There are only a handful in America today, who still believe that Hillary Clinton has a chance at the Presidency. It would be safe to assume that most of these optimists belong to the Clinton family. However, with every passing hour, especially after her slender victory in Indiana and her 14-point defeat in North Carolina on Tuesday, cries for her to throw in the towel and relinquish the campaign will increase. She is, of course, now being well-aided by disgruntled supporters, and some of the so-far reticent Washington pundits, and the media, to make this obvious, but difficult, decision. A former senator and supporter of Clinton, George McGovern, urged her to drop out on Wednesday, as did former strategist George Stephanopoulos. The gatekeepers of the American media - Matt Drudge and Tim Russert - didn't waste much time in appointing Barack Obama as the official Democratic nominee to the race to the White House. Time, too, has, in its latest issue, elevated a...

It was heartening to see presidential hopeful Barack Obama suggest a dialogue with Iran, if Iraq must be stabilised. These comments followed media speculation of a meeting between former President Jimmy Carter and Hamas leader, Khaled Mishaal, in Syria. Ignored so far, and due to sufficient reasons, by the Bush administration, exigencies in the Middle East today dictate the construction of a new foreign policy prescription and engage with both hostile regimes, Iran and Hamas, if it is to deliver a modicum of stability in the region. It's a truism by now that the Islamic state is responsible for much of chaos that has befallen Iraq since Saddam Hussein's capitulation. Although Iran assisted America in Afghanistan in 2002 and, then, subsequently proved helpful during Operation Iraqi Freedom in early 2003, the tenuous partnership was ephemeral, as the radicals in the government - on both sides, in Tehran, the hardliners opposed any relations with the 'Great Satan', while the neocons in the White House contemplated...

I almost saw Barack Obama on a crisp September evening, last year, at a rally in New York's Washington Square Park. I use the word 'almost' because some friends from Europe, and I, were keen to see a man who will, no matter the outcome in November 2008, become a part of America's political history, and, therefore, arrived a timely hour before its start. Unfortunately, we found ourselves relegated to outside the ground, sufficiently cheated, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with hundreds others. Inside were vociferous supporters, young, largely white men and women, with gumption and strong legs, who had assembled since early afternoon. Many were first-time voters, motivated enough to brave the heat and the large crowds, who were stuck to them physically and, now, in ideology. Thrilled at his reach, we however privately knew this wasn't a microcosm of America. Surely, much as we wished progressive states like New York and California to be harbingers - accepting of a black President - we knew this...

The point has been well made. No doubt, it was important to have him absolved of all terrorism charges and, now, finally win the battle to reinstate his Australian work visa, but Dr Mohommad Haneef must be careful not to overreach. In many ways, a victory for the young doctor was also one for the country: when all charges against him were dropped in July, by a judge, in a packed Brisbane court, Indians living across Australia, including, admittedly, myself, popped champagne. The last few weeks had been stressful for all of us. After all, we are all ambassadors in our own small manner: whether you’re an immigrant who drives a taxi in Adelaide, or a worker from Chennai doing the late shift at a 7/11, or a journalist like myself, reporting from Sydney and Brisbane, we try hard to not only conduct ourselves impeccably on a day-to-day basis, so that we may not nourish stereotyping in a country that is still sometimes sequestered from...