As rebels try to strengthen their hold on Tripoli, the odds of a peaceful, democratic transfer of power in Libya are long and the need for ongoing international intervention is very likely, says CFR's Robert Danin.

The recent flare up of hostilities along the Israel-Egypt border signals a hardening of Egypt's stance toward Israel and further difficulties for the sluggish Mideast peace process, says expert David Makovsky.

U.S. calls for Syria's Assad to step down can only be realized if combined with stronger measures to forge a diplomatic coalition and drive a wedge between Assad and his supporters, says CFR's Robert Danin.

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.

Joshua Kurlantzick says the election victory by the party of Yingluck Shinawatra, sister of exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, puts Thailand's already wobbly democracy at greater risk.

Joel D. Hirst says the Kingdom of Morocco has emerged from the Arab Spring as a model of Arab governance.

Amb. Zalmay Khalilzad, former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, and the United Nations, discusses democracy promotion in the Middle East following the Arab Spring with Mark Lagon, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Human Rights at the Council on Foreign Relations.

In a post at the New Statesman, Matthew Partridge asserts that income inequality and institutional elite favoritism played a central role in inciting the protests of the Arab Spring.

In a piece for the Weekly Standard, Ellen Bork writes that Washington needs to revive its relations with Cairo in order to reignite the transition from dictatorship to democracy that has stalled in Egypt since Mubarak ceded power more than three months ago.

With Israel facing a regional democratization movement, a unity pact between Hamas and Fatah, and a possible UN vote on Palestinian statehood in the fall, Prime Minister Netanyahu should offer a swap of territory in return for Palestinian acceptance of a Jewish state, says Israel expert David Makovsky.

Maciej Bartkowski and Annyssa Bellal write that the international community needs a more comprehensive set of guidelines to keep governments accountable for violence conducted against demonstrating citizens.

Human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi discusses the impact of the Arab Spring on the democratic movement in Iran with Isobel Coleman, Director of the Council on Foreign Relations' Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initiative.

As some NATO countries move to send advisers to help Libyan rebels, debate remains unsettled on whether charting a path to greater military involvement or a negotiated political solution is the right approach.

CFR's Adjunct Senior Fellow For Middle Eastern Studies, Mohamad Bazzi discusses the current crisis in Syria and its possible consequences.

Listen to CFR Expert Mohamad Bazzi and Consulting Editor Bernard Gwertzman discuss violent anti-government protests and rising tensions in Syria.

CFR senior fellows Jendayi Frazer and John Campbell discuss the implications regarding the recent capture of former Ivorian President Gbagbo.

Alyse Nelson, Co-Founder and CEO of Vital Voices, discusses the organization's work to empower women around the world with Isobel Coleman, Director of CFR's Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initiative.

Concern about Arab world pro-democracy movements has caused Iran's government to get tougher with opponents and is affecting political jockeying for parliamentary elections in 2012 and the presidential election in 2013, says Iran expert Farideh Farhi.

The story of a young woman's entrepreneurial success during the Taliban reign in Afghanistan is an argument for international investment in women, says CFR's Gayle Tzemach Lemmon.

Uncertainty pervades Cairo as the country weighs its post-Mubarak democratic options. Washington should stand ready to assist an Egyptian-led transformation, writes CFR's Robert Danin.