Elliott Abrams says that especially in light of the Arab Spring, demands for free elections for Palestinians should be greater.

Joel D. Hirst says the strength of Venezuela's opposition is increasing through greater unity ahead of the battle to remove Chavez in 2012.

Joel D. Hirst explains how the Honduras Truth Commission concluded that the removal of President Manuel Zelaya was a coup while at the same time concluding that Zelaya was breaking the law when he disregarded a Supreme Court ruling ordering him to cancel a referendum allowing for presidential reelection.

Joshua Kurlantzick says Thailand's post-election democracy may need U.S. support.

Politico reporter David Rogers explores Obama's bold debt strategy, which calls for $4 trillion of debt reduction in 10 years, rather than $2.4 trillion — a dollar-for-dollar match for the debt ceiling increase due in August.

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.

John Campbell and Asch Harwood discuss the challenges facing Nigeria's newly elected president, Goodluck Jonathan.

Najmeh Bozorgmehr of the Financial Times offers an analysis on the "real distribution of power" undermining Iranian political affairs, particularly discussing the power dynamics between the president and the supreme leader.

There is little doubt Prime Minister Erdogan's AKP party will retain power in Turkey's June 12 elections. The focus will be on whether he uses his mandate to consolidate Turkish democracy under a new liberal constitution, says CFR's Steven A. Cook.

Thailand's general elections in July could mark a crucial step toward reconciliation but are likely to fuel further resentments that have roiled the country and eroded regional stability, says CFR's Joshua Kurlantzick.

Ollanta Humala's victory in Peru's presidential election should mean continued solid relations with the United States and is an opportunity to further prove that moderate leftism is the consensus model for Latin American politics, says expert Michael Shifter.

Regional analyst Issandr El Amrani discusses the reasons for electoral dithering in post-revolutionary Egypt and Tunisia.

This Contingency Planning Memorandum describes how electoral instability and insurrectionary violence may once again afflict the Democratic Republic of Congo and posits steps the United States can take to prevent these scenarios from occurring and mitigate their potential consequences.

Joel D. Hirst argues that if elected as president, Ollanta Humala will likely have Peru follow the path of Venezuela.

Joel D. Hirst discusses the upcoming election in Peru and says that a possible presidency by candidate Colonel Ollanta Humala holds serious consequences for Peruvians.

John Campbell argues that the elections in Nigeria reveal the need for the United States and its allies to reach out to Nigeria's North.

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

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.

CFR's John Campbell discusses the upcoming elections in Nigeria, as well as policy recommendations from his book "Nigeria: Dancing on the Brink," as part of CFR's Academic Conference Call series.

Learn more about CFR's Academic Initiative.

Egypt's constitutional referendum passed in the country's fairest polls in decades, but concern persists over the ability of non-democratic forces to gain the advantage in the next parliamentary and presidential elections, says CFR's Steven Cook.