The resignation of South African President Thabo Mbeki has exposed a rift in the ruling ANC party, raising questions about the future of one of the continent's champions and a regional powerbroker.

Oil and the status of Kirkuk continue to divide Iraq's central government and the Kurdish region, but signs of political progress are emerging.

Pakistan’s civilian government has asserted a new policy in dealing with terrorists on its territory, posing challenges for Washington.

Security gains in Iraq have been overshadowed by renewed intra-Shiite violence in Baghdad, Basra, and elsewhere. Some experts worry the worst is yet to come.

Ethnic tensions with minority Chinese and Indians leads to an election setback for Malaysia’s governing coalition.

The growing appetite of Iraq’s Kurdish government, Washington’s most trusted ally, for control of their own national destiny has sparked worries that Kurdish nationalism could undermine fragile political progress in Baghdad.

More than six years since the Taliban’s ouster, violence against women seeking to broaden their rights continues. But some experts see reason for hope.

Security experts warn the next terrorist attack on the United States could well be the work of a U.S. citizen. Instrumental in preventing such an attack is the cooperation of an increasingly alienated American Muslim community.

Isobel Coleman writes about the mixed record that quotas for women's political participation in the Middle East have had, but notes that at least quotas ensure that women's perspectives are represented in government.

An increase in terror incidents involving Islamic radicals who are U.S. citizens is vexing law enforcement officials and posing new questions about the roots of their radicalization.

As China continues to transform its economy, rising tensions and spates of violence within its primarily Muslim Uighur community is causing regional instability both internally and with Pakistan.

Beset by increased terror attacks and political infighting, Pakistan's viability as a state is a matter of increasing concern. Experts call for reforming weak civil institutions, resolving ethnic disputes, and checking the power of the military.

A brief overview of the Israeli political system.

Amid political uncertainty in Bangkok, a violent insurgency continues in the country's majority Malay Muslim provinces in the south, with no possible settlement in sight.

Backgrounder: The new Congress shares President Bush's reform approach but new legislation is by no means assured.

Veteran reporter Jane Arraf says the massive truck bombings of August 19 in Baghdad have shaken the people and government. She says the United States may have to take a new look at the policy of leaving security under Iraqi control in urban centers.

Edward Friedman, an expert on Chinese nationalism, says China’s ethnic Han majority views minorities like Tibetans and Uighurs as "people who should be incorporated into the larger Chinese state."

Henry Siegman, an expert on Middle East negotiations, says no peace will be possible between Israel and the Palestinians unless Hamas is brought into the talks.

Washington’s representative to talks on Kosovo, Frank G. Wisner, says Serbia will never recognize an independent Kosovo and that Russia’s role has been “unbelievably regrettable.”