With Gen Petraeus taking over at Centcom, some Nato partners wobbling about keeping troops in Afghanistan and the US presidential election like to produce a new focus on the conflict there, one thing we can expect is for a clearer command structure to be established in 2009 with the Americans more obviously in charge.

BBC: US general faces new Afghan challenge

By giving hope for the future and providing structure and a sense of normalcy, they help to mitigate the effects of conflict, disaster and displacement.

UNESCO: World Teachers�� Day 2010 �C UNESCO calling for stories about heroic teachers