Iran, Islamic Republic of

Summary:

Rivera fought a landmark lawsuit, bringing issues of gender identity into the public view, finally winning the right for trans people in Chile to legally change their name and sex.

Summary:

Olmert's blather would have made excellent comedy material -- not to mention President Bush's weird facial expressions as he sought to evade the barrage of questions from reporters.

Summary:Chávez says he plans to emulate repressive regimes around the world.

Summary:

"I'm often asked whether there aren't big differences between the Iraq War and Vietnam. And I'm always quick to say, of course, there are differences. In Iraq, it's a dry heat. And the language that none of our troops or diplomats speak is Arabic rather than Vietnamese." -Daniel Ellsberg

Summary:While the US debates whether a civil war is raging in Iraq, thousands of Iraqis face the possibility of death every day all over the country.

Summary:

Are conditions ripe for a grand bargain in the Middle East?

Summary:

Israeli cluster bombs were made in the US; Hezbollah's were from Iran. First step? Ban the transfer of cluster munitions.

Summary:

The stakes of the US-Korean crisis are far greater than is popularly understood.

Summary:

Resolution 1701 contains some disturbing ambiguities that may make a permanent peace between Lebanon and Israel elusive.

The UN Security Council resolution passed on August 11 which belatedly imposed a ceasefire to end the fighting in Lebanon was certainly good news in terms of ending the carnage. Resolution 1701 was also a marked improvement over the original US draft and contains some positive language. Both sides, for instance, are called upon to honor “a full cessation of hostilities.” And Israel must provide the UN with maps of landmines planted in southern Lebanon during Israel’s 22-year occupation that ended in 2000.

Summary:

Ziba Mir-Hosseini is senior research associate at the London Middle East Institute, School Of Advanced Study, and will be global visiting professor of law at New York University in the fall of 2006. A longer version of this piece appeared in Middle East Report Online, www.merip.org.