Stephen Hadley and John Podesta accurately describe Washington's policy dilemmas and preferred outcomes in Afghanistan ("The Right Way Out of Afghanistan," July/August 2012).

As the United States prepares to exit Afghanistan, it is focusing too much on security, overlooking the political elements of the transition, write two former senior U.S. officials.

With Vladimir Putin back in power in Russia, understanding him is more important than ever. Two recent books attempt to unravel the mystery, adding new insight into the Russian leader's life and rule.

European leaders feel they have a right and duty to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

On 9/11, the global jihadist movement burst into the world's consciousness, but a decade later, thanks in part to the Arab Spring and the killing of Osama bin Laden, it is in crisis.

The Afghans will indeed be ready to take over their own security by 2014, writes the former commander of the ISAF Joint Command.

Can Louis XIV's consolidation of power in seventeenth-century France guide the way for state builders in Afghanistan today?

The Bush administration's new strategy in Iraq has produced short-term gains at the expense of the long-term goal of a stable, unitary Iraq.

The White House still avoids the label, but by any reasonable historical standard, the Iraqi civil war has begun. The record of past such wars suggests that Washington cannot stop this one -- and that Iraqis will be able to reach a power-sharing deal only after much more fighting, if then. The United States can help bring about a settlement eventually by balancing Iraqi factions from afar, but there is little it can do to avert bloodshed now.

Any outcome of the Libyan war will require boots on the ground, say analysts, urging the international community to focus on helping the country rebuild civil, political, and social institutions that serve Libyan national interests.

The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraqi cities was a relatively easy benchmark to meet, analysts say. Many are unsure whether the country can withstand a complete U.S. pullout in less than two years.

Concerned that a U.S. drawdown in Iraq will leave a power vaccum, Arab Gulf countries are looking for ways to prop up their neighbor.

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

Political land mines loom beyond Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia.

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.

On the anniversary of President Bush’s surge plan for Iraq, some analysts question how lasting its progress will prove.

Kosovo is expected to declare independence within the next month. Russia says this could trigger instability in other nearby breakaway regions.

Pervez Musharraf may have stepped down as army chief but the Pakistani military remains strong and democratic prospects are cloudy.

Turkish ground raids into Iraqi Kurdistan could undermine U.S. military efforts and further fragment Iraq’s federal government.

The top U.S. officials in Iraq give sober but hopeful testimony to Congress on stabilizing Iraq, saying a large U.S. troop presence remains vital.