London, England — The United States is pursuing a "pressure track" to halt Iran's nuclear program, given its continued rejection of a U.N. proposal on its disputed uranium enrichment activities. To prevent Iran from becoming nuclear-armed, one option is for the West to support Iran's internal opposition movement.

Boston, MA, United States — Hamid Karzai's second term as president of Afghanistan has begun just as poorly as his first term ended. Entangled in allegations of fraud and impropriety, Karzai has done little to justify his reelection. And he has yet to form a Cabinet to help him with the enormous task of governing the country.

Kolkata, India — Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, returning from Riyadh on March 1, revealed that he asked the Saudi crown prince to persuade Pakistan to desist from the path of abetting terrorism. But expecting the Saudi sheikhs to act as interlocutors with Pakistan to favor India is simply ludicrous.

Helsinki, Finland — The dirty little secret in the military is that general officers take care of each other and when things get messy, often keep each other "out of the bursting radius" of plans gone sour. The last major resignation on principle was Matthew P. Hoh, former senior civilian representative in Zabul province, Afghanistan.

New Delhi, India — India and Pakistan’s foreign secretaries began official talks in New Delhi on Thursday breaking the deadlock in foreign ties since November 2008, when relations soured due to the Mumbai terror attacks. However, the talks are expected to be mere photo opportunities, as India and Pakistan did not agree on what they would talk.

Bangkok, Thailand — Burma’s junta last week sentenced four women activists to two years’ imprisonment on the same day U.N. special envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana arrived to evaluate progress on human rights in the country. Quintana was not allowed to see democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, and was given no information on upcoming elections.

Bangkok, Thailand — Burma’s junta sentenced four women activists to two years imprisonment on Monday, the day U.N. special envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana arrived for a five-day visit to evaluate human rights progress in the country. The women were arrested on Oct. 3, last year, after being accused of offering Buddhist monks alms that included religious literature.

New Delhi, India — Just days after the deadly Feb. 13 terror attack in the Indian city of Pune, top al-Qaida terrorist commander Ilyas Kashmiri vowed to continue attacks across India until the Indian Army leaves Kashmir. India will hold talks on terrorism with Pakistan on Feb. 25, but Pakistan has raised its pitch over Kashmir.

Colombo, Sri Lanka — The aftermath of Sri Lanka's presidential election was expected to usher in a period of political stability. But the arrest of the opposition candidate, former army commander General Sarath Fonseka, suggests otherwise. The government is now seeking to prove that Fonseka was part of a vast conspiracy.

Manila, Philippines — The Philippine army's defiance of a Supreme Court order to produce the 43 doctors and health workers arrested in an army raid a week ago shocked political analysts, constitutional experts and civil liberties advocates.This display of military arrogance prompted one lawyer to liken the Philippines to Burma.