(March 26, 2007) In the summer of 2006, as the Iranian-backed Hezbollah fought off Israelis in Lebanon and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad faced down President George Bush at the United Nations, a bus full of Iranian pilgrims left Tehran on a journey to the holy city of Karbala, deep inside a shattered Iraq.

Learn more about the faith, culture and history of the Druze, a tight-knit social and religious community with an estimated one million members worldwide.

A roundup of links to local stories of global importance from around the world.

A roundup of links to local stories of global importance from around the world.

A roundup of links to local stories of global importance from around the world.

A roundup of links to local stories of global importance from around the world.

(July 19, 2005) "Future for Lebanon" takes viewers to the oldest democracy in the Middle East as voters go to the polls in a new era. From the beaches of Beirut to the radical rallies of Hezbollah, WIDE ANGLE explores political change in one of the pivotal nations of the Arab region -- change from within, not imposed from the outside.

A timeline of the history of Lebanon in the 20th Century.

Director Paul Mitchell talks about the genesis of the film, Future of Lebanon.

The Lebanese political system is sectarian, and will continue as such for the foreseeable future. Parliament is divided evenly between Christians and Muslims, though the latter are a majority, while the three highest posts in the state — that of president, prime minister and speaker of parliament — are reserved for Maronite Christians, Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims, respectively.