Iran says it's ready to negotiate on its contentious nuclear program, but questions abound over Tehran's domestic politics and what confidence-building measures the West and Iran can agree upon.

In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney writes that "the character of the Chinese government--one that marries aspects of the free market with suppression of freedom--shouldn't become the norm."

Charles A. Kupchan says internal renewal is vital to the West's future strength, but moreover, even if the West is able to regain its internal vitality and enlarge its footprint, it will still have to manage the transition to a world with multiple centers of power.

The UN Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons was adopted on September 28, 1954 and entered into force on June 6, 1960.

Ed Husain says military options in Syria would do much more harm than good.

Amid increasing fears of a civil war in Syria following the failure of the UN Security Council resolution, analysts remain divided over the question of intervention and how best to address the crisis.

The U.S. Department of State released this fact sheet on the Central America Regional Security Initiative on February 6, 2012.

Ed Husain argues that Western military involvement in Syria would worsen violence, not end it, and could spread the conflict beyond Syria's borders.

Richard N. Haass argues that Iran's nuclear program may be the most important international issue in 2012.

After exploring Israel's ability, legitimacy, and necessity to attack Iran, Ronen Bergman believes that the country would certainly do so in 2012.

The United States continues to pursue peace talks with Afghanistan's Taliban as a means to secure stability. Bruce Riedel discusses the challenges faced by the administration, including its ongoing tensions with Pakistan.

The New York Times' Bill Keller discusses why a hawkish position concerning Iran is the most abused foreign policy issue in this presidential campaign year, and why a military option may be the best way to guarantee exactly what we are trying to prevent.

A broad-sweeping look at international efforts to prevent armed conflict. This is part of the Global Governance Monitor, an interactive feature tracking multilateral approaches to several global challenges.

Robert M. Danin outlines eight steps that the United States and other members of the international community could adopt to help Syria, well short of military action.

This week's meeting between U.S., South Korean, and Japanese officials signaled an opening for North Korea to rejoin the suspended talks on its nuclear program. CFR's Scott Snyder discusses the talks and says it's unlikely the dialogue will resume soon.

Colonel Gregory K. James, USA; Colonel Larry Holcomb, USMC; and Colonel Chad T. Manske, USAF argue that the success of Operation ODYSSEY DAWN, despite its complexity, validates joint planning processes, joint education foundations, joint training opportunities, and joint exercises.

Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, professor of theology at Chicago Theological Seminary and editor of Interfaith Just Peacemaking: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Perspectives on the New Paradigm of Peace and War, leads a discussion on Just Peace theory, as part of CFR's Religion and Foreign Policy Conference Call series.

Learn more about CFR's Religion and Foreign Policy Initiative.

David F. Gordon, Mark L. Schneider, and Paul B. Stares discuss their respective organization's assessments of the risks and the most worrisome sources of instability and conflict in 2012.

Steven A. Cook says that if the world wants to see the end of Bashar al-Assad, it will likely require international intervention.

This special event was held in memory of the late Richard C. Holbrooke, former board director and longtime member of CFR. Panelists discussed the lessons of diplomacy learned from U.S. engagement in Vietnam, Bosnia, and Afghanistan, three areas Ambassador Holbrooke worked on and cared deeply about.