World
Afghanistan: The Next Hundred Years' War?
Hands of God: Bloody handprints on a wall in Iraq after a suicide bombing in January 2007. Photo courtesy of Michael Yon.
Traveling with American troops in Iraq since 2005, an insider says the war is all but over; however, battling against terrorists in the mountains of Afghanistan may prove to be an uphill climb with no end in sight.
Enter the Dragon: Mixed Feelings Greet China at G20 Summit
Reporting from the Front Line: Journalists Get Drilled
FORT MEADE, Md. -- The orange and red oak leaves are falling in this eerie forest setting. On a trail well-worn by the footsteps of commando boots, the atmosphere is sliced open by a rush of soldiers dodging fallen branches and land mines. A captured press photographer waits silently behind enemy lines to be saved. His rescuers approach cautiously, every step and broken branch a possible alert to an enemy unseen.
This is Ft. Meade, Md. But for this 72-hour simulation exercise it is Iraq, the world's most dangerous country.
China to Take Center Stage at D.C. Global Economic Summit
Chinese President Hu Jintao is one of 20 world leaders making their way to D.C. for an urgent summit this weekend. The agenda? The international financial crisis.
As Execution Looms, Doubts Remain
Troy Anthony Davis is slated for execution in Georgia on Monday, after almost 17 years on death row. But new evidence has emerged in his case, casting doubt on his guilt. Is the state of Georgia going to kill an innocent man? The Observer's Federica Valabrega shares her first-hand account of speaking with Davis in prison.
Crossing Borders and Boundaries, a Woman Journalist both Covered and Made History
The passports are kept in two different locations - an anonymous safe deposit box in a bank somewhere and in a drawer in the bedroom of her home.
Report: SOC Alum released by Syrian officials
A photo of Holli Chmela, 27, taken from her Facebook profile.
An American University journalism graduate and her traveling companion, who were detained by Syrian officials after being accused of illegally crossing into the country, have been released into U.S. custody, according to officials.
CNN reported that Syria had released Holli Chmela and Taylor Luck, who had gone missing during a vacation in Lebanon and had not been heard from since Oct. 1, prompting an extensive search by the U.S. and Lebanese governments.
Syrian officials said the two were detained after crossing the Syrian-Lebanese border with the help of smugglers. They did not have proper visas, authorities said.
Fear and Hope for Iraq's Future
The Iraq war has been a defining issue in the presidential race. Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama wants large, early troops cuts. Republican candidate Sen. John McCain wants U.S. troops to stay until stability is guaranteed and victory assured.
But it's not just the presidential contenders who have differing strategies on Iraq. Among both American academics and Iraqi citizens, opinions vary on the best course for the nation's future.

