Buoyed by high oil prices, Russia finds itself embroiled in a number of disputes with foreign firms looking to tap its underdeveloped oil fields and with its neighbors that grew used to subsidized gas.

The contentious border between Pakistan and Afghanistan remains a site of major conflict, and houses some of the world’s most dangerous militants.

A Senate proposal calling for the restructuring of Iraq’s government has drawn fire from Iraqis who liken it to partition. Amid the criticism have emerged other controversial options.

Demands by Iraqi Kurds for greater autonomy have roiled their Turkish neighbors.

No definitive estimate exists on the number of Iraqi civilians who have died from violence, largely because of the politically charged nature of the war.

Iran's influence in Iraq is the subject of enormous speculation. The United States is taking steps to counter that influence.

It is unclear if classifying the conflict in Iraq as a civil war will have serious ramifications for U.S. military strategy there or, for that matter, U.S. domestic politics.

This book addresses such questions as: What role did outside powers play in the dissolution of Yugoslavia and in the wars that wracked that once-stable country? Why did the victors in the Cold War and the 1991 Gulf War not act earlier to stop the slaughter?

This report urges the Indonesia Government to follow through with its commitments to achieve a comprehensive solution to the conflict in Papua by engaging with legitimate representatives of Papuan society, fully implementing special autonomy, improving local governance, and reforming security arrangements.

As violence surges in Indian-administered Kashmir, four experts say confidence-building measures between India and Pakistan are the only way to begin solving the territorial dispute.

The new U.S.-Afghan strategic partnership agreement is a step forward as the Western troop drawdown clock ticks down, but Washington must provide more specific pledges for Afghanistan's security, says CFR's Max Boot.

An interactive map of the Horn of Africa.

An interactive, multimedia guide to the dispute between North and South Korea.

Its economy is in terrible condition and state authority is apparently breaking down. It's time to contemplate an intervention by Egypt's military, says CFR's Steven Cook.

Ongoing violence and corruption in Iraq since the U.S. military pullout could augur a return to full-on sectarian strife and continued poor governance, says CFR's Ned Parker.

A brutal crackdown continues, the opposition resists a political solution, and a divided international community offers no new alternatives, says expert Peter Harling.

A rise in Iraq's violence and sectarian tensions--and the highest U.S. monthly combat deaths since 2008--come amid mounting concerns over the government's role and questions about the U.S. troop presence, says expert Sean Kane.

President Obama's political objectives for Afghanistan are limited and feasible, says military historian Gian Gentile, but the military's counterinsurgency strategy and "maximalist approach of nation-building" could take a generation to achieve.

Johnnie Carson, the top State department official on Africa, says new policy on Sudan stresses the need for progress on Darfur, the North-South peace agreement and anti-terror efforts.

Ahmed Rashid, a leading expert on Afghanistan, says the August 20 presidential election in Afghanistan is "critically important" to achieving political stability, but he worries the vote will trigger controversy.