Arab & Islamic Politics

Rouhani may soften the veneer and rhetoric of Tehran's nuclear policy, but there is little reason to expect a change in the regime's objectives.

Given the opposition's growing rage and the Brotherhood's increasingly confrontational stance, the upcoming nationwide protests are unlikely to end well.

The new president-elect's supporters want a better economy and integration into the international community more than they want nuclear glory.

Although Washington has long sought to moderate the Brotherhood's behavior through quiet diplomacy, Morsi's inflammatory political appointments suggest that this approach has failed.

The recent presidential election in Iran proved that the Islamic Republic's instinct for self-preservation trumps its ideology. Hassan Rouhani, the current representative of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the Supreme National Security Council and former head nuclear negotiator, won the election in the first round, a total surprise for

Although Bahrain's ongoing troubles are domestically focused, the latest developments are a reminder of the region's wider Sunni-Shiite divide and the problematic role played by Iran.

Washington should pursue a measured but assertive course with Syria, because the longer the conflict lasts, the greater the threat it poses.

Defeating Iranian designs in Syria would not halt Tehran's nuclear ambitions, but it could restore the credibility of American power and force Iran's leaders to reconsider the costs of their strategy.

Similar to other conflicts, diplomacy on Syria is as much, if not more, about what one does away from the table to develop leverage as it is about talks themselves.