Timothy J. Colton, a leading expert on Russia, says even though Vladimir Putin will step down as president in 2008 he is likely to maintain a major role in Russia’s leadership.

Arch Puddington discusses the growing list of governments that are using the criminal justice system to punish former leaders, including Ukraine which recently sentenced former prime minister Yuliya Tymoshenko.

The Economist analyzes the history of Waziristan and Pakistan's efforts to control it.

Reforming the Judiciary in Pakistan, the latest report from the International Crisis Group, examines the legacy of military rule that has seen superior courts unwilling to uphold fundamental freedoms. Motivated by self-preservation and self-interest, Pakistan’s superior judiciary has not just failed to oppose Islamic legislation that violates fundamental rights but has also repeatedly failed to uphold the constitution.

The Suffolk Transnational Law Review examines the Medellin decision and its implications for the United States and the rule of law in international affairs.

An interview conducted by the Scripps Howard Foundation with Ali Ahmad Jalali, interior minister of Afghanistan from January 2003 until September 2005 and now a professor at the National Defense University faculty in the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies.

CRS Report for Congress updated March 27, 2007 collating evidence for the debate on whether there has been any improvement in governance and security in Iraq in the recent period.

The UN reports that during the reporting period, the government of Iraq has continued its efforts aimed at strengthening the administration of justice and building up the rule of law in the country. However, urgent action is needed to strengthen rule of law institutions, in line with the new constitution, the government's priorities and Iraq's international obligations. This is central to creating conditions for re-establishing law and order in the country and ensuring the success and sustainability of security, national reconciliation and development efforts. In particular, the ability of new security plans to effect real change in Iraq will depend on a comprehensive reform program that can strengthen the rule of law and deliver justice for all Iraqis.

This paper from the German Marshall Fund of the United States notes Georgia's better performance compared to Ukraine in two key areas of reform: improving the rule of law and battling corruption. The paper says that Ukraine’s failure to capitalize on the hopes raised by the ‘Orange Revolution’ has been highlighted by the recent Nato summit in Riga, where it became plain that plans to fast track Ukraine’s NATO membership application have been shelved indefinitely.

This report from USIP gives details of a public discussion in November 2006 of the Kosovo Internal Security Sector Review (ISSR). The ISSR, conducted by the United Nations Development Program, was a non-traditional approach to security sector review. The program evaluated Kosovo's security situation from the inside out, looking at the threat of insecurity with the help and participation of the citizens of Kosovo. With talks on the future status of Kosovo well underway, the international community must prioritize security sector reform, says USIP. Stability in the region will hinge on Kosovo's ability to maintain security for all its citizens. Security will be the key to economic development, civic responsibility, and productive relations both among Kosovo's citizens and between Kosovo and its neighbors in the Balkans.

First published in the Jerusalem Post, Kenneth Roth of Human Rights Watch discusses the indiscriminate bombardment in Lebanon during the summer of 2006.

This Amnesty International report considers the implications of European complicity in renditions.

Kenneth Dam argues in this paper that the degree of judicial independence in a country is correlated with economic growth. Better performing courts have been shown to lead to more developed credit markets. A stronger judiciary is associated with more rapid growth of small firms as well as with larger firms in the economy.

"Flanked by the coca-producing countries of the Andes and the world's leading consumer of illegal drugs—the United States—Central America is a strategic choke point for illicit trade," writes Michael Shifter, president of Inter-American Dialogue, in a Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Special Report, Countering Criminal Violence in Central America.

In his new book, Weak Links: Fragile States, Global Threats, and International Security, Stewart Patrick argues that most fragile states are not a threat to the United States.

Elizabeth C. Economy says corruption and the failure to develop rule of law in China now define much of the country's political and economic life. With Xi Jinping poised to take over, the focus should be on significant political reform.