Today the world watched the first, full military parade since the Saddam Hussein years. Quite a day for the people of Iraq, six years after coalition forces surged into the country. I was in Kuwait in 2003 anchoring CNN’s coverage of the war. I’ll never forget commenting on those iconic images - the fall of Saddam’s statues in cities across the country; scenes that marked a new beginning and history in the making -– or so I thought.

But as U.S. forces hand over authority to the Iraqi government and withdraw from the country’s cities, I can’t help feeling slightly concerned about the future of the brittle state. Describing today as a "glorious page" in Iraq's history, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said: "Security will not be achieved completely without proper political environment and without a real national unity and reconciliation". That is a BIG ask.

So, I want to hear your thoughts on the connections to the story. What are the ramifications of this handover of power, not just for Iraq but for the region? What impact has the war in Iraq had on you? And what of the war many of the American forces will be moving on to take part in - the fight for hearts and minds in Afghanistan?

You can post your comments here, or email me: connecttheworld@cnn.com

Posted by: Becky Anderson
Filed under: General

I was sitting in my car in a traffic jam at close to midnight when I heard the news that Michael Jackson had died (wish I'd been somewhere more glam than the particularly polluted part of the A1 in South West London but hey!)

Tell us where you were, and where you rememeber being when other great icons of our age passed away - Elvis, John Lennon, Princess Di etc?

Michael Jackson "moved like a butterfly" like Mohammed Ali.

He was the Pele of the music world.

He was an ICON.

Please leave a comment.

Posted by: Becky Anderson
Filed under: General

Folks - It's that time of the week again.

We're handing out a special prize once again for the best six degrees entry from you.

This week we've been asking you to link French President Nicolas Sarkozy to the American tennis star Venus Williams in six steps - no more, and no less! So including Williams and Sarkozy, you need five more people. Get Googling - it's not as easy as you might think.

One of our previous winners was Chris Needham. We asked you to connect Roger Federer to Barack Obama - here's how he did it.

1. Roger Federer was photographed for Disney by…
2. Anne Leibovitz who is said to have been lovers with…
3. Susan Sontag, who was very critical in the Satanic Verses controversy of…
4. Ruhollah Khomeini, who was succeeded by….
5. Ali Khamenei, who has serving as his president….
6. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who congratulated….
7. Barack Obama, on his election.

Reply below, or on e-mail to ConnectTheWorld@CNN.com - Hurry up, we'll be judging the winners on Friday's show!

Posted by: Producer, Ravi Agrawal
Filed under: Six Degrees

Pop quiz: You need an organ transplant, but the waiting list for a donor in your country runs into the thousands. It's generally understood that a transplant is a last resort. So, this is a question of life or death. What do you do? Do you wait - and hope? Or do you join the thousands around the world who are prepared to pay for an organ on the black market?

Would you buy an organ on the black market if your life depended on it?

Yes

No

or see results

Where there is a demand there will always be a supply. And business is business, right?

In the UK, senior doctors have complained of growing strains on the publicly-funded National Health Service from botched transplant operations conducted abroad, while doctors in India see poor donors dying after selling one of their kidneys. So, is the answer the legalization of the trade of human organs?

Help us - the Connect the World team at CNN - make the connections. Your thought and comments please....

Posted by: Becky Anderson
Filed under: General •Polls

 "We didn't get a chance to speak to each other and I haven't heard from him now after a week." I've just finished speaking to Fatemah Shams, the wife of an Iranian political activist who was detained as he tried to leave the country last week.

Imagine how she feels. She has absolutely no idea where her husband is nor how he is being treated. "The only indirect news that's coming out from different sources tells that he's in the central prison of Tehran, Evin. But we don't know where exactly he is and how he is doing..."

And she had a message to the Iranian authorities: "I really ask them to release him. I ask for the immediate release of my husband and other reformist activists who have been detained over the last couple of days."

This is a story that resonates with all of us. I'd love to hear from you on this story.

Click here to read the story

The show's mission is to join the dots of stories and events by exploring how an event or circumstance in one part of the world can have significant impact and reach elsewhere. And, ever, we need YOUR help to make those connections - wherever you live, whatever you do.

Posted by: Becky Anderson
Filed under: General •Video

I really need your help today. The French President Nicolas Sarkozy say's the burka - a garment worn by Muslim women that covers the body from head-to-toe - "deprives women of identity." As the French parliament considers a ban on the burka, I want to know how this story resonates with you. If you live in France, does it/will it impact your life - and if so how? If you live elsewehere, how does a French ban resonate with you? As I write this, CNN.com's quick poll suggests three quarters of the near 8,000 respondents on (and this is an unscientific poll) believe the burka is an issue of women's freedom and not of religion - effectively agreeing with the French president when he says women weraing burka's are stripped of their dignity and are "prisoners behind netting." I want your input for the Connect the World show that airs at 9 pm London time. Our mission is to join the dots of stories and events by exploring how an event or circumstance in one part of the world can have significant impact and reach elsewhere. The aim is to spin the globe around each story; diving into its past, looking to its future, and highlighting the people, places and problems that inform it. And we need you to help us do that.

email me: connecttheworld@cnn.com
tweet:@cnnctw
post your comment below

Get involved and stay connected!

