Familiar terrain
The landscape of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and the pathway to negotiations, has a wearying sense of déjà vu, writes Jonathan Cook from Jerusalem

Chaos continues
The intensification of counter insurgency measures in Iraq seems to be fueling resentment of US forces, writes Salah Hemeid

Countdown to a truce?
Intensive diplomatic efforts might lead to a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel. Khaled Amayreh reports from Palestine

Tricks and traps?
Gamal Nkrumah talks with the Liberian President Charles Taylor about the prospects for peace in the war-torn West African country

Left to their own devices
The protests in Iran, writes Amr Elchoubaki from Tehran, are not the state of revolt the US depicts them as being, but evidence of something else altogether

Region

Statehood without land
In this second of a four-part series addressing the main points of the Mideast roadmap, Muna Hamzeh examines the lack of a clear Palestinian strategy to fight Israel's settlement policy

Women's fate
Rasha Saad , in Baghdad, looks at the challenges facing Iraqi women and speaks to an Iraqi activist, recently returned from self-imposed exile, about her vision for the future

The flood beyond the logjam
Former CIA official Graham Fuller speaks to Amira Howeidy about the forces Bush has unleashed in the region

Egypt

More than window-dressing?
The much-ballyhooed political and legal reform initiatives that became law last week did not escape a certain parliamentary wrath. Gamal Essam El-Din reports

Proof of the pudding
The Ministry of Social Affairs has rejected two NGOs' applications for registration -- on security grounds. What does that mean for civil society, asks Mariz Tadros

Truth or dare?
Muslim Brotherhood sources denied a popular magazine's claim that the group was contemplating "military training" and "the overthrow of the government". Omayma Abdel-Latif investigates

New bottles, same wine
Is the US planning for a regional overhaul? Soha Abdelaty looks into the Bush administration's reform agenda for Egypt

Heritage for auction
Ancient Egyptian artefacts come under the hammer despite Egyptian efforts to obtain their return. Nevine El-Aref reports

Matrix undone

Mambo Egyptiano

Press review

Books Supplement