The latest twist in Afghanistan's election saga only compounds the West's failure, writes Graham Usher in New York

Ageing NATO is having a facelift, while its Russian-sponsored equivalent is learning to walk. "Regional" defence organisations are very much in transition, notes Eric Walberg

At the UN's 18th annual meeting on the blockade against Cuba, the island nation was feted for its historic resistance against the United States, writes Faiza Rady