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Not sure whats so important about Sundays election in Japan? Let FP explain.

A controversial draft constitution has renewed tension and bitterness among Iraqis, fueling concerns that Iraq is slipping closer to civil war. FP spoke to Middle East scholar Juan Cole about the constitutional process he thinks is off the rails, and why the United States should get out now.

We were supposed to learn our lesson. We promised ourselves that, after the Holocaust, genocide would never happen again. But time after time, the United Nations turns its back on victims of mass slaughter.

The U.S. military is studying weapons designed for outer space, including metal tubes, or “rods from God,” which can be fired at Earthly targets from the heavens above. President Bush may in the next few weeks move such plans closer to reality. FP turned to Michael Krepon, an expert on weaponizing space, for insights on taking the fight to the outer orbits.

Hard-line settlers wanted to do everything in their power to prevent the pullout from Gaza. But they succeeded in only further alienating themselves from Israeli society. Now they’ve lost more than their homes.

The U.S. military is studying weapons designed for outer space. Michael Krepon, who directs the Henry L. Stimson Center’s Space Security Project, believes that weaponizing space would be a big mistake. But Lt. Gen. Daniel P. Leaf, vice commander of the Air Force Space Command, thinks this view doesn’t fly. So FP invited the vice commander to respond and explain why the United States must dominate the final frontier.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has always had plenty of problems at home. Now, he’s got trouble brewing outside his borders, too.

The July terrorist bombings jolted British law enforcement into unprecedented visibility on the streets of London. That makes some citizens nervous. But the extra costs of a greater police presence—both financially and politically—just may be worth it.

In Beijing, some call her the “scum of the Earth” for her outspoken advocacy of Taiwanese independence. Her supporters call her Taiwan’s Nelson Mandela, because of her years as a political prisoner when Taiwan was ruled by the Kuomintang (KMT) party. Either way, Taiwan’s vice president, Annette Lu, tends to make headlines with blunt talk. FP recently caught up with her in Taipei. Excerpts below:

Sixty years ago after atomic bombs fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan’s surrender ended World War II. Since then Japanese history textbooks have been embroiled in controversy. Critics say they too often whitewash Japan’s wartime aggression. But Japan has actually come a long way in dealing with its 20th century legacy.