For decades, U.S. China policy has been driven by a combination of engagement and balancing.

Violence against U.S. diplomatic missions in Libya and Egypt highlights the difficult road ahead for U.S. relations with these struggling states, says CFR's Robert Danin.

CFR's James M. Lindsay discusses the signing of the Oslo Accords on September 13, 1993, including the secret negotiations that produced the agreement, what its terms stipulated, and how it failed to produce lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

The growing likelihood of a protracted civil war in Syria does not necessarily warrant Western military intervention, which could "cause more damage, chaos, and instability than not," says Assad biographer David Lesch.

In Newsweek, Leslie H. Gelb weaves surprising lessons on when to make war and peace from interviews with Ryan Crocker, former Ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Indonesian Foreign Minister Raden Mohammad Marty Muliana Natalegawa gave these remarks in Jakarta, Indonesia on September 3, 2012.

Charles A. Kupchan says Mitt Romney's foreign policy isn't an afterthought, it's a frightening return to a bullying neoconservative ideology—and Americans should be worried.

While a nuclear-armed Iran presents "a terrible outcome strategically," a U.S. or Israeli military attack carries unforeseeable risks, says CFR President Richard Haass.

Experts from three countries offer their views about the role foreign policy might play in U.S. political conventions and what interest there is from the perspective of their countries.

Recent "insider attacks" on U.S. forces raise concerns about the Afghan security transition in 2014 and long-term U.S. support for local troops, says CFR's Stephen Biddle.

Pakistan-U.S. ties have rebounded, but domestic turmoil and looming leadership transitions should command U.S. attention on this vital terrorist frontline, writes CFR's Daniel Markey.

With debate raging about how to quell the Syrian crisis, Mideast expert Edward P. Djerejian says the U.S. role in the region, which is experiencing "tectonic" shifts, should focus on influencing positive change without trying to direct events.

The situation in Mali challenges U.S. goals of promoting stability, democracy, civilian control of the military, and effective counterterrorism in Africa, and raises questions regarding the strategic design and effectiveness of existing U.S. efforts to do so.

The history of civil wars — and of efforts to stop them — demonstrates what is likely to work and what is likely to fail.

In this Contingency Planning Memorandum, Douglas Ollivant argues that the United States has a significant stake in helping Iraq overcome major threats to its stability—namely, the prospect of renewed ethno-sectarian violence or a breakdown of constitutional order.

John O. Brennan discusses U.S. policy toward Yemen, the status of Yemen's political transition and economic recovery program, as well as the humanitarian and security situation throughout the country.

Robert Danin, Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies and Edward Husain, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, discuss the crisis in Syria, the threat of jihad, and the international community's response to the situation with CFR.org's Toni Johnson.

Sheila A. Smith examines the way in which the 2010 crisis emerged between Japan and China, arguing that a crisis management initiative between Beijing and Tokyo rather than an overall reconciliation agenda may be what is now needed.

Climatic conditions across the U.S. farm belt are triggering a rise in global food prices that threatens to fuel political unrest in developing countries, says CFR's Isobel Coleman.