The New Republic

The great hope for cooperation after the vote for southern independence.

Even if the south secedes, it will face many hurdles--and possibly violence.

Ethnic divisions, residency disputes and questions of voter eligibility threaten the viability of a successful referendum in Abyei. Failure to resolve residency issues could lead to war.

One girl's struggle to escape a child marriage in Sudan.

Shiberghan, Afghanistan (one day before the election)—There was no mistaking the general's "castle." Its pastel-colored two-storey walls and lapis cupolas shocking amidst the drabness of the surrounding neighborhood. Somewhere inside the compound was General Abdul Rashid Dostum, the most notorious of Afghanistan's warlords. In almost three decades as a militia leader, Dostum has earned a reputation for ruthless brutality towards enemies, as well as an opportunist's disregard for alliances, which have shifted without notice.