Hamid Karzai, the incumbent president, has been declared the winner of Afghanistan's presidential election after Abdullah Abdullah, the sole challenger, withdrew from the runoff scheduled for Saturday. What does this mean for democracy in Afghanistan?

The US has called for the resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians without preconditions, an apparent climbdown on earlier demands for a halt to settlement building. Has there been a slide in the US position? Will the change in emphasis affect perceptions of the US's role in the region? Should there be preconditions to talks?

Iraq's foreign minister has called for a UN inquiry into Sunday's twin suicide bombings in Baghdad which left at least 155 people dead and hundreds more injured. He said the inquiry should focus on the support given by foreign countries to insurgents. Do you think Iraqi security forces will be able to protect the country when the US military withdraws?