Policy Analysis

Washington has several policy options short of military action to torque the pressure on the Syrian regime and to help the Syrians themselves topple the dictatorship.

If oil income falters due to falling prices or sanctions, Tehran will have great difficulty paying its promised $45 billion per year in public subsidies, making the regime more susceptible to foreign pressure.

After months of drafting, heated interagency discussion, and many rounds of redrafting, the White House is reportedly set to release its long-expected national strategy on countering violent extremism.

Unless the United States reverses the current dynamic, Iran could reap the perceived benefits of being a nuclear power even without building a bomb.

Although the Syrian army has shown signs of fraying for some time, the potential for more serious fissures is beginning to emerge.

Turkey's military has staged coups before, but never one like this week's: by resigning, they created a power gap that destabilizes the government -- and shows how much the country needs them.

As it remakes the Middle East, the Arab Spring is also realigning U.S. and Turkish policies.

The news of mass resignations by Turkey's military leadership is a sign that NATO's second-largest force is snapping under the weight of the ruling party.

Worldwide efforts aimed at Hezbollah's criminal rather than terrorist activities would weaken the group's support network and undermine its reputation at home and abroad.

America achieves greatness by setting itself to great tasks, with great conviction; now is a time to streamline our budgets, programs, and expenses, but not our ambitions in the world.

The stabilization of Iraq has become wedged on a plateau, beyond which further improvement will be a slow process.

In May 2011, a panel of Turkey experts debated likely scenarios for Turkey's social, political, and diplomatic future.

Egypt's political future is being decided by the military, the Muslim Brotherhood, and protest groups in the streets.

Iran's recent offer to assist in the 1994 AMIA bombing investigation is nothing more than a political game.

Although the recent storming of the U.S. embassy in Syria ended without bloodshed, American personnel may not be so lucky in the future.

The recent indictment of senior Hizballah figure Mustafa Badreddine has the group on edge, and for good reason.

By targeting Syria's energy sector, the United States can hit President Bashar al-Assad where it really hurts -- his pocketbook.

Turkey's political stalemate following the recent elections has overshadowed a key development: the near doubling of female deputies in parliament.

Egyptians are becoming increasingly angry and frustrated about the slow pace of political change.

The United States should work with Turkey and other allies to halt the Asad regime's violence, avoid anarchy in the event of regime collapse, and prepare for a post-Asad era.