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In 1961, 12-year-old Cuban immigrant Carlos Saladrigas arrived alone in Miami with nothing but three dollars in his pocket, five bottles of rum, and a box of cigars. Now a successful businessman and a prominent U.S. critic of the Cuban regime, Saladrigas shares his thoughts on Fidel Castro’s decline and the political future of his homeland.

In 2007, the surge in Iraq, Ahmadinejad’s antics, and the chaos in Pakistan dominated the news. But behind the front pages, a number of important stories flew under the radar. From Osama’s fall from grace to the rise of the robo-warriors, FP brings you the Top Ten Stories You Missed in 2007.

Its critics call the practice barbaric. The United Nations General Assembly is voting to outlaw it. Yet, a closer look at the death penalty—and the countries that still use it—reveals that it’s far too early to pronounce a death sentence against capital punishment just yet.

How do you prepare for disaster when you can’t calculate the odds? With a key climate-change conference wrapping up this week in Bali, Indonesia, esteemed judge and public intellectual Richard Posner says we must confront the possibility of sudden, catastrophic global warming—even if scientists have no idea how likely such a scenario might be.

Don’t let all the chatter about the “incredibly shrinking dollar” fool you. The Almighty Greenback is here to stay, and there are far more serious dangers lurking for the global economy.

In nine years, Hugo Chávez has never lost at the polls. Until Sunday, that is, when voters narrowly rejected his referendum to amend the Venezuelan constitution and rid himself of term limits. Noted Latin America expert and author Andrés Oppenheimer explains why Chávez lost, what it means for the region, and where Venezuela—and the United States—ought to go from here.

Worried about oil-rich foreigners taking over your economy? You shouldn’t be. In reality, it is citizens of unaccountable, paternalistic regimes who stand to lose most when rulers play games with their national wealth.

Not sure what to get the kids for Christmas? Here are some items that may be an unsafe bet.

Was the Annapolis conference just a glorified photo shoot? Or could it lead to real peace between Israelis and Palestinians? Either way, “there is no going back,” says former National Security Advisor Sandy Berger, a veteran of the Clinton-era peace negotiations.

Is it time to send Pervez Musharraf packing? Two top experts on South Asia, Daniel Markey of the Council on Foreign Relations and Husain Haqqani of Boston University, square off on the tottering Pakistani president’s fate.