A broad-sweeping look at international efforts to prevent armed conflict. This is part of the Global Governance Monitor, an interactive feature tracking multilateral approaches to several global challenges.

This week's meeting between U.S., South Korean, and Japanese officials signaled an opening for North Korea to rejoin the suspended talks on its nuclear program. CFR's Scott Snyder discusses the talks and says it's unlikely the dialogue will resume soon.

This special event was held in memory of the late Richard C. Holbrooke, former board director and longtime member of CFR. Panelists discussed the lessons of diplomacy learned from U.S. engagement in Vietnam, Bosnia, and Afghanistan, three areas Ambassador Holbrooke worked on and cared deeply about.

This special event was held in memory of the late Richard C. Holbrooke, former board director and longtime member of CFR. Panelists discussed the lessons of diplomacy learned from U.S. engagement in Vietnam, Bosnia, and Afghanistan, three areas Ambassador Holbrooke worked on and cared deeply about.

Christopher R. Hill Dean, Vali Nasr, and Frank G. Wisner discuss 'Lessons of Diplomacy: An Event in Memory of Richard C. Holbrooke' with Leslie H. Gelb.

Maria Otero, State Department Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, gave this briefing on the establishment of the Office of the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, in Washington on January 5, 2012.

Former U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy, Stephen W. Bosworth, says it is necessary for the United States to continue to engage with North Korea.

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.

In this Center for Preventive Action Working Paper, Payton L. Knopf argues that the State Department must develop a framework for engaging with nonstate armed groups. He also calls on the department to make bureaucratic and operational reforms to execute this increasingly important mission.

With China and Southeast Asian states disputing claims to the energy-rich South China Sea, the United States is likely to bolster its presence in the area, writes CFR's Joshua Kurlantzick.

Palestinians' UN bid for statehood recognition has both perils and benefits for the languishing Mideast peace process, experts say. It could escalate regional tensions, but it has added urgency to reopening negotiations.

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 Washington Post's Colum Lynch analyzes the Palestinian quest for UN state recognition, which highlights the role of the international organization despite its inability to resolve the Israeli-Palestine conflict.

Two recent books on the Israeli settlements explore their corrosive effect on Zionism and Israeli society.

In this blog post for the New York Review of Books, David Bromwich, Sterling Professor of English at Yale, criticises Obama for too often giving the impression, through his rhetoric, that the United States plays the role of parent when dealing with the Middle East.

With envoy George Mitchell's departure, U.S. policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict changes, from the quest for an end of the conflict to the search for a strategy to manage the current crisis, says CFR's Robert Danin.

Despite high-level and military-to-military talks this week and next, the U.S.-China relationship is strained because of China's growing strength and its harder line at home and abroad, says CFR's John Pomfret.

In the next round of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, underway now, the two sides face difficult diplomatic issues but also a chance to jumpstart engagement on military and cybersecurity matters, writes CFR's Elizabeth Economy.

In this Foreign Policy argument piece, Michael Oren argues that America needs Israel more than ever.

Micah Zenko argues that while the United States should continue to use its military capabilities to support the no-fly zone in Libya, it should also work toward a negotiated end to the civil war.