Posted by: Becky Anderson
Filed under: General

If we needed any further evidence of the power of new technology and social networking, then this past weekend provided it. With the international media banned from covering the pro-democracy demonstrations in Tehran and other Iranian cities, it was through Twitter and the use of SMS that millions of Iranians were galvanized into action.

In response to veiled death threats to her husband, Zahra Rahnavard, Mir Hossein Mousavi’s wife and principal campaign manager, published the following poem through Twitter and SMS which was sent to millions of Iranians: “Let the wolves know that in our tribe / If the father dies, his gun will remain / Even if all the men of the tribe are killed / A baby son will remain in the wooden cradle”.

And it was through YouTube that we, the watching public, were able treated to the true extent of the Adminstration's efforts to quell "dissent". Mobile phone footage showing a woman collapsed on the street, reportedly killed during the protests.

Thirty years after the social unrest that led to the '79 Iranian Revolution, we're seeing a new revolution of sorts on the streets – led by technology. The message is out there. But how long will the momentum last? We've heard very little from the U.S. adminsitration since the protests began more than a week ago. We've had a huge response to the cnn.com quick poll today: Should President Obama condemn the actions of Iran's government? More than 60 percent of you (11,1839 respondents) at the time of writing saying "yes" Obama SHOULD condemn what's going on. We want to know what you think.What should the U-S and others be doing? How should we make the connections for YOU on this story?

Email me: connecttheworld@cnn.com; tweet me: @cnnctv or just reply to the blog below.

Becky

Posted by: Becky Anderson
Filed under: General

It's 2001, the economy is suffering a downturn and Real Madrid launches a world record bid for a footballer, Zinedine Zidane. The era of the Galacticos is launched.

The economy turns a corner.

Fast forward to today, the economy is in recession and Real Madrid launches a world record bid for Ronaldo.

Will history repeat itself?

Whether this deal marks the end of the global recession or not, the boom times are definitely set to return to the Bernabeu. Football is big business and the product doesn’t get any bigger than Ronaldo. At an eye-smarting $130 million, he isn’t cheap but then Real Madrid is a massive club, with arguably the biggest football brand name in the world. The club’s wallet is well oiled by the $100+ million it makes annually in stadium receipts.

But these days, football’s finance’s go a lot deeper than just ticket sales. Sponsorship deals, overseas tours, and the world’s richest domestic television contract help out. And profitable tax legislation in Spain helps players generate a super comfortable lifestyle - and means clubs like Real spend less to keep players happy. So who wins and who loses in this deal? And how does it fit in to the bigger footballing picture a year to the day before the start of the 2010 World Cup?

Tonight on Connect the World we explore the scope and significance of this record-shattering transfer deal and what it means for the “Beautiful Game.”

As ever, we want your comments. Leave your message below; email me at connecttheworld@cnn.com; or send us a tweet at @CNNctw.

The ref’s blown the whistle at 9p London time. Don’t be late…

Posted by: Becky Anderson
Filed under: General

Folks - It's that time of the week again.

We're handing out a special prize once again for the best six degrees entry from you.

This week we've been asking you to link British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to the Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in six steps - no more, and no less! So including Brown and Dhoni, you need five more people. Get Googling - it's not as easy as you might think.

Last week's winner was Chris Needham. We asked you to connect Roger Federer to Barack Obama - here's how he did it.

1. Roger Federer was photographed for Disney by…
2. Anne Leibovitz who is said to have been lovers with…
3. Susan Sontag, who was very critical in the Satanic Verses controversy of…
4. Ruhollah Khomeini, who was succeeded by….
5. Ali Khamenei, who has serving as his president….
6. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who congratulated….
7. Barack Obama, on his election.

Reply below, or on e-mail to ConnectTheWorld@CNN.com - Hurry up, we'll be judging the winners tomorrow!

Posted by: Producer, Ravi Agrawal
Filed under: General

The Winds of Change are blowing through the Middle East – quite literally. Since Obama's historic victory back in November, representatives of the new U.S. Administration have visited no less than seven key allies in the middle east – extending an olive branch to key players in the region. It's George Mitchell's turn this week. Just seven days ago, the man himself made a rousing speech to the "wider Muslim world" (their term, not mine).
But as Washington sows the seeds of the Obama doctrine, there's a lot of talk but not much action.
So, tonight on Connect the World, we'll explore whether there's any tangible evidence of what we're calling the Obama Effect. Join us at 9p London time – our connections on this story take us from Washington to Beirut, and on to Tehran and Jerusalem as our reporters explore the scope and significance of the push for peace in the Middle East.

Posted by: Becky Anderson
Filed under: General