

Iraq: Five Years on
Five years on, the war in Iraq has changed in seemingly every respect. Fresh from toppling the Taliban in Afghanistan, an emboldened United States was chomping at the bit for regime change in Iraq with fanciful ideas of spreading of democracy throughout the Middle East. The likes of Iran, Syria, and Libya were frantically making concessions in a desperate attempt to avoid being “next.” Subscribers Only

By Sam Brannen

Stalemated in Afghanistan
Stalemated in Afghanistan, the United States and NATO allies have pointed fingers everywhere, on the hunt for the source of their frustration. They blame Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s rejection of the UN “super envoy” in the person of Lord Paddy Ashdown; they blame the safe haven and political instability of Pakistan’s tribal areas; they blame Afghan corruption. Often they blame each other. Subscribers Only

By Ashley C. Hoffman

Miliblogs: Letters from the Battlefield
If Vietnam is remembered as the first war that the media brought to the living rooms of American, then the war in Iraq will be remembered as the first war that the soldiers themselves brought to the living rooms, offices, and bedrooms of America. Click to read

By John Bavoso

Nations of Inflation
In 2007 the inflation rate in the U.S. was 2.70 percent. In Zimbabwe the rate was well over 100,000 percent. High levels of inflations are indicative of more than economic troubles. In this grim top 10 we investigate the socioeconomic factors leading to worthless currencies. Subscribers Only

By Lawrence Delenvigne

Libya's Past Terrorism Dues
In January, a U.S. court judgment has Libya owing $6 billion for terrorist past. Libya and the U.S. have experienced a warm up in the relations in the past several years. Will the diplomatic progress—which has seen Libya renounce terror, end its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, and pledge billions to victims of its former terrorism—be once again tested? Click to read

By Joseph S. Joseph

Cyprus' Last and Best Hope for Unification
A wind of change is blowing as of lately in Cyprus. Since the election of Mr. Christofias, the leader of the left wing AKEL party, to the presidency of Cyprus last February, momentum is building. Click to read

By Kyle S. Erickson

TOP SHELF: SUMMER BOOK REVIEWS
Post-American Anxiety
China’s foreign exchange reserves top $1.5 trillion! Indian economy on pace to surpass Britain by 2020! These and similar jaw-dropping figures are thought to herald the dawn of the multi-polar age. The notion that we are in the midst of a massive shift in global power is the meme of the moment. Is this change for the better, or will things get worse? Should I resist, or adapt? Subscribers Only

World Organizations Quarterly Report
This season saw a number of important deals negotiated by the world’s organizations. The World Trade Organization, joined by the European Union and Canada, won a preliminary ruling in a case over Chinese tax policies restricting imports. The World Bank Group backed a groundbreaking new experiment to combat the spread of AIDS in Africa in which thousands of people will be paid to avoid unsafe sex. The African Union changed Chairmen recently but there is little indication that the change will alter fundamentally the policies of the organization, which has faced criticism over their muted reaction to the ongoing political crisis in Zimbabwe. Subscribers Only