Basra, the second largest and richest city in Iraq, is at the brink of a major economic and political meltdown. It may become the greatest threat to the future of post-Baathist Iraq.

As Colombia’s paramilitary scandal deepens, Congress balks at passing a free trade agreement and questions one of the closest U.S. alliances in Latin America.

At a conference in Egypt on Iraqi security, American officials met briefly with both Iranian and Syrian diplomats, indicating a shift in U.S. foreign policy in the region.

Juan Cole, an expert on Iran, says Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei used the capture of British military personnel “to whip up Iranian nationalistic sentiments” to garner support for his regime.

The release of British detainees prompts debate over the direction of Iranian foreign policy and future negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.

Recent Mideast diplomacy has produced no breakthrough, but a new offer from Israel—an Arab-Israