With debate raging about how to quell the Syrian crisis, Mideast expert Edward P. Djerejian says the U.S. role in the region, which is experiencing "tectonic" shifts, should focus on influencing positive change without trying to direct events.

The situation in Mali challenges U.S. goals of promoting stability, democracy, civilian control of the military, and effective counterterrorism in Africa, and raises questions regarding the strategic design and effectiveness of existing U.S. efforts to do so.

The history of civil wars — and of efforts to stop them — demonstrates what is likely to work and what is likely to fail.

Though violence in Iraq has fallen to its lowest level since 2003, internal and regional dynamics threaten its stability. Douglas Ollivant, senior fellow at the New America Foundation, , argues that despite the U.S. military withdrawal, the United States has a significant stake in helping Iraq overcome threats of ethnosectarian violence and a breakdown of constitutional order.

John O. Brennan discusses U.S. policy toward Yemen, the status of Yemen's political transition and economic recovery program, as well as the humanitarian and security situation throughout the country.

Robert Danin, Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies and Edward Husain, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, discuss the crisis in Syria, the threat of jihad, and the international community's response to the situation with CFR.org's Toni Johnson.

Sheila A. Smith examines the way in which the 2010 crisis emerged between Japan and China, arguing that a crisis management initiative between Beijing and Tokyo rather than an overall reconciliation agenda may be what is now needed.

Climatic conditions across the U.S. farm belt are triggering a rise in global food prices that threatens to fuel political unrest in developing countries, says CFR's Isobel Coleman.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney gave these remarks to the Jerusalem Foundation in Jerusalem, Israel on July 29, 2012.

A post-Assad Syria will likely create distinct challenges for each of its neighbors, including creating a major loss for Iran, says Michael Young of Lebanon's Daily Star.

Today, al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula's (AQAP) is at a crossroads. Does it revert to what it was prior to 2011, a terrorist organization operating in the shadows? Or does it try to reclaim the territory it lost and once again position itself as a governing authority?

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave these remarks on July 24, 2012 at the Symposium on Genocide Prevention sponsored by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in cooperation with CNN and the Council on Foreign Relations, held at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC.

ASEAN has failed to ease tensions over the South China Sea this summer, but China and its neighbors still have options for restoring calm, writes CFR's Joshua Kurlantzick.

Following a UN Security Council veto, the United States should bypass the UN to pressure the Assad regime and support the Syrian opposition, writes CFR President Richard N. Haass.

Intensification of the violence in Syria presents renewed cause for military intervention, either to protect innocent civilian lives or to potentially police or enforce a peace agreement or political settlement, says CFR's Paul Stares.

Russian President Putin, mistrustful of Western motives, is likely to resist pressure to commit to stronger sanctions against Syria's government, says expert Dimitri Simes.

Scott Wilson explains that Obama wanted to restore America's reputation as a credible mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and in doing so, the president believed he needed to regain Arab trust and talk tough to Israel.

The steady U.S. presence at Asian meetings--like the upcoming ASEAN ministerial--reinforces its ties to countries in China's shadow, writes CFR's Joshua Kurlantzick.

The crucial role played by American warplanes in Afghanistan also raises questions about the prospects for the fight against the Taliban in the future.

This week's latest round of Iran talks seems to have done little to reconcile the two sides on the country's nuclear position, says CFR's Michael A. Levi.