Citing his attempts to create a "new climate in international politics, his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples," and his vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded U.S. President Barack Obama the Nobel Peace Prize.

Five years ago, I was in Kabul visiting Afghan women's groups, including the Afghan Institute of Learning, which had once operated underground schools for girls under the Taliban. The energy of Afghan women and girls was infectious -- I answered questions about Shahrukh Khan, joined them in Bollywood songs...

It is important for the world to know that quietly and out of sight of the mainstream media, ordinary people from all over China have engaged in citizen activism even after the suppression of the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989. Their grassroots efforts are building a society that is likely...

March 2008, Women's History Month has taken on dramatic new relevance for the women of the United States.

For the first time in U.S. history, a woman, Senator Hillary Clinton, is being taken seriously as candidate for president. After a long and still uphill struggle within the Democratic Party, including...

Musharraf's acrobatics may actually mark the return of democracy to Pakistan after more than eight years of military rule. Here's why: while the world has been focused on Pakistan's bombs and viability as a state, its women see a flickering light at the end of the tunnel, a future that...

This week marks the premiere of Trade in local theaters, a powerful new film about the underworld of sex trafficking. The movie is inspired by a 2004 New York Times Magazine cover story by journalist Peter Landesman, and shares with it the revelation that human trafficking exists right here in...

It is easier to access contraceptive services in Iran, an Islamic theocracy, than it is in Mexico or other Latin American countries. In the U.S. the pro-choice movement is reeling from last Wednesday's Supreme Court ruling to uphold a ban on partial-birth abortions. U.N. data shows that in countries where...

At no time of the year do the deep-seated contradictions of our world become more apparent and more disturbing than these few weeks at the end of December. On the one hand, the pages of our newspapers and the screens on our TV are filled with advertisements for the latest...