by Beril Dedeoglu, Today's Zaman, Turkey - Afghanistan has caused serious difficulties for the US since the beginning of this country’s occupation. The reconstruction of the Afghan state hasn’t provided the expected results yet, and the Afghan crisis risks contaminating a wider region, especially Pakistan.

By Nancy Birdsall and Sarah Jane Staats, GlobalPost, USA- In insider Washington there is a battle going on over who will control U.S. global development strategy.

by Rachelle Kliger, Jerusalem Post, Israel - As the term of Arab League chief Amr Mousa draws to an end, there is now speculation over who will replace him, and renewed hopes that the organization will perhaps revamp itself to become, for once, an influential regional and international player.

by Kavita Charanji, The Star, Bangladesh - Shirin Akhter, in her 50s and president of Karmojibi Nari (KN), an organisation of working women, would prefer to be known as a “political activist” rather than purely a women's activist.

By Emily B. Landau, Haaretz, Israel - We need to be very clear: When the Egyptians demand that Israel join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty - whether at the recently convened NPT Review Conference or at any other international forum - this has one meaning only, that Israel must relinquish its presumed nuclear weapons. In the current regional atmosphere - especially in light of an aggressive, nuclearizing Iran - this is not a realistic proposition.

By Naira Hayrumyan, ArmeniaNow, Armenia- May 12th marked the 16th anniversary of the establishment of ceasefire in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. The current negotiation process within the framework of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) Minsk Group has not led to the resolution of the conflict, and, therefore, the ceasefire agreement signed by the warring parties in 1994 is considered to be the only functional act of the negotiation process now.

by Laura Carlsen, Americas Program, Mexico - Gender justice is an unfamiliar term to most people. Many assume it is merely a feminine (and therefore diminutive) form of justice, created by adding an awkward adjective to an abstract ideal.

by Shreyasi Singh, The Diplomat, Japan - As the number of Bengal tigers plunges, India has been spurred into action. But is it too late?

by María José Fermi (Adapted from Spanish by Diana Schwalb), Living in Peru, Peru-For four months now, the dunes, ravines and shores of Lobitos look like a threatening minefield: steamrollers of the Chinese oil company SAPET have drilled dozens of gigantic holes to extract oil from the subsoil.

by Everjoice J Win, Mail & Guardian, South Africa -I was 15 when you came into being. We “grew up” together, you and I. I was very young during the liberation struggle, so I did not quite understand what April 18 1980 really meant. But I was old enough to appreciate that something seismic had happened. The euphoria among the people was palpable. The adults could not contain themselves. The music made us all giddy: “Mauya, mauya comrade, mauya tongai Zimbabwe!” (welcome back comrade, it’s your time to lead Zimbabwe).

by Meenakshi Ganguly, openDemocracy, UK - The end of Sri Lanka’s post-war electoral cycle makes it even more important for the world to stand for justice over the country’s human-rights abuses.

by Nadia Hijab, Middle East Online, UK - The Israeli police ask the courts for a gag order about 100 times a year. Not many countries claiming to be democracies 'disappear' their own citizens and deny them due process.

by Anne Moorhead, Fiji Times, Fiji - Leaders gathered at the Pacific Food Summit in Vanuatu last week to discuss food security, unquestionably one of the most important issues for the region.This article is about coconuts and coconut products and how they can contribute to food security.

by Elena Milashina, WorldPulse, USA - Despite the assassinations of many of her colleagues, Russia’s award-winning investigative journalist Elena Milashina forges into dangerous territory in search of justice.

by Sanitsuda Ekachai, Bangkok Post, Thailand- The media must seriously rethink its role in times of conflict. But in a complex political situation, with many political actors and factors at play, isn't it simplistic to single out the mass media for blame?

by Sara Pienaar, The Sunday Independent, South Africa - The cult personality of the man of the people has been punctured by the harsh reality of governance and real politik.

by Ariadne Massa, Times of Malta, Malta - Shirlene Henkeman, 21, sobbed helplessly as she waited alone in the clinic, knowing her parents were outside to ensure she went through with the abortion.

by Amy Kazmin, Financial Times, UK - A little trading post and its environs are in the grip of a growing political fervour - backing demands for New Delhi to grant separate statehood to their parched region, known as Telangana. The Telangana passions reflect a broader agitation across India, as citizens question whether the existing political and administrative structure is the most effective means to govern 1.2bn people.