Johnnie Carson, the top State department official on Africa, says new policy on Sudan stresses the need for progress on Darfur, the North-South peace agreement and anti-terror efforts.

John Prendergast explains why increased U.S. leadership is needed for an independence referendum in southern Sudan to succeed.

Operation Lightning Thunder did not end the threat of the Lord's Resistance Army, or LRA, and it sparked harsh reprisals by the LRA against civilians in Congo. Yet, it would be an even greater tragedy for civilians if key states in the region and the international community lost their collective will to end the threat of the LRA once and for all. What is needed now is a second Ugandan-led operation against the LRA. This new operation must place civilian protection front and center.

Watch Kadima Party Chair Tzipi Livni express her views on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and policy toward Iran.

Listen to Kadima Party Chair Tzipi Livni, express her views on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and policy toward Iran.

Daniel C. Kurtzer, a former ambassador to Israel and Egypt, says the negotiating atmosphere in the Middle East is looking "pretty dreary," but that he sees signs of hope in the Obama administration's efforts to advance progress.

Daniel C. Kurtzer, a former top U.S. diplomat in the Mideast and a recent adviser to Barack Obama, says divisions in the Israeli electorate will paralyze the political process and could lead to an extended "hiatus" in peace-making.

Two Africa experts urge the incoming Obama administration to focus on resolving Africa's disastrous conflicts, and finding a way to sustain development on the continent.

U.S. efforts to negotiate a long-term security agreement with Iraq are dividing Iraqi political parties and raising questions about the future of U.S. operations.

diyaCFR military expert Stephen Biddle sees improvements in Iraqi security forces but worries about an erosion in stability if the U.S. military presence is sharply reduced.

David Makovsky, an expert on Israeli politics, says there is concern a forced resignation of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert could unravel his efforts on Palestinian peace.

Michael Moran writes that the parties to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could learn from the success of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.