'Together we can make a world of difference' was the theme of a conference organized by MRA/Initiatives of Change in Collaroy, New South Wales, Australia in April.

Few issues have caused such division in recent times as Saddam Hussein's despotic regime. The Bush and Blair governments argue that such a regime must not be allowed to use weapons of mass destruction. Other governments - and millions of peace marchers - feel that war is too costly a solution. Both sides claim the moral high ground.

Keith and Ruth Neal, retired school teachers from Manchester, recently visited Sierra Leone, where a devastating civil war ended last year. They found people determined to rebuild.

Few countries have seen more changes in the last century than Russia. Anastasia Stepanova traces its history through the lives of three generations.

Aaron Lazare is Chancellor and Dean, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA. The article is based on a lecture in Caux, Switzerland, in August 2002. Some of the material is taken from his forthcoming book on apology.

Anastasia Stepanova joins young Europeans on a journey to learn of the vision that led to the European Union

Richmond, Virginia, the former capital of the southern states, which seceded at the time of the American Civil War, has a chequered racial past. Today it is becoming known for the radical approach to racial dialogue pioneered by its residents, Karen Elliott Greisdorf reports.

Memories are the primordial soup of politics, says German theologian Geiko Müller-Fahrenholz, and how we deal with them can determine the future. He spoke in London as military action began in response to the attacks on New York and Washington. We print extracts:

Charis Waddy joins Indian historian Rajmohan Gandhi on a journey through the history, pain and hope of his subcontinent.

As Australia prepares to stage the Olympics, John Williams offers a personal sketch of a fortunate country with huge questions before it.