A sweeping account of Egypt in the modern era: what Egypt is, what it stands for, and its relation to the world.

Experts from the Council on Foreign Relations and the Saban Center at the Brookings Institution propose a new, nonpartisan Middle East strategy drawing on the lessons of past failures to address both the short- and long-term challenges to U.S. interests.

A critical examination of how the legacies of military control in Egypt, Algeria, and Turkey affect political development in these countries, highlighting the often-overlooked difficulties of promoting democratic change in military-dominated political systems.

CFR Fellow Steven A. Cook discusses the impact of Pierre Gemayel’s assassination on Lebanese politics. He says Gemayel’s murder marks a return of Syrian influence in Lebanon and presents an opportunity for Hezbollah to consolidate its power.

Steven Cook, CFR's Douglas Dillon Fellow, discusses the troublesome state of U.S. relations with Turkey and suggests a diplomatic approach for repairing ties with the critical ally.

This Independent Task Force asserts that Turkey is an increasingly influential regional and economic power and calls for the United States and Turkey to forge a new partnership.

A Council-sponsored Task Force argues that the United States should support the evolutionary development of democracy consistently throughout the Middle East. It points out that a strategy to promote democracy entails inherent risks, but that "the denial of freedom carries much more significant long-term dangers." This report is also available in Arabic.

Following Turkey's decision to authorize military action against Syria, CFR's Steven Cook highlights three reasons why tensions are unlikely to escalate to war.

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi's visit to Iran signals a shift in his country's foreign policy away from Washington's influence, which, paradoxically, could have some positive upshots for the United States, says CFR's Steven Cook.

The Egyptian Supreme Constitutional Court's decision to dissolve parliament has "thrown Egypt into turmoil once again," threatening the upcoming presidential election runoff and the hopes of the country's sixteen-month-old revolution, says CFR's Steven A. Cook.

The winner of the 2012 U.S. presidential election will likely confront a greatly changed Middle East political landscape due to ongoing civillian upheaval, says Steven A. Cook, CFR's senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies. This video is part of a special Council on Foreign Relations series that explores the top foreign policy issues debated in the run-up to the 2012 elections.

Egypt's 2011 revolution marks the latest chapter in Egyptians' longtime struggle for greater democratic freedoms. In this video, Steven A. Cook, CFR's Hasib J. Sabbagh senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies and author of "The Struggle for Egypt", identifies the lessons that Egypt's emerging leadership must learn from the Nasser, Sadat, and Mubarak regimes.

Steven Cook, Hasib J. Sabbagh Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations discusses the prospects and implications of the Palestinian bid for UN recognition of statehood. Cook cautions that "an American veto or American opposition to this declaration of statehood is likely to roil already intense and uncertain and unstable political environments throughout the region."

This video is part of a special Council on Foreign Relations series that explores how 9/11 changed international relations and U.S. foreign policy. In this video, Steven Cook, Hasib J. Sabbagh Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations discusses how the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 transformed the United States' Middle East policy. Cook argues the attacks led to the conclusion that "authoritarian stability -- that is, relying on authoritarian leaders in the region to help create a political order that made it relatively easier for the United States to pursue its interests in the region -- was perhaps no longer appropriate." Instead, U.S. policy has been devoted from that point on to "fostering democratic change in the Middle East."

Steven A. Cook, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations argues that the national dialogue convened by the Syrian government lacks credibility, and raises question about what steps the Syrian military will take as the regime faces continued popular protests.

Steven Cook, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, expects that bin Laden's death will not have a significant impact on al-Qaeda or organizations like it. Extremist activity targeting countries in the Middle East and the United States is likely to continue, says Cook.