Alec Baldwin and Rob Morris, 2/9/12

People too often only talk about the horror and despair surrounding child trafficking and exploitation (which is a reality), but not enough about the hope, empowerment and change that is also just as much of a reality.

Jake Blumgart, 2/9/12

Reporter and researcher

Across Eastern and Central Europe, emboldened right-wing leaders are resurrecting debates around abortion and other reproductive services, even in largely secular nations like Hungary.

Terry Tamminen, 2/9/12

Former Secretary, California EPA

With inspired entrepreneurs and political leaders like these, especially at the state level, the "United States of India" will create massive opportunity to tackle sustainability challenges and create new economic opportunity simultaneously.

Leon T. Hadar, 2/9/12

Senior Analyst at Wikistrat

A military strike on Iranian facilities would not achieve the declared Israeli goal of ending Iran's alleged nuclear military program and the expected costs in terms of Israeli casualties could be very high. It could likely sway the regional balance of power towards Iran.

Alon Ben-Meir, 2/9/12

Senior Fellow, NYU's Center for Global Affairs

Sixty-four years into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and following half a dozen wars and hundreds of terrorist attacks and Israeli retaliations, very little has changed psychologically.

Ahmad Tibi, 2/9/12

Palestinian member, Israeli Knesset; Leader, Arab Movement for Change

We Palestinians are no Johnny-come-lately. Our ties to this land go back centuries, as most historians will tell you. The fanciful history of Professor Gingrich, however, seems more to do with securing the Republican nomination than with speaking the truth.

Dimitri B. Papadimitriou, 2/9/12

President, Levy Institute; Executive vice president and Jerome Levy Professor of Economics, Bard College

During the coming years of austerity, thousands of Greek workers will remain idle because policymakers believe that this makes economic sense. It simply does not.

David Lindsay, 2/9/12

Managing Editor, Global Health Frontline News

Imagine watching your neighbor's child suddenly come down with a mysterious disease that robs her of vitality and leads to a slow, confusing demise.

Eka Iakobishvili and Claudia Stoicescu, 2/9/12

This is not the first time Russia has attempted to censor civil society voices for public health. At the UN General Assembly talk on HIV last March the Russian delegation tried to stop a Ukrainian drug user from speaking about HIV prevention.

Kurt J. Werthmuller, 2/9/12

Research Fellow, Hudson Institute Center for Religious Freedom

What are the possible scenarios for a post-Assad Syria, in both the short- and long-terms, and how is the global community prepared to deal with them?

Robert Naiman, 2/9/12

Policy Director, Just Foreign Policy

If the reports are accurate, then what Lieberman and Graham seek to do is block the president from pursuing a goal that knowledgeable American and European officials say is the "most attainable outcome."

Cori Crider, 2/9/12

Legal Director, Reprieve

I have just arrived in Guantánamo Bay, on my first attorney-client visit for a year. What on earth can I tell these men?

Michael Brenner, 2/9/12

Senior Fellow, the Center for Transatlantic Relations; Professor of International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh

Last week the Obama administration sent clear signals that it was planning to fold its tents in Afghanistan earlier than previously advertised. That set off a flurry of speculation as to why and whether we were giving up on the mission. Most of the talk is about how a retreat could be accomplished with credibility intact. After all, Afghanistan is where the "war on terror" began more than ten years ago. Once again, though, we are focusing on means and modalities without specifying the ends. And the bitter truth is that the Obama administration's foreign policy team is witless about too many things. There is a strong case to made that it is not competent to be the custodian of the nation's welfare in the larger world; nor is it honest about its shortcomings.

Eric X. Li, 2/8/12

Venture capitalist in Shanghai; Chairman, Chunqiu Institute

There is only one problem. The law. Yes, the much-cherished "rule of law" and the self-evident "human rights" it is supposed to protect. Hong Kong is a place held captive by an ideological narrative conceived and propagated by a few political and intellectual elites.

Amb. Marc Ginsberg, 2/9/12

Former U.S. Ambassador to Morocco

If the Obama administration continues on its present course and does not confront the Russian-Syrian arms transfers with tougher resolve, it won't be merely "leading from behind"; it will be turning its back on the growing humanitarian catastrophe.

Tracy L. Barnett, 2/9/12

Multimedia Journalist

They came by the hundreds from the Western Sierra Madre, native Wixarika or Huichol people on a spiritual quest, seeking to consult with the spirits of their ancestors. This year, however, would be vastly different from years past.

MJ Rosenberg, 2/9/12

Senior Foreign Policy Fellow, Media Matters Action Network

The idea of another Middle East war is so outlandish that it seems inconceivable it could actually occur.