SRI LANKA: Opportunity Lurks under Crisis of Troubled Nation

Though much of the attention around Sri Lanka's political crisis centres around the instability it has caused, the current standoff could actually result in firmer cohabitation between the feuding camps of President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe - and give a boost to peace talks.

SRI LANKA: Opportunity Lurks under Crisis of Troubled Nation

Though much of the attention around Sri Lanka's political crisis centres around the instability it has caused, the current standoff could actually result in firmer cohabitation between the feuding camps of President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe - and give a boost to peace talks.

IRAQ-U.S.: A Palpable Sense of Panic

While maintaining a brave face on the accelerating stream of bad news coming out of Baghdad, the administration of President George W. Bush appears increasingly at a loss, not to say panicked, about what to do.

IRAQ: Rumsfeld Takes More Friendly Fire

The right-wing coalition that powered the United States into Iraq earlier this year appears in ever greater disarray amid increasingly heated complaints by friends, as well as foes, that the U.S. occupation is not going well at all.

POLITICS: Thailand Becomes Less Hospitable Place for Tamil Tigers

Within the space of three weeks, Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels have earned unflattering stripes in Thailand, a country they once roamed freely in search of weapons for their separatist struggle.

IRAQ: U.S. Stuck without a Turkish Crutch

Turkey's decision not to send troops to Iraq has brought relief to Iraqis and Turks, but comes as a setback to an increasingly beleaguered United States.

POLITICS-EU: Brussels Is Far from Istanbul

Turkey's entry into the European Union is a long way off despite a generally favourable report card by the European Commission. Some wonder if it will ever happen.

POLITICS-EU: Brussels Is Far from Istanbul

Turkey's entry into the European Union is a long way off despite a generally favourable report card by the European Commission. Some wonder if it will ever happen.

POLITICS-U.S.: Feith is the Answer

''What's gonna happen with Feith?"

POLITICS: ‘Expert’ Draws Attention to Business of Counter-terrorism

The Sep. 11 attacks on the United States and the subsequent U.S. invasion of Iraq have spawned a new industry of terrorism experts, who have made their mark by explaining their theories to the media and advising governments and corporations on how to cope with threats to national security.

POLITICS: Bush Team Split on China, but Realists Hold the Reins

The major new player on the National Security Council (NSC), Robert Blackwill, attended as did the chief Asia specialist at the State Department, Assistant Secretary James Kelly.

POLITICS-U.N.: Walking the Middle Ground, Annan Irks Extremes

When U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan recently faulted a lop-sided U.S. resolution for failing to assure self-rule for Iraqis, he was accused of threatening a regime change in the White House.

POLITICS-U.N.: Walking the Middle Ground, Annan Irks Extremes

When U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan recently faulted a lop-sided U.S. resolution for failing to assure self-rule for Iraqis, he was accused of threatening a regime change in the White House.

POLITICS-U.S.: Pentagon Hawk Released – Straws in the Wind?

A major Pentagon hawk has abruptly resigned his post in a move that, in the context of other recent developments, is likely to fuel speculation that the White House might be trying to soften the harder edges of its controversial policies.

POLITICS: Brazil’s Workers’ Party Embodies Left’s Hopes and Fears

Brazil's governing Workers' Party holds out hopes for the revitalisation of the Socialist International, although the signals emitted during the party's first 10 months in office have fuelled fears of a new frustration for the left.

POLITICS: Brazil’s Workers’ Party Embodies Left’s Hopes and Fears

Brazil's governing Workers' Party (PT) holds out hopes for the revitalisation of the Socialist International (SI), although the signals emitted during the party's first 10 months in office have fuelled fears of a new frustration for the left.

POLITICS-MALAYSIA: Goodbye Mahathir, Good Luck Abdullah

As Mahathir Mohamad ends this week his 22-year tenure as prime minister, Malaysians are caught in a flurry of last-minute tributes, both genuine and manufactured.

ASIA: Mahathir’s Farewell Tour Aims to Keep Australia at Bay

After blasting Australia for being the U.S. government's sheriff in Asia, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has delivered yet another pointed message to Canberra just before he steps down from office this week.

IRAQ: Who Are the Bombers?

Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz's weekend tour of Iraq appeared to be going splendidly: everywhere he went - even in Saddam Hussein's former stronghold of Tikrit - Iraqis greeted him with smiles and warm handshakes, no doubt adding to his conviction that the war really was for ''liberation'' rather than ''occupation''.

POLITICS-: China’s October Revelation Slows U.S. March in Asia

It was meant to be U.S. President George W Bush's big moment in Asia, but by the time he finished his six-country tour this week, there were unmistakable signs that the world's most powerful man had been undone by regional heavyweight China.

POLITICS-U.S.: Cuba Vote Shows Bush’s Waning Authority

Thursday's unexpectedly lop-sided vote by the Republican-led U.S. Senate to end a 40-year ban on U.S. citizens travelling to Cuba marks another embarrassing defeat for President George W. Bush.