U.S. Policy

During their March 25 meeting, President Obama and Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed that part of the agenda of the April 1 "Friends of Syria" summit in Istanbul will concern "nonlethal assistance" to the opposition "within Syria." This indicates that the administration is beginning to accept a "tragic

Washington must clearly articulate what its red lines are in terms of Iranian behavior and credibly threaten the regime with military action should it cross them.

The recent ordeal of American democracy workers in Egypt was not so much about them as about Cairo's own internal power struggle.

The Iranian regime will not be able to survive existing sanctions, which are targeting the banking system and oil industry like never before.

Barring unexpected developments, even optimistic observers see the current Israeli-Palestinian deadlock persisting at least until after this year's U.S. elections. The key actors are too focused on other challenges, too skeptical of each other's intentions, and too limited by multiple constraints to engage in the kind of decisionmaking a peace

Washington and Israel need to address their public messaging on Iran, which has undermined mutual trust and efforts to achieve their common objective: a diplomatic solution to the nuclear crisis.

The regional impact of Bashar al-Asad's eventual fate may be at least as important for American interests as the direct effects inside Syria.

The Iranian nuclear threat will challenge Obama and Netanyahu's sometimes-rocky relationship like never before.

Whether Egypt's military authorities are deliberately targeting pro-democratic NGOs or simply unable to stop others from doing so, one thing is clear: Washington's relationship with them is no longer worth $1.3 billion.