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When former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet died this week at 91, the people who had spent years pushing for a trial for crimes against humanity were denied their day in court. In this week’s Seven Questions, FP spoke with Joan Garcés, the Spanish lawyer who led the fight to extradite Pinochet and bring him to justice.

If Iraq isn’t lacking for problems, it also isn’t lacking for would-be solutions. Now that the much-hyped Iraq Study Group has gone public with its recommendations, FP takes a look at several of the other plans for stabilizing Iraq and the likelihood of their success.

Hollywood's latest take on conflict diamonds isn't shy about pointing the finger at the precious gem industry and its customers. But with brutal African civil wars fueled by diamonds now over and new trade controls in place, is buying that engagement ring as ethically charged as it once was?

The diamond industry is abuzz over the new film Blood Diamond, a fictional account of rebel militias in Sierra Leone fueling a bloody civil war through the sale of the precious gems. FP sat down with the film’s director, Ed Zwick, to talk about conflict diamonds, child soldiers, and the responsibilities of a consumer society.

Robert Gates takes the helm at the Pentagon at an unenviable moment: spiraling violence in Iraq, a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan, and an overstretched U.S. military, not to mention nukes in Pyongyang and centrifuges in Tehran. So, what can we expect from America’s next secretary of defense? FP takes a look at how he’ll run his $500 billion business.

Think purchasing a diamond is an ethical dilemma? You don’t know the half of it. A host of common consumer items helps fuel conflict, ruins the environment, and relies on child labor. In this week’s List, FP spotlights a few products to think twice about this shopping season.

From London to Moscow, rumors are swirling about who was behind the assassination of a former Russian intelligence agent last week. From his deathbed, Alexander Litvinenko fingered President Vladimir Putin. Others aren’t so sure. To cut through the confusion, FP spoke with Yevgenia Albats, an expert on the murky world of Russia’s secret services.

The shooting death of Lebanese Minister Pierre Gemayel and the poisoning of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko were the most prominent political murders of 2006. But, as this week’s List shows, their assassinations aren’t the only ones setting off political crises and stoking intrigue.

John Bolton is the most controversial U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in history. But, to the delight of his critics, his temporary appointment is nearing expiration. With congressional Democrats in charge, President Bush won’t have the votes to send Bolton back to New York. Or will he? This week’s FP List considers the contenders for Bolton’s spot.

Ask any foreign-policy expert how the West will know it is winning the war on terror, and the likely response will be, “When the Islamic world rejects radicalism.” But just who are Muslim radicals, and what fuels their fury? Every politician has a theory: Radicals are religious fundamentalists. They are poor. They are full of hopelessness and hate. But those theories are wrong.Based on a new Gallup World Poll of more than 9,000 interviews in nine Muslim countries, we find that Muslim radicals have more in common with their moderate brethren than is often assumed. If the West wants to reach the extremists, and empower the moderate Muslim majority, it must first recognize who it’s up against.

It’s no secret that the Bush administration wants Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya out of power. Last Friday, it almost got its wish: Haniya offered to resign if the international embargo of the Palestinian territories were lifted. But even if Haniya steps down, he’ll still call the shots for Hamas, the government’s ruling party. FP recently sat down with the prime minister to ask how he intends to weather the current storm.

The New York Stock Exchange dominates global trading. At nearly $23 trillion, its market capitalization—the value of the stocks it lists—is more than four times that of its closest competitor. But New York’s supremacy could be sliding away to a crop of booming exchanges attracting some of the world’s biggest companies. This week, The List takes a look at some the exchanges that could one day overtake the NYSE as the most powerful.