Adamant of its innocence, Damascus is looking to other Arab capitals for support. It is time Arabs talked and generated a plan of action, writes Ibrahim Nafie

Ballot boxes alone don't make a country democratic. It is the political culture that needs to be democratised, writes Khalil El-Anani

The pace and complexity of modern life often leave decisions to a few individuals; leaders with conviction and insight, and ultimately courage, writes Amin Howeidi

Amr El-Choubaki on the choices now facing the Muslim Brotherhood and the National Democratic Party

Does the participation of the Muslim Brotherhood in the elections violate the constitution, asks Mohamed Sid-Ahmed

While peoples in the Middle East understand that the war on Iraq had little to do with democracy, Washington appears oblivious still to the backlash it has set in train, writes Ayman El-Amir

While the Muslim Brotherhood courts the Copts, doubts remain as to the movement's credentials regarding religious and moral tolerance, writes Sameh Fawzi