The United States will begin to abandon Afghanistan yet again in July 2011, and it will not bode well for the war on terrorism.

Constitutional monarchy would be far and away the most suitable form of government for Afghanistan"s conservative society.

Support for dissent and reform in the Middle East is an investment in a free and democratic future for the region.

For many superstitious Afghans, it's no coincidence that the coming of democracy coincides with the end of the drought; it's proof, despite winter's bitter hardships, of a better future.

On Oct. 9, for the fifth time in my life, I went into a polling station and cast a vote in Australian federal election. The same day, several hours later and on the other side of the globe, millions of people were exercising their democratic right to vote for the first time in their lives.