Iranian Elections

The Ahmadinejad-Obama debates?

Move over, Lincoln-Douglas. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wants a one-on-one live debate with Barack Obama:

Addressing Iranian heads of medical universities on Saturday, President Ahmadinejad offered to debate President Obama at the United Nations headquarters in New York before the eyes of all nations of the world.

I wouldn't read too much into this. Ahmadinejad knows Obama won't accept the offer -- so it's just blustery rhetoric, a confrontational way of offering "engagement" with the West.

You'll recall Ahmadinejad made a similar challenge to George W. Bush in 2006; sadly, the world never got to see those two wise statesmen match wits.

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Peace Processing

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Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas greets U.S. vice president Joe Biden in Ramallah. (Photo: AFP)
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Peace Processing

Biden arrives in Israel amid serious Palestinian doubts

Vice President Joe Biden and his wife arrived in Israel on Monday.
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Iraqi Elections

Polls close in Iraq; media reports suggest strong turnout, relative calm

An Iraqi man on a bicycle displays his ink-stained finger after voting in Baghdad on March 7, 2010. (Photo: AP)
A handful of insurgent attacks around the country killed two dozen people, but Iraqi security forces seemed generally confident; the vehicle ban in Baghdad, scheduled to last all day, was lifted before noon. Anecdotal reports suggest a strong turnout across the country.