In Iran, there is no freedom of the press, no freedom of speech, no independent judiciary, no free elections. There is no freedom of religion - not even for Shiites, who are forced by Irans theocracy to adhere to one narrow set of official rules.

Dubai must crack down on rampant smuggling, and the U.A.E. federal government has significantly stepped up pressure.

There isn't any way for the people of Nicaragua to find out what's going on in Nicaragua.

While Argentina, Brazil, and Chile - what in textbooks used to be called the ABC countries - seem settled into democratic politics and free market economics, the Andean countries are in disarray.

The Obama administration has vastly expanded the use of armed drones and concentrated a great deal of diplomatic effort on building and maintaining alliances that share information about terrorists, provide access to get near them, and then strike against them.

Libya as a country is a relatively new concept. The period of Libya as a modern nation really starts after World War II.

During most of the Bush administration, human rights and democracy in Egypt were on the front burner.