Russia's accession to the WTO can boost U.S. exports to the country, but the U.S. Congress will have to graduate Russia from Cold War-era trade legislation, says CFR's Stephen Sestanovich.

The UN nuclear agency's latest report contains no "gotcha" disclosures about Iran's nuclear capability but creates a clear impression of a weapons program in the works, says expert Mark Hibbs.

Following full UNESCO membership, Palestinians have increased efforts for statehood recognition, but the United States is continuing its push to bring them back to the negotiating table for direct talks, says CFR Mideast expert Robert Danin.

Iran's power struggles are adding to the political problems of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but it remains unclear who will emerge most powerful among the feuding conservative factions, says expert Farideh Farhi.

Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya have embarked on widely different political transitions. But in each case, economic tools are the best way for the United States to support their democratic development, says expert Michele Dunne.

In a region buffeted by change, Turkey is developing into a Middle East model and leader. Cooperation on Kurdish separatists and on a NATO radar base signal warming ties with the Obama administration, says CFR's Steven A. Cook.

The fate of the EU is in doubt as a crucial summit prepares to address the economic crisis. CFR's Charles Kupchan says the union will likely survive and could even grow stronger by creating more capable institutions to oversee the euro.

The prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas could indicate a shift in Hamas' willingness to deal with Israel, but the release of convicted terrorists could also mean renewed violence, says former U.S. ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk.

The sentencing of former Ukraine prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko reflects her rivalry with President Viktor Yanukovych and could affect Ukraine's eurozone bid, says New York Times Moscow bureau chief Ellen Barry.

It seems unlikely that the plot to kill a Saudi ambassador involved the highest levels of Iran's government, says expert Kenneth Katzman, including the plan to use non-Muslim proxies to carry it out.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's visit to Washington is likely to see passage of the Free Trade Agreement and coordination on strategies for pushing North Korea toward denuclearization, says CFR's Scott Snyder.

The potential return of Vladimir Putin to Russia's presidency is viewed by many in the country as "a step backwards," says CFR's Stephen Sestanovich, and could reignite a more acerbic tone with Washington.

President Obama committed himself to Mideast peacemaking from the outset, but success on the Israeli-Palestinian front has eluded him. By contrast, says Middle East expert Edward P. Djerejian, the administration has responded well to the Arab upheavals this year.

Palestinian President Abbas's plan to seek statehood status at the UN next week has spurred new crisis-diplomacy efforts, but political pressures on all sides could make a deal hard to come by, says analyst Ziad Asali.

The recent mob attack on the Israeli embassy in Cairo spotlights the fragility of Israel-Egypt relations, but the Egyptian military will strive to restore the peace between the two nations, says former U.S. ambassador Frank G. Wisner.

Post-9/11, the United States failed to take advantage of a moment of unprecedented global power to reshape itself and now faces an array of economic threats, says CFR President Richard N. Haass.

The Syrian regime's brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters didn't trip the same alarm bells as Libya's did for the UN Security Council, but the international community is gradually losing patience with Assad, says expert Edward Luck, a special advisor to the UN secretary-general.

A new regime in Damascus could threaten Iran's support of Hezbollah and deprive Tehran of its one ally in the region, so it's counseling the Assad government to hang tough, says Iran expert Karim Sadjadpour.

As rebels try to strengthen their hold on Tripoli, the odds of a peaceful, democratic transfer of power in Libya are long and the need for ongoing international intervention is very likely, says CFR's Robert Danin.

The recent flare up of hostilities along the Israel-Egypt border signals a hardening of Egypt's stance toward Israel and further difficulties for the sluggish Mideast peace process, says expert David Makovsky.