Rules of engagement
A Libyan initiative to save the families of "Arab Afghans" was ignored by the United States, increasing fears that thousands of pro- Taliban fighters will be massacred, reports Khaled Dawoud

Stability at long last?
The deal for an interim administration in Kabul, thrashed out in Bonn, resulted in a precarious balancing act between Afghanistan's many factions. Iffat Malik asks whether the deal will work

Frost on the White Mountain
US forces, facing not just an elusive enemy but also the certainty of a harsh winter, are still soliciting the help of a host of allies. Galal Nassar finds out what France, Turkey, and Israel have to offer

Dangerous by definition
The quest for basic information on thousands of detained Arabs in the US continues. Amira Howeidy tries to see through the fog

Bridges over troubled waters
Arab Americans are learning that being politically oriented is an invitation for aggravation in the US, writes Dina Ezzat

Counting chickens
Legions of aid and humanitarian workers are readying for the task of rebuilding Afghanistan. Nyier Abdou wonders if they are jumping the gun

Terrorising the market
The United States' heavy investment in the war industry has failed to turn the economy around, writes Faiza Rady

The end, or the beginning?
Germany and Japan will be the major donors to Afghanistan under the terms of the Berlin settlement. But he who pays the piper does not always call the tune, as Gamal Nkrumah writes

Uneasy bedfellows
US Secretary of State Colin Powell's visit to Ankara last week was preceded by conflicting signals from the Turkish government. And, as Gareth Jenkins reports from Ankara, cooperation with the United States may well hinge on the state of the Turkish economy

Tehran counts its mixed blessings
The Iranian administration is rejoicing at the Taliban's defeat, but support for Hamas could yet complicate the Islamic Republic's diplomatic moment of glory. Azadeh Moaveni tallies the geopolitical score in Tehran

iSpy
E-spionage is recruiting strange allies, and claiming unexpected victims. Pascale Ghazaleh reports

The bottom line
It's highly sophisticated, but is it truly free? As the mainstream US media continues to beat the drums of America's "war on terror" Fatemah Farag investigates the implications for press freedom and finds islands of dissent

Swimming upstream
What do we make of the "U. S. of A."? What speech is it that clings to our ears and moulds our perceptions? --read on--

A hard look in the mirror
The West urges Muslims to engage in serious introspection. But Islamic thinkers speaking to Al-Ahram Weekly say soul-searching should happen on both sides. Omayma Abdel-Latif reports

It's only natural
The cultural revival currently being experienced in Islamic civilisations is not a threat. In fact, it is nothing more than a natural consequence of the plurality of human culture, writes Ahmed Davutoglu