Dr Johan Franzén, 2/19/12

Lecturer in Middle East Politics, University of East Anglia (UEA), Norwich, UK

There was no Arab Spring - nor is there necessarily an Islamist Winter. Ongoing events in Syria, and recently across the Middle East, are the last in a long historic process of protest, opposition and revolution. But the outcome will not be democracy as we know it in the West.

Jeremy Browne, 2/19/12

Minister for Human Rights

Away from the established centres of power, the world is changing fast. The first meeting of the G20 Foreign Ministers taking place today demonstrate again the need for Britain to continue to build new alliances. For the first time ever the G20 will be chaired by, and held in, Mexico: an indicative sign of the shift which enhances the status of fast-rising economies.

Lilac Sigan, 2/19/12

Writer and commentator

The original Mohammed al Dura story is about a boy that was caught with his dad in the line of fire between Israeli and Palestinian forces, at the very beginning of the second intifada. Along the years, many new findings came up about this story.

Daoud Kuttab, 2/18/12

Palestinian journalist

While the agreement in Doha was not the first public display of reconciliation between leaders of the largest Palestinian factions, many felt that this time, the agreement was for real. Why?

James Zogby, 2/18/12

President, Arab American Institute; author, 'Arab Voices'

Anthony Shadid was a man for others, for Arabs and Americans. He was our bridge to a world we impact so profoundly, but whose reality we do not know. And now he is gone.

Bridgit Antoinette Evans, 2/17/12

Actor, human rights advocate, and founder, FuelChange.net

She wasn't arrested. Still, Ugandan writer Judy Adong knew the risks when she organized a recent reading of her play, Just You, Me, and the Silence, about her country's anti-homosexuality laws.

Cat Cora, 2/17/12

Chef

Every year, more than 2.5 million children globally die due to hunger and malnutrition. The exciting news is that this crisis is solvable. I saw that firsthand last week on a trip to Ethiopia.

Jeanne Faulkner, 2/17/12

Chairperson for advocacy, CARE; nurse, columnist, author

Ask a woman when she was hungriest, she might say when she was pregnant or breastfeeding. I drove to McDonald's where I was seduced by a filet-o-fish sandwich. In contrast to what's happening in Niger, I wasn't hungry at all.

Carré Otis, 2/18/12

Supermodel, Actress, Author, 'Beauty, Disrupted'

I thought I would never find my way back home to a place where I no longer had to search restlessly. I wanted to be in a place that was settled, soft, open, and aware. Above all, I wanted to be content. That craving took me on a different kind of journey.

Martin Middlebrook, 2/17/12

International photojournalist and writer

We patrolled for six hours, a wearing journey I can assure you, and whilst never blasé, you can also become a little un-attentive after a while. 50 yards behind me a soldier lost his legs a couple of weeks back, 600 yards to my left is a sniper, to the front is a compound with insurgents, we can see them watching us, and the same to our right, a compound chock full of people who rightly or wrongly wish us ill.

Brent Budowsky, 2/17/12

Columnist

Anthony Shadid was there in war and peace, amid conflict and conciliation, surrounded by carnage and courage. And because he was there, we were there.

Anthony DePalma, 2/17/12

Reporter, writer-in-residence at Seton Hall University

Brazil wants to be wanted in the region, and during this trip the president made certain that the Cubans understood that Brazil is willing to help them experiment delicately with capitalism. That, she said, will be Brazil's big contribution to Cuba.

Doug Bradley, 2/17/12

Former director of communications at the University of Wisconsin; Vietnam veteran

If you know anything about UW alumni and Lebanese families, you'll understand why that makes Anthony Shadid and me almost brothers. Our lone meeting took place on Dec. 2, 2010. Anthony was on campus to deliver the inaugural lecture on ethics and journalism.

Evelyn Leopold, 2/17/12

Journalist reporting from the United Nations

The U.N. General Assembly told the Syrian government to stop shooting unarmed protestors and isolated its key supporter, Russia, in adopting a resolution that had at least 137 "yes" votes and only 12 against.

Robert Naiman, 2/17/12

Policy Director, Just Foreign Policy

Sponsors of the Lieberman resolution deny that it is an "authorization for military force," and in a legal, technical sense, they are absolutely correct: it is not a legal authorization for military force. But it is an attempt to enact a political authorization for military force.

Chris Rodda, 2/17/12

Senior Research Director, Military Religious Freedom Foundation; Author, 'Liars For Jesus'

Despite the Defense Department's insistence that a base in Afghanistan is named "Arian" with an "i," it's not. It is absolutely named "Aryan" with a "y," a name that had already raised concerns among some, but those concerns were just joked about and ultimately ignored.

Gloria A. Iribagiza, 2/17/12

Coordinator, White Ribbon Alliance Rwanda; Editor, 'The New Times'

Changing the stakes for Rwanda, to become the safest place for women to give birth in Sub-Saharan Africa, calls for persistent commitment and determination in the maternal and child health cause.