Gayle Tzemach Lemmon discusses the need for the development community to adopt a comprehensive approach to skills training for entrepreneurs in conflict and post-conflict zones.

UN Security Council Resolution 2052 regarding extension of the mandate of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) monitoring the Israel-Syria ceasefire until December 31, 2012 was adopted by the UN Security Council on June 27, 2012.

Vladimir Putin's Middle East trip was an effort to explain policies on Iran and Syria that have put it at odds with Israel and many Arab states, says CFR's Stephen Sestanovich.

UN Security Council Resolution 788 regarding Liberia was adopted on November 19, 1992.

Egypt's new president Mohamed Morsi faces an ongoing struggle with the military, but the United States must proceed carefully because of the high stakes in Egypt, says CFR's Robert M. Danin

U.S. and Israeli officials have declared that a nuclear-armed Iran is a uniquely terrifying prospect, even an existential threat. In fact, by creating a more durable balance of military power in the Middle East, a nuclear Iran would yield more stability, not less.

This report provides a brief overview of the transition thus far and information on U.S. foreign aid to Egypt.

Muammar Qaddafi's was overthrown more than eight months ago, but now violence in the south of the country is even worse than it was during the struggle to oust him, writes Nicolas Pelham. Although last October Mustafa Abdel Jalil, the National Transitional Council chariman, declared an end to the civil war, Libyans are still being killed and injured every day, and tens of thousands are being displaced in ethnic feuding.

Given the threats it faces, from nuclear-armed autocracies to terrorists, the United States cannot afford to scale back its military, argues Paul Miller. Micah Zenko and Michael Cohen reply that the danger of these challenges is vastly exaggerated and that an overly militarized foreign policy has not made the country safer.

President Obama and Russian president Putin gave this joint statement on June 18, 2012.

Regardless of the outcome of the presidential runoff elections, the Egyptian military is seeking to assert control to protect its privileges, says CFR's Steven A. Cook.

This New York Times Magazine piece investigates how the world's most powerful drug traffickers run their billion-dollar business.

Ongoing violence and corruption in Iraq since the U.S. military pullout could augur a return to full-on sectarian strife and continued poor governance, says CFR's Ned Parker.

Two groups wage a bitter fight for control over the West African nation, writes Andy Morgan for al-Jazeera.

Any action Brazil takes in Africa should be based on peaceful cooperation and not military escalation, writes Nikolas Kozloff.

Julia E. Sweig dissects the international quandary over the humanitarian implications of violence in Syria.

Nuclear talks with Iran are unlikely to lead to a deal in the short term, but they have had some impact: easing tensions and calming oil markets, says CFR's Richard Falkenrath.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres discusses the current state of the world's refugees.

This meeting is part of the Arthur C. Helton Memorial Lecture series, which was established by the Council and the family of Arthur C. Helton, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations who died in the August 2003 bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad. The Helton Lectureship is an annual event at which one or more speakers address pressing issues in the broad field of human rights and humanitarian concerns.