In the wake of the deadly attacks on U.S. diplomatic missions in Egypt and Libya, Bobby Ghosh writes that the newly-formed democratic governments which replaced long-standing dictatorships, as a result of the Arab Spring, has contributed to greater instability and a more chaotic and unstable Middle East.

Joshua Kurlantzick says that after five decades of brutal military rule, Myanmar has been slowly shifting in the direction of legitimate democratic governance, but many serious obstacles still have to be overcome.

The Egyptian Supreme Constitutional Court's decision to dissolve parliament has "thrown Egypt into turmoil once again," threatening the upcoming presidential election runoff and the hopes of the country's sixteen-month-old revolution, says CFR's Steven A. Cook.

Joshua Kurlantzick says, "... Thailand, once a poster child for democratization in the developing world, has undergone perhaps the most rapid and severest democratic regression in the entire world."

This Pew Research Center publication reports that "Egyptians remain optimistic" and "embrace democracy and religion in political life," and are generally positive toward the Muslim Brotherhood and military.

Robert McMahon says that after breathtaking expansion of their freedoms, the media now reflect the unsteady advance of democracy in the Middle East.

Elliott Abrams says the Egyptian presidential race is a frightful mess.

The Arab League summit in Baghdad is focused on Syria, but events on the ground appear to have already outpaced the regional group, says CFR's Mohamad Bazzi.

This was a meeting of the Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Roundtable series.

China faces growing internal and external calls for economic and political reforms. Expert Minxin Pei looks at the political transition under way and discusses prospects for change.

Steven A. Cook says that to avoid the traps of their history, Egyptians must be committed to a new constitution and an independent parliament.

Myanmar's sudden transition from repressive pariah to potential democracy should be viewed through the lens of a military alarmed by people power revolts and by the country's increasingly shaky economic condition, says CFR's Joshua Kurlantzick.

Julia E. Sweig analyzes the significance of the first-ever Communist Party Conference in Cuba.

Isobel Coleman discusses the role of women in the Arab Spring.

Ed Husain argues that the current trajectory of the United States in the Middle East—of dancing around developments, leading from behind and expressing defeatist thinking—needs to stop.

National Interest's Paul R. Pillar discusses three problems with the fear of Islamist threat to democratization in Arab countries.

Ed Husain examines Islamism and the meaning of an Islamic state.

Steven A. Cook describes the stakes of the debates raging within Egypt to define what the nation stands for and how it will be run after the Mubarak regime.

Ed Husain, CFR's senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies, discusses the emergence of Islamist political parties in Tunisia.