Ford Disagreed With Bush About Invading Iraq  —  Former president Gerald R. Ford said in an embargoed interview in July 2004 that the Iraq war was not justified.  "I don't think I would have gone to war," he said a little more than a year after President Bush had launched the invasion advocated …

Islamists Seem to Give Up Grip on Somali City  —  The Islamist forces who have controlled much of Somalia in recent months suddenly vanished from the streets of the capital, Mogadishu, residents said Wednesday night, just as thousands of rival troops massed 15 miles away.

Edwards's Theme: U.S. Poverty  —  Amid Iraq Talk, White House Hopeful Sticks to '04 Issue in '08 Run  —  For the roughly two dozen candidates considering a run for the White House, it is perhaps the jackpot question: What might be the winning message in a contest whose first nominating vote is still more than a year away?

Close Adviser to Sadr Dies in U.S.-Iraqi Raid  —  A top deputy of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr was killed Wednesday during a raid by U.S. and Iraqi troops in the southern holy city of Najaf, sparking protests from Sadr's followers and complicating an already tense relationship with the powerful anti-American leader.

He led by listening  —  Ford was not afraid of strong-willed advisors and thrived on their give-and-take.  —  WASHINGTON — After Gerald R. Ford became president in 1974, he assembled a staff of strong, brilliant and highly opinionated personalities.  Ford's most enduring legacy …

Blair on Islam: Standard-Bearer of Tolerance  —  A quote from Tony Blair in Foreign Affairs, January/February 2007  —  To me, the most remarkable thing about the Koran is how progressive it is.  I write with great humility as a member of another faith.  As an outsider, the Koran strikes …

Declassified State Department Document: Arafat Responsible for Storming of Embassy and Murder of Americans in 1973  —  The State Department has finally admitted (document has just been declassified) that Arafat was behind the 1973 murder of two Americans in Sudan by the Black September terrorist group.

Bush and Security Advisers to Meet Today on Iraq Strategy  —  President Bush's top national security advisers arrived here to hone a new Iraq strategy that administration officials said seems increasingly likely to include a surge of additional troops to try to help stabilize the country.

G.O.P. Senator in Spotlight After a Critical Iraq Speech  —  At the close of the Senate's lame-duck session, in between formulaic tributes to senators departing voluntarily or otherwise, a Republican backbencher suddenly rose to give one of the most passionate and surprising speeches about the war in Iraq yet delivered in Congress.

Olivier Guitta: Plan B: Syria's forgotten — but dangerous — nuclear program  —  WASHINGTON - The Iraq Survey Group is calling for open negotiations with Syria, but new reports show that Damascus is up to no good.  Indeed, while world attention is rightly focused on the nuclear capabilities …

As Minds Age, What's Next?  Brain Calisthenics  —  PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Is there hope for your hippocampus, a new lease for your temporal lobe?  —  Science is not sure yet, but across the country, brain health programs are springing up, offering the possibility of a cognitive fountain of youth.

Universal 401(k) Accounts Would Bring the Poor Into the Ownership Society  —  Of the current proposals to address income inequality, the universal 401(k) is the most likely to bring general prosperity.  —  The core idea is simple.  The federal government creates tax-free retirement accounts …

US holding two Iranians in Iraq  —  US forces are holding two Iranian nationals detained last week in the Iraqi capital on suspicion of weapons smuggling, military spokesman General William Caldwell has confirmed.  —  "There was an operation on the morning of December 21 based on intelligence.