One of the major reasons behind the disqualifications of ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanajnai is due to the tensions between Rafsanjani and Iran's Supreme Ledaer, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

What seems to be lacking the most is an explicit political objective achievable in a time period and at a cost that is domestically palatable. Injecting countless weapons into this imbroglio will not alter the underlying political dynamics and may serve to prolong it.

Unless all players are charged with the crime of high treason, his lawyers argue, singling out Musharraf is unfair and unjust. Fearful of backlash and another military coup, these lawyers hope, a pragmatic high court will dismiss the high treason case against Musharraf.

Will the global cause spearheaded by the quirky monk, with such Hollywood champions as Richard Gere and Harrison Ford outlive him?

I know Americans take pride in Google, Apple and similar-minded companies that rule their respective domains; but as for consumer goods, less and less are being made here. What do you consider a unique all-American gift?

Informal sectors jobs would be instrumental in providing opportunities for growing young population in Africa. That's why, Devarajan said, countries should understand that "informal is normal."

A number of analysts and scholars of the Middle East have argued that the revolutions and uprisings taking place in Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, and Syria are the first of their kind to take place in the region.

In a century marked by increasing complexity and interdependence, the betterment of the ones does not equal the regression of others, and, far from being a zero-sum game, economic convergence and global coordination can bring more security and prosperity for all.

One wonders why the opposition has been unable to make political hay of the rising public indignation in response to the incumbent party's utter incompetence in Egypt.

The most disturbing aspect of Looking at Iran is its implicit usefulness for those arguing that America could use force against Iran with little risk of regional blowback. This argument is profoundly -- and dangerously -- mistaken.

The Pakistani state was instrumental in creating an environment that promoted religious and ethnic discrimination, and it is now guilty of inaction - allowing for persecution and violence to exist without putting up any resistance.