Autor: Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

The good news is that some politicians apparently do keep their promises. Immediately after being appointed Pakistan's prime minister earlier this year, Yousaf Raza Gilani promised negotiations with the Taliban, saying that his government was 'ready to talk to all those who give up arms and adopt the path of peace.'

In the past year, we have seen the battlefield deaths of such prominent terrorists as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Iraq, and Shamil Basayev and Abu Hafs al-Urdani in Chechnya, as well as a host of less publicized kills and captures.

Puede pasar mucho tiempo antes de que la idea de democracia eche raíces en Siria. Estados Unidos debería ejercer la paciencia.

The theory behind pushing Middle Eastern democracy is that of the safety valve: If Middle Easterners have a say in their governance, the theory goes, they will be less likely to turn to violence. But recent events have called this theory into question. Will democratization end up unwittingly empowering the enemies of the West?

The disruptions caused by Katrina and Rita make Saudi Arabia, which boasts a quarter of the world's proven petroleum reserves, more important to the world oil supply than ever before and al Qaeda knows it.