Introduction : "Crying wolf" once again? -- Triptych of terrorism -- The uncoordinated NATO-EU "double enlargement" : toward the isolation of Russia? -- Iraq : sinking deeper into Mesopotamian quicksand -- Iran : nuclear high tension and Holocaust polemics -- Israel and Palestine fratricide : beyond the "two state solution"? -- An ever-widening zone of conflict, terrorism, and black market activities : from Central Asia to Sub-Saharan Africa -- North Korea : beyond "backdoor" multilateralism -- China and blue-water dreams : toward a Sino-Russian alliance? -- Three dimensions of "Montezuma's revenge" : Hugo Chávez's Bolivarian vision, "war on drugs," and "illegal" immigration -- American hypertrophy and strategic options : toward a geostrategy for global peace.