Turkey is at a crossroads between continents and civilizations, yes, but between nations too. Hopefully Turkey will dismantle the ticking time bomb it has set for itself, and resolve its discordant foreign policy in favor of the West. If not, it may find itself, like many in the middle, alone.

A renewed global effort against terrorism is too important, complex and costly to be waged in secret. We need political openness and a serious, comprehensive evaluation of whether this strategy is most prudent for the nation on the whole.

Based on the role Ushahidi played in the achievement of a peaceful endorsement of the reformed constitution, a similar system designed for technology already in place and optimized for the way Kenyans use it could finally give citizens a way of making their government live up to the promises of the referendum. It may not be the standard approach, but it’s time the international community looked to unconventional methods to get uncommon results.

A US blockade would strengthen the sanctions regime against Iran while demonstrating that the United States would be willing to move beyond negotiations and diplomacy if necessary. A similar gambit worked against Cuba and may have prevented a Soviet-American WWIII; perhaps now such an intermediate move could resolve this current crisis.

In a seemingly unending war, President Obama has chosen to replace General McChrystal with General David Petraeus as head of the US troops in Afghanistan. His political and diplomatic abilities will greatly complement his military skills as we move forward in Afghanistan.

Failing to ratify the treaty would be a major foreign policy blunder that could seriously damage diplomatic relations with Russia and even open the door for a renewed nuclear arms race. Unless the Senate wishes to create new challenges to American security and international stability, it must ratify New Start.

At this moment of diplomatic flux, the United States may have an opportunity to push Chinese policy towards North Korea in a more responsible direction. China’s immense leverage over Pyongyang in the form of food, energy, and other aid could be transformed into an asset in halting Korea’s belligerence and proliferation.

With a dose of royalty sense, Thais would hopefully be able to look beyond the color of their shirts and towards their country’s best long-term interests.

The treaty potentially sets the stage for more ambitious nuclear arms reduction measures in the future. However, the treaty itself is a cautious agreement reflecting unfortunate political realities, and does little to bring the world closer to eliminating the threat of nuclear weapons.

This newfound stability gives the current government under President Mahinda Rajapaksa a chance to turn the page on this violent chapter of Sri Lankan history and lay the foundation for a lasting peace.