Where do immigrants most want to live?Despite making a big show of being unfriendly to “illegal” immigrants, both Australia and the US are among the most desirable new homes for immigrants.
Politics / The World / The Rest
Different Castro, same Cuba
A new report by Human Rights Watch says Cuba’s government is as repressive under Raúl Castro as it was under his brother Fidel, with dissidents beaten, publicly humiliated and fired from their jobs.
UN sends Nicolas Cage to fight Somali pirates
Clearly the most qualified candidate for the roll, actor Nicolas has gone to Africa to meet with jailed Somali pirates in his capacity as a “Goodwill Ambassador on Drugs and Crime” for the UN.
Turkey debates a deal with terrorists
Turkey’s government is showing that an “Islamist” party can become a force for democracy and progress, challenging so many of our usual assumptions about Muslims, terrorism and the Middle East.
The world’s most corrupt governments
Watchdog Transparency International has released its annual list ranking the world’s most — and least — corrupt countries. Heading the list is Somalia, while Australia is the eighth least corrupt.
The Velvet Revolution: 20 years on
On the 20th anniversary of Czechoslovakia’s “Velvet Revolution”, Timothy Garton Ash looks at the other nonviolent uprisings it helped inspire over the proceeding two decades.
The case for a nuclear Iran
Gasp! Iran could be building “The Bomb”. Yep: just like Pakistan has bombs, Israel has bombs and North Korea has bombs. Does another one really matter? asks Aetius Romulous
revealed 
UN secretly negotiating with Iran to lift nuclear sanctions
Documents leaked to the Times reveal the United Nations has been negotiating with Iranian officials to lift the country’s nuclear sanctions, allowing it to retain most of its nuclear program, in return for co-operation with UN inspectors.
What if we fail in Afghanistan?
It’s time to start asking: what happens if the US and its allies can’t prevent the Afghani Taliban from taking control of the country and restoring a second Islamic Emirate? Steve Coll explores some hypothetical outcomes (spoiler: none of them are good).
Honduras — sleight-of-hand, smoke and mirrors
The US State Department’s statement last weekend that the Honduran elections would be recognised whether or not President Manuel Zelaya was reinstated is a gross betrayal of the aspirations of many honest people, writes Warwick Fry.
Former British Corporal: My entire unit abused Iraqi civilians
A former British soldier convicted of war crimes in Iraq claims his entire unit physically abused Iraqi detainees, kicking and punching them while down, threatening to set them alight and holding guns to their heads.
Life as a soldier in Afghanistan
A remarkable photo essay by AP photojournalist David Guttenfelder on the lives of American troops in Afghanistan gives a small insight into the fear and horror of the work, says W H Chong.
Why is America funding Pakistan’s spies?
The CIA is pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into Pakistan’s intelligence service, according to former officials, even though it’s widely suspected the agency is helping Taliban extremists.
World leaders give up on Copenhagen
The Copenhagen climate conference doesn’t start for another 22 days, but world leaders at the APEC summit have already agreed that reaching a legally binding deal on climate change at the conference will be impossible.
The last great Nazi trial
In November, former Nazi concentration camp guard John Demjanjuk will appear before a Munich court, charged with 27,900 counts of accessory to murder. With time running out to prosecute other ex-Nazis, the case marks the end of an era in world history.
Why New Zealand should become our seventh state
MP Kelvin Thomson’s call for Australia to shut the door shut on New Zealand migrants is way off the mark, says Bernard Lagan: we’ve done enormously well by plundering their best and brightest. Let them join the Federation, and everyone wins.
Just a ripple in the global refugee crisis
Australia does not have refugee “crisis”: 78 asylum seekers is just a drop in the ocean of the world’s displaced people, explains Peter Mares in this excellent overview of global refugee movements and our (relatively minor) within it.
Will the real President of Mexico please stand up?
Andrés Manuel López Obrador narrowly lost the 2006 Mexican president election. But instead of bowing out gracefully, he formed a fake government, declared himself the “Legitimate President of Mexico” and now tours the giving presidential speeches. But the truly bizarre bit: many Mexicans take him seriously.
The Taliban grows more powerful than Al Qaeda
The power balance between the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan has flipped, with the latter’s numbers dwindling to fewer than 100 members in the country. Some Taliban factions are now shunning the terrorist group in an effort to win over local civilians.
Why we shouldn’t destroy Al Qaeda
As tempting as it is to pull the trigger on the world’s most notorious terrorist network, keeping Al Qaeda intact may be in the world’s best interests: by funnelling extremists into one “social network”, it’s easier to spot, track and contain them.
revealed 
US security contractor planned a $1m cover-up of Iraqi civilian killings
The US military security contractor formerly known as Blackwater paid $1 million in an attempt to buy Iraqi officials’ silence over the killing of 17 Iraqi civilians by Blackwater guards in 2007, claims the NYT.
Iraq: where the bloody hell are you?
Iraq may be war-torn and rife with crime, bombings and insurgency, but that’s not holding it back from going on a global tourist drive, hoping to attract European and American travellers to sites like the Garden of Eden and Babylon.
In defense of Hamid Karzai
Afghan President Hamid Karzai may not be a saint or a statesman, but take a look at some of his predecessors, who were responsible for torture, slaughter, dictatorships and harbouring terrorists, says Bret Stephens. No wonder Afghans are “a collective sigh of relief”.
Iran: stay and fight or leave and live?
With the protests surrounding the Iranian elections, it raises a difficult question for young Iranians, writes Gabby Haynes, fight or flee? With an estimated 150,000 Iranians leaving every year, how can change come about if no one fights for it?
Palestine is better off without Abbas
Many are lamenting Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas’s decision not to stand for re-election as the end for a chance at peace in the Middle East. Saree Makdisi is not one of them.
