RFE/RL writer at large James Kirchick spoke to Christopher Hitchens in November 2010 about his left-wing revolutionary past, his views on America, Iran's nuclear program, Turkey's Islamist turn, Putin's Russia, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and sampled his views on a variety of international figures.
An Afghan woman, who was jailed for "forced adultery" after a relative raped her before subsequently being pardoned amid an international outcry over the case, says she wants to marry her attacker to avoid "hostility" and so her baby daughter does not grow up "as an orphan."
Russian shares have fallen more than 10 percent since the disputed December 4 election. And firms with close ties to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin have taken the biggest hit.
U.S. officials have pushed Congress to repeal the Cold War-era Jackson-Vanik Amendment, long used as a tool to push Russia on human rights issues. But in doing so, they tiptoed around proposed legislation concerning the death of Russian anticorruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky that many senators favor to hold Moscow accountable on rights.
Following a police raid on a madrasah in Karachi, children as young as 7 have told horrific tales of being shackled together in a dungeon-like basement where they were starved and regularly beaten by teachers.
Billionaire mogul Mikhail Prokhorov's announcement that he will seek the presidency next year has Russia's political world buzzing. But given his long-standing Kremlin ties, many are wondering whether his bid is a real challenge to Putin or if he is playing the role of the spoiler.
Russian authorities have made gestures since street protests began over elections but haven't budged on key opposition demands. Meanwhile, the EU hints it will raise the issue with President Dmitry Medvedev.
Billionaire philanthropist Bidzina Ivanishvili has officially launched his Georgian Dream public movement, a key step in his bid to seize control of parliament from President Mikheil Saakashvili's United Georgia Movement. Although Ivanishvili's quest faces many obstacles, it's off to a quick start.
Hollywood star Angelina Jolie's directorial debut, "In the Land of Blood and Honey," tells the story of an ethnically mixed couple that is torn apart by the country's civil war. Initially, victims' groups resisted the film. On December 8, Jolie brought the film to Sarajevo for a special screening.
The family of American Robert Levinson, the former FBI agent who disappeared in Iran in 2007, has publicly released a video, which they said they received a year ago. The tape shows Levinson, looking haggard, talking about his captivity, and asking the U.S. government for help. More than four years after his disappearance, Levinson’s wife, Christine, says his captors have still made no demands.
As Russia gears up for mass nationwide demonstrations on December 10, the presence of nationalist voices is unsettling some of Russia's ethnic minorities who are otherwise sympathetic to the movement's goals. It's a potential division that unnerves liberals and that the Kremlin is more than eager to exploit.
Afghan women have long fought for a voice in their country's future. But that struggle has gained urgency as international forces prepare to leave and efforts intensify to reach a political settlement with the Taliban.
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