POLITICS-U.S.: Bush Backers Steadfast on Saddam-Al-Qaeda, WMD

Three out of four self-described supporters of President George W Bush still believe pre-war Iraq had weapons of mass destruction (WMD) or active programmes to produce them, and that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein gave "substantial support" to al-Qaeda terrorists, according to a survey released Thursday.

U.S. ELECTION: Fear of Military Draft a Growing Factor

With the presidential election coming down to the wire, the possibility of a revived military draft is looming as a potentially decisive factor in the outcome.

U.S.: Muslim Support for ‘War on Terror’ Plummets

While the Bush administration expresses frustration that its motivations in the "war on terrorism" are questioned throughout the Islamic world, it has a similar problem with Muslims at home, according to a major survey of nearly 2,000 followers of Islam across the United States.

IRAQ: Plight of Christians Provokes Calls for Special Protection

While the successful penetration by suicide bombers, who killed 10 people, including four U.S. nationals, of the carefully guarded ''Green Zone'' in downtown Baghdad grabbed headlines here this week, another measure of the deteriorating security situation in Iraq came from a more surprising source.

MIDEAST: Disengagement May Not Bring Peace

Israel has been gripped by disengagement fever since the opening of the winter session of Parliament, the Knesset, last week. In a few days lawmakers will have to vote on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's proposal to withdraw the army from the Gaza Strip and dismantle all settlements there, as well as four in the north of the West Bank.

POLITICS: Mideast Reformers Warn of Backsliding

A landmark reform plan prepared by 40 civil society groups from 15 Middle East and North African (MENA) countries for a recent G8 meeting in New York is at risk of "a false start," according to one of its signatories.

POLITICS-U.S.: So, Did Saddam Hussein Try to Kill Bush’s Dad?

Now that President George W. Bush's allegations about former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein's ties to al-Qaeda and ambitious weapons programmes have been thoroughly discredited, another outstanding charge remains to be resolved.

IRAQ: Prospects Bleak if Early Vote, Book Suggests

Elections in Afghanistan and Iraq may prove disastrous by increasing violence and extremism, according to studies of other post-conflict societies included in a book released Monday by United Nations University Press.

EUROPEAN SOCIAL FORUM: ‘Resistance’ Call at Anti-War Rally

Several thousands joined an anti-war rally Sunday to mark the end of the three-day European Social Forum.

IRAQ: Plight of Christians Provokes Calls for Special Protection

While the successful penetration by suicide bombers, who killed ten people, including four U.S. nationals, of the carefully guarded ''Green Zone'' in downtown Baghdad grabbed headlines here this week, another measure of the deteriorating security situation in Iraq came from a more-surprising source.

RIGHTS-U.S.: Court Cuts, Politicians Push Police Powers

As one key provision of the USA Patriot Act - a central plank of the Bush administration's "war on terror" - was being ruled unconstitutional, some federal politicians were using reform of the country's intelligence community as a vehicle for enacting parts of 'Patriot Act II'.

IRAQ: Just a Nod From Donors to Release Cash

The desperate plea by Iraq's interim government for more funds from the international community to help stabilise the country, where bombings, kidnappings and ambushes have become a daily part of life, received a tentative nod of support from donors gathered at a conference here that ended Thursday.

IRAQ: Bush Policies ‘Fuel Violence’, Say 500 U.S. Scholars

The Bush administration's failure to accept advice on Iraq from its military and foreign service officers has led to policies that have fuelled the insurgency against U.S.-led forces in the occupied nation, says a letter signed by some 500 national-security specialists.

MEDIA: Is Al-Jazeera the New Symbol of Arab Nationalism?

When the League of Arab States was created in 1945, it was perceived as the ultimate symbol of Arab nationalism in a politically and militarily de-moralised Middle East.

RIGHTS: 11 ‘Disappeared’ in U.S. War on Terror – Report

Eleven prisoners captured by the Bush administration in its ''war on terrorism'' have disappeared, opening a ''gateway'' to torture and other abuses prohibited by global law, says a new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW).

POLITICS-U.S.: Sidelined Neo-Cons Stoke Future Fires

Sidelined by their failed predictions for Iraq and U.S. President George W Bush's efforts to reassure voters he is not a warmonger, prominent neo-conservatives and their Christian Right allies are nonetheless trying hard to prepare the ground for future U.S. adventures in the Middle East.

POLITICS-U.S.: Bush’s Case for War Crumbles

Is there anything at all left of the Bush administration's case for going to war in Iraq or, for that matter, the way it has been fought?

POLITICS: U.N. Unions Want Workers Out of Iraq

Nation-wide elections in Iraq, scheduled to take place before the end of January 2005, are now jeopardised by two powerful U.N. staff unions demanding that no U.N. employees be sent to the violence-ridden country.

DEVELOPMENT: Debt, and Hope, Remain

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) wrapped up weekend meetings here with no major results for developing nations, but the gathering might have moved the issue of poor nations' debt onto rich nations' permanent agenda.

POLITICS-U.S.: Foe of ‘Radical Feminism’ to Train Iraqi Women

A U.S. group opposed to government-provided childcare, equal pay for equal work and quotas for women in government service will train Iraqi women in political participation and democracy prior to the 2005 elections in that country.

POLITICS-U.S.: Pundits, Surveys Agree: Kerry Won Debate

In the most important test of his presidential aspirations to date, Democratic candidate John Kerry clearly bested the incumbent, President George W Bush, in Thursday night's debate on foreign policy, according to pundits and public-opinion polls taken after the two men walked off the stage at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.