Cover Story

Peace process on the brink
by V.S. Sambandan
Editorial
In dread of democracy
by D.B.S. Jeyaraj
Crisis deepens
by V. Suryanarayan
A friend in need
by John Cherian
Interview: Nirupam Sen

India & Pakistan
A high-stakes initiative
Expectations and some worries

Jammu & Kashmir
Geelani's exit
Parole and policies

Government

BJP as big brother
A Minister's exit

Narmada Valley Project
Concerns over dam height

Campaigns
Soft drinks and hard choices
A battle in Kerala

World Affairs
West Asian peace and hurdles
Colonising Iraq
A trap set for India
A waiting killer
by Chittaranjan Alva
U.S. now turning to Iran
Nepal's challenges
Crackdown in Aceh

Environment
A conservation strategy
by Manju Menon and
Kanchi Kohli
Dam vs forest in Dandeli
Pollution threats

Books
A composite culture
review by A.G. Noorani

Review Article
Travails of an MEA watcher
by A.G. Noorani

Reports
Madhya Pradesh's HDR

Art
The last war picture:
by Hans Varghese Mathews

Broadcasting
Democratising the airwaves

Archaeology
Interview: Sudharshan Seneviratne

Communalism
At a Hindutva factory

Focus: Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust

Port of promise
Warehousing tasks
The making of a regional hub
Going deeper, growing bigger

Economic Perspectives
Can connectivity help the poor?
by C.P. Chandrasekhar

The Armed Forces
The Surinder Singh case

Taxation
Going slow on VAT

Party Affairs
TDP back to the basics
Interview: N. Chandrababu Naidu

Column
Bhaskar Ghose: Truth management
K. Natwar Singh: Glimpses of the past
Jayanti S. Ravi: A book-reading experiment
Harsh Mander: In search of Gandhi and Godse
Praful Bidwai: The wrong kind of quotas
Jayati Ghosh: The dubious new alliance
R.K. Raghavan: Whither Al Qaeda?

Update
Charge-sheet in Ayodhya case
Riot witness turns hostile
Silicosis and compensation
Tehelka tapes for the U.K.