The Maldives have been advertised as a tourist paradise but, behind the luxurious image, the lives of its people have been crushed by an autocratic president. Last month everything changed, when the first ever democratic elections were held. A new president was elected and, to the amazement of all, the old president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom conceded power. Rear Vision looks at how this transformation took place. LESS

As world leaders gather in Washington to address the current financial crisis, Rear Vision returns to a similar meeting in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, following the crash of 1929, the Great Depression and World War II. LESS

When New Zealanders vote this Saturday they will be using an electoral system called MMP, or mixed-member-proportional. Introduced in the late 1990s in an attempt to make the NZ electoral system more representative, it has changed the face of New Zealand politics and the faces of many politicians. This week we take a look at why New Zealand made this change, and what impact it's had on their political system and their parliamentary democracy. LESS

After the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington on 11 September 2001, the US Congress passed the Patriot Act -- giving the security services sweeping powers to undertake surveillance and track down terrorists. At the same time President Bush declared a war on terrorism -- thereby extending his powers to detain and prosecute 'enemy combatants'. Rear Vision looks at whether these measures were necessary to combat terrorism. How successful have they been at preventing terrorist attacks, and what impact have they had on the US legal system? LESS