Policy Analysis

As the Asad regime crackdown continues, neighboring states are increasingly likely to view Syria as another arena for contesting power.

For the past decade, a military vs. AKP dichotomy has shaped most analysis on Turkey, but a new framework seems necessary now.

An Interview by Bernard Gwertzman, CFR.org Renewed hostilities along Israel's border with Egypt's Sinai are leading to questions about the future of the flailing Middle East peace process, says expert David Makovsky. The political climate in Egypt has shifted in favor of the country's various Islamist groups, Makovsky says, and

The iconic youths of Egypt's Tahrir Square revolution are now deeply divided among nearly a dozen, often indistinguishable political parties, while the Muslim Brotherhood is seizing the momentum.

Most terrorist attacks in Iraq today are not meant for an international audience, but instead indicate various militias battling for influence after U.S. troops head home.

With the world's attention focused on the dramatic events of the Arab Spring, Iran continues to make progress on its nuclear program. If the regime succeeds in crossing the nuclear threshold, the implications for the United States and its allies could be profound. But how specifically might Tehran use such

There are plenty of policies that the United States could pursue, short of dropping bombs on Damascus, to hasten the Asad regime's fall.

The terrorist attack in the Negev threatens to escalate into both a wider Israel-Gaza conflict and an Egyptian-Israeli diplomatic crisis.

President Obama's call for Bashar al-Asad to step aside puts to rest debate about where exactly Washington stands on the Syrian regime.

With the Palestinian train heading toward the UN, the light at the end of the tunnel is really just Quartet diplomacy heading in the wrong direction.

FEATURING Amr al-Azm, Thomas E. Donilon, Robert Kagan, Hisham Kassem, Martin Kramer, James LaRocco, Robin Wright, Amos Yadlin, Dalia Ziada THE PROCEEDINGS In early 2011, the Middle East began a process of convulsive political change unlike any the region had witnessed in memory. Fueled by a heady mix of rage

The Asad regime's actions against protestors appear to fit the definition of war crimes.

An Interview by Bernard Gwertzman, CFR.org Despite objections from the international community, as well as Turkey's stern warning that Syria should end its five-month crackdown (NYT) on protesters, Syria's President Bashar al-Assad continues to press on with brutal attacks around the country. What's needed to stop Assad is concerted international

On a day that saw both spectacular terrorist attacks and an annual football championship game, comparing Iraq's soccer world and its broader political system can be enlightening.

The time has come for Washington to withdraw its ambassador from Syria, just as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and others have done.

Like Ataturk, Erdogan has a vision and controls all levers of power. Time will tell how far he is able to shape Turkey in his conservative design.

A key player and an unrelenting obstacle in the Middle East peace process, Syria has long been a thorn in Washington's side when it comes to forging strategic alliances with powers in the region. But only after the events of 9/11 and Damascus's staunch opposition to the War in Iraq

U.S. and Saudi efforts to pressure injured Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh to agree to a peaceful transfer of power have been unsuccessful. To counter al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a new approach is required.

Unless conditions in Syria somehow magically revert to normalcy, Turkey will likely lead the international community in taking a tougher line against the brutal crackdown.

Western powers and their regional allies are increasingly understanding that just talking to Syrian president Bashar al-Asad about his brutality will not be enough to stop it.