Bad tidings
Public criticism of the Russian authorities' handling of the nuclear submarine disaster spells trouble for the Putin administration, writes Abdel-Malek Khalil from Moscow

Befriending the bêtes
Venezuela's Hugo Chàvez has raised eyebrows in Washington by visiting Iraq and Libya. Show business, writes Hisham El-Naggar from Buenos Aires

Out of Arta
In Djibouti a road map has begun to emerge that leads towards Somali national reconciliation, writes Gamal Nkrumah

A voice crying in the wilderness
Gore and Bush are as different as Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum; they are not the only "alternatives" offered at the US presidential race, writes Edward Said

His own man
Last week's Democratic Convention boosted Al Gore's standing, writes Thomas Gorguissian from Los Angeles