“On one hand there is something very flawed about Guantanamo. On the other hand the camp has helped to generate a degree of intelligence. It is difficult to put these two things together,” says Pellegrin.

In Cambodia, where nearly everything is for sale, land is bought and sold with little regard for the people who live on it. The number of evictions and land grabs in the countryside has dramatically increased over the last five years, leaving thousands of people without means of subsistence. In the capital companies buy land from the government to build shopping malls, hotels and upscale housing. Removing thousands of impoverished residents who survive by living near the city center is considered a minor obstacle.

The Philippines is the largest Christian country in Asia where devotees take their religion very seriously. The wilder excesses of the faith are best seen during Easter festivals. Depictions of Christ’s last days and the re-enactment of obscure biblical stories climax with human blood flying off the backs of those who whip themselves and real crucifixions using six inch nails.

The sleek perfection of the German Luger compared to the crude British Sten gun. I fired all of them. That was all a long time ago. In retrospect it was a form of catharsis. I became a pacifist dedicated to non-violence. I’ve covered many wars and seen what bullets do to flesh and I’m rather proud to say that I got all that macho stuff out of my system in my youth.

These portraits of Taliban soldiers were collected by Dworzak during his coverage of the fall of the Taliban regime in 2002. It is thought that most of these pictures are from Taliban members who had to flee the advancing opposition.

For the first time in two years Magnum Photos welcomes new nominees. Mark Power and Peter Marlow give their insight into the nomination process which is rigorous to say the least.