There are few people in Washington who know the complex diplomatic shoals of the Middle East as well as Ambassador Dennis Ross. Over the course of three administrations -- both Republican and Democrat -- he has witnessed multiple efforts to create a lasting peace between Israel and Palestine, crafted a strategic policy of sanctions on and containment of Iran, and most recently held a portfolio at the National Security Council that ranged from the Mediterranean to the Bay of Bengal.

In a wide-ranging interview with Foreign Policy following his December departure from Barack Obama's administration, he claimed that the sanctions on Iran are working, that Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad can't hold on indefinitely, and that Israel and Palestine are perhaps further from peace than at any time in recent memory.

Download the complete interview (PDF).