Did you happen to catch this one? What a sad story. This Miss Israel contest really does represent the culture of narcissism and objectification, as well as an oppressive colonialist state. But young Ms. Fares seems to have had few other options—and those opposing her choice seem to also represent something rather oppressive. From the Toronto Globe & Mail, March 15:

The March 24 New York Times features a profile of Iraq war propagandist Kanan Makiya, with the somewhat misleading title "Critic of Hussein Grapples With Horrors of Post-Invasion Iraq." Makiya was more than a "critic of Hussein," which implies a principled dissident—he was a prominent cheerleader for foreign military aggression against the country of his birth. The Times account portrays him as somewhat humbled:

A suicide bomber in a truck with explosives hidden under construction materials was waved through a checkpoint in southern Baghdad, where he detonated his payload, killing at least 20 on March 24. The attack was the deadliest of a wave of such bombings around Iraq that day that killed at least 47, including many police. Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, top US military spokesman in Iraq, said last week that the number of car bombs in Baghdad reached a record high of 44 in February, out of 77 nationwide. (AND, March 24)

From Military Families Speak Out, March 23:

House Votes to Continue Funding Iraq War;
Military Families Tell Pelosi: "You Bought This War—Now You Own It"
Today, Military Families Speak Out, the largest organization of military families speaking out against a war in the history of the United States, issued a "Certificate of Ownership for the Iraq War" to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and all who voted with the House Leadership to give President Bush the funding needed to continue the US military occupation of Iraq.

Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mamediarov and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice signed a memorandum of understanding on energy cooperation in Washington March 22. Azerbaijan announced it is seeking political support from the US to build new gas export pipelines, amid rising competition with Russia. Azeri news agency APA quoted US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza as saying the memorandum will express support for "new generation" pipelines to carry gas from the Caspian Sea to European markets.

At least three were killed and scores injured in clashes between Chechens and Kazakhs outside Kazakhstan's chief city of Almaty this week. The violence apparently began with an alcohol-fueled brawl in the town of Kazatkom in Almaty Region. Akhmed Muradov, spokesman of the Chechen community in Kazakhstan, said a crowd of Kazakh youths took to the streets, burning cars, beating Chechens and throwing Molotov cocktails into Chechen homes. Violence spread to nearby villages, with several homes burnt down in Malovodnoe. Special police forces are now maintaining order in the area.

John Dugard, a UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories likened Israel's treatment of Palestinians in the occupied territories to "apartheid," and said that failure to address the situation will make it hard to solve abuses elsewhere.

British soldiers are accused of shooting dead a 12-year-old boy close to the Afghan capital, Kabul. NATO told AlJazeera March 22 that an investigation into the incident is under way. The soldiers apparently opened fire on the vehicle in which the boy and his family were travelling. Meanwhile, NATO-led forces reportedly killed 38 Taliban fighters in two attacks in Helmand province. (AlJazeera, March 22)