Recognizing "statehood" does not mean U.N. membership, but it would nonetheless be a major Palestinian success. A resolution recognizing a Palestinian "state" could also declare its boundary to be the 1967 borders (in actuality, merely the 1949 armistice lines), with or without President Obama's caveat about "agreed upon swaps" of land.

As the obsession with "peace processing" has consumed the Obama administration, Iran has marched inexorably forward with its nuclear-weapons program. Indeed, Iran will likely be this week's real winner in New York, exemplified by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaking from the same General Assembly podium just twenty-four hours after the faltering president of the United States.

Millions of voters will head to the polls this week for the first phase of what are often called India's second-most important elections -- for a new government in Uttar Pradesh, the country's largest state and home to about one in six of its 1.2 billion citizens. In the drama of Indian democracy, UP has always played a starring role.

President Obama's upcoming visit to the 64th UN General Assembly, which opened yesterday, will be nothing if not entertaining.

The fight against terrorism is no closer to success today than it was a decade ago when, in the wake of the September 11 terror attacks, President George W. Bush declared a Global War on Terrorism.

Several states have recently shown that they can save on costs without compromising public safety by intelligently reducing their prison populations.

One basic principle of the rule of law is that laws apply to everybody. If the sign says "No Parking," you're not supposed to park there even if you're a pal of the alderman. The Obamacare waiver process appears to violate this rule.

This churn in Tokyo makes it almost impossible for U.S. and Japanese leaders to forge a stable working relationship. It is becoming a strain on ties between the two Pacific allies, and is one reason Japan has slipped off the radar in Washington. Yet the two partners need each other more than ever, given the common challenges they face, from economic stagnation to continued instability in East Asia.