Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert chairs a cabinet meeting. (Jim Hollander/AFP/Getty Images)

Stunning Words from Israel's Lame-Duck Leader

But as a lame-duck prime minister, he's not in a position to act on his words.

Israel's Next Leader: 'Mrs. Clean'?
In Israel, Kibbutz Life is Making a Comeback
Who Will Lead Israel?
Hezbollah Strengthens Its Grip in Lebanon

IRAN

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (C) waves to the press before a meeting with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at the United Nations in New York City. (Chris Hondros/Getty Images)

Iran's President: U.S. Too Weak to Attack

Ahmadinejad predicts that the ailing U.S. economy will prevent Washington from launching a strike.

Iran Might Give Diplomacy a Chance
Dissent Over Mixing Islam and Politics
U.S. and Allies Threaten Iran Sanctions

Pakistan

Pakistani security sits on a chair near the wreckage of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad two days after a suicide truck bombing destroyed the hotel. (Pedro Ugarte/AFP/Getty Images)

Can Pakistan Launch a Real Terror Offensive?

The government is under pressure to fight extremists—and the impression it's fighting America's war.

Pakistanis Hope to Avoid a Military Coup
Pakistan's President Faces Ouster
Bad Guys in the Border Badlands

SOUTH AMERICA

A soy bean harvest in the Mato Grasso region of Brazil. (Lalo de Almeida/The New York Times/Redux)

Brazil: A Global Economic Power

Once a chronic debtor, the South American giant finds its groove under Lula, its charismatic president.

Brazil, the New Food Superpower
U.S. Farmers Try Their Luck in Brazil
Brazil: Biofuels Not the Problem
Protecting the Amazon

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates hands over the Multi-National Force Iraq flag to Gen. Ray Odierno while outgoing commander Gen. David Petraeus looks on during a Change of Command ceremony at Camp Victory on September 16, 2008 in Baghdad, Iraq. (Dusan Vranic/Pool/Getty Images)

Challenges Petraeus Leaves in Iraq

Gen. Odierno must manage Sunni militias, a U.S. troop drawdown, the flashpoint of Kirkuk, and Sadr.

The Rise of Female Suicide Bombers
Recalling the Shame of Abu Ghraib
Petraeus Calls for Troop Reduction Delay
Defeating Al Qaeda in Iraq Holds Risks

Russia

People mingle in the exclusive nightclub "Opera" in Moscow. (Thomas Peter/Reuters)

Moscow is the New Capital of Cool

Once the home of dour communism, Russia’s capital now goes for glitz and glamour.

The Next Flash Point With Russia?
Putin's Russia Acts Like a Great Power
U.S. Shares the Blame for Georgian Crisis
Lawyers Claim Kremlin Abuses

EUROPE

Cars drive down residential streets in Newport, Wales. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

Britain's Housing Woes Lead to a Recession

Prime Minister Brown has a plan intended to boost home sales and his own popularity.

Violent Factions in Northern Ireland
Knife-Crime Spree Unnerves Britain
The Shadow of the Strong Euro
Protest Against a U.S. Missile Defense Deal

CHINA

Children play in front of the Shenyang Olympic Sports Center Stadium, one of the five football venues of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning province. (Sheng Li/Reuters)

Olympics Hoopla Doesn't Sway China's Rulers

The games have not softened China's repressive behavior.

For China, an Industrial Downsizing
Chinese Factories Face a Worker Shortage
China: Angry Over Schools' Collapse
Reporting Bad News in China

Afghanistan

US Marines stand alert as they prepare to leave Camp Dwyer in Garmser in the southern province of Helmand, Afghanistan. (Massoud Hossaini/AFP/Getty Images)

Thousands More U.S. Troops to Afghanistan

The U.S. commander there calls for a further buildup to counter the Taliban.

U.S. Marines Take On the Taliban
The CIA’s Ex-Allies Who Kill Americans
Afghan Couples Try Family Counseling

ASIA

A South Korean looks at a TV screen showing footage of the public demolition of North Korea's cooling tower at its Yongbyon nuclear complex, at a railway station in Seoul on June 27, 2008. North Korea blew up the cooling tower to symbolize the communist state's commitment to scrapping its nuclear program. (Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images)