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.

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.

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

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."

Steven A. Cook says that Egypt's seemingly tortured present actually reveals something relatively healthy—the normalization of politics.

Steven A. Cook discusses Turkish domestic politics after the uprisings.

The trial of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak has sparked a debate in Egypt about retributive justice versus the rule of law, which will be among the many issues to play out in the fall's parliamentary elections, says CFR's Steven A. Cook.

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 discusses the resignation of Turkey's general staff.

Steven A. Cook says the Turkish model of military rule is wrong for Egypt.

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.

There is little doubt Prime Minister Erdogan's AKP party will retain power in Turkey's June 12 elections. The focus will be on whether he uses his mandate to consolidate Turkish democracy under a new liberal constitution, says CFR's Steven A. Cook.

Steven A. Cook argues that Egypt's leaders must ensure the prosecution of Hosni Mubarak does not distract from the need to address the country's bigger problem: its increasingly dire economic condition.

The recent speeches by President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu haven't advanced prospects for peace, which are crippled by disagreements over core issues and mistrust between U.S., Israeli, and Palestinian leaders, says CFR's Steven A. Cook.

President Obama's Mideast speech included more assertive language in support of self-determination and a detailed outline of terms for an Israeli-Palestinian settlement. CFR's Elliott Abrams, Robert Danin, and Steven A. Cook assess the impact of the speech.

Steven A. Cook discusses the implications of President Obama's upcoming speech on the Middle East.

Steven A. Cook says fear of the transforming political landscape is bringing together strange bedfellows in the Middle East.

Steven A. Cook argues that at a moment of unprecedented change in the Middle East, Turkey is falling far short of being a regional leader.

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.

Osama bin Laden's death is a real and symbolic blow to al-Qaeda, and its stature in the Middle East is already diminished by the pro-democracy movements in the region, but the group remains lethal. Seven CFR experts discuss.

Most Arabs are eager to embrace open political systems, but in the aftermath of bin Laden's death, his sympathizers could try to fill a vacuum of weak leadership in places like Yemen, and even Syria and Libya, says CFR's Steven A. Cook.