In Bush's shadow
When President Mohamed Khatami visited Kabul two weeks ago, the historic importance of his trip for Afghan-Iranian relations was overshadowed by the looming figure of the US, writes Azadeh Moaveni

Abu Nidal dies -- unmourned
The life of the notorious Palestinian guerrilla commander Sabri Al-Banna, better known by his nom de guerre Abu Nidal --read on--

Democracy versus oil
Peace and security in Sudan come at a price -- greater democracy. Will the key players pay the price, asks Gamal Nkrumah

Preparing for war
How will Iraq confront a US-led attack aimed at overthrowing Saddam Hussein's regime? Galal Nassar went to the Jordanian-Iraqi border to find out

Royal anxiety
Jordan's King Abdullah, having decided to postpone parliamentary elections for a second time, appealed to his people to show patience, writes Galal Nassar from Amman

What does Sharon want?
No sooner had Israeli tanks rolled out of the streets of Bethlehem than time came for Tulkarm to be attacked. Khaled Amayreh, in Hebron, reports

Waterless world
As Israel reclaims Negev Desert land for agriculture, Palestinians thirst for drinking water. Talal Jabari writes from the West Bank village of Beit Dajan