Policy Analysis

When it comes to Tehran, Havana, and similar regimes, the Obama administration must be more careful to treat engagement as a means, not an end.

Even if Cairo wanted to normalize relations with the Assad regime, its need to stay on good terms with Saudi Arabia and the UAE would seriously constrain how far it could go in that direction.

The West should be bracing for a stormy succession battle in the House of Saud.

If this national institution is properly rebuilt into a force that can score victories against the jihadists, it would be far more beneficial to Iraq than expanding Shiite militias or local Sunni uprisings.

Although the prospect of the ICC actually prosecuting Israeli officials is uncertain at best, the PA has torpedoed any chances for near-term diplomacy merely by opening that door, and perhaps invited U.S. financial countermeasures as well.

Although Iran's proxies are fighting ISIS in parallel with the U.S.-led effort, their actions and radical Shiite agendas are diametrically opposed to the goal of building inclusive governments and societies in Iraq and Syria.

Palestinians must be asked to respond to proposals that address Israeli needs and not just their own.

The U.S. military has a great track record of winning on the battlefield, but it must do a better job of demanding clearer definitions of strategic victory from the political leadership, along with the means and time needed to achieve it.

The death or incapacity of King Abdullah will exacerbate tensions within the royal family over who should replace him.

Although Washington should have no illusions about resolving the region's wider problems, it can build on early successes against ISIS by making the commitments needed to fully defeat the group in Iraq and Syria, including a modest, enduring U.S. military presence.

The Israeli regulator's decision to reopen a natural gas agreement because of a monopoly issue jeopardizes the country's gas export potential and its ability to attract foreign capital, as well as threatening to complicate relations with Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, and Egypt.

Conversations with Palestinian, Israeli, and international officials indicate that the simmering stalemate between Hamas and Fatah will not end well.

While Tunisians deserve widespread recognition for achieving a peaceful transfer of power, the need for continued U.S. engagement will only increase after this weekend's ballot.

It is time for Pakistan's military and intelligence leaders to recognize that their preoccupation with India and their willingness to tolerate certain radical elements are not in the country's best interests.

The group's legal challenge will likely succeed for now, but the EU can reinstate the ban by relying on the plethora of evidence from European terrorism cases involving Hamas.

Incitement by Palestinians and Israelis against each other should be penalized rather than explained away or dismissed.

An in-depth conversation on the challenges of battling jihadist ideology in the ISIS era.

A detailed discussion of how to combat both ISIS and the Assad regime, including through diplomacy and other political means as complements to the existing military campaign.

The conservative Gulf Arab states are functioning more cohesively again after a year of diplomatic tensions, but questions persist about political reform, economic integration, and demographic issues.

Absent more robust international intervention, the regime remains essentially unopposed in the air, allowing it to continue pursuing its strategic objectives and killing civilians with relative impunity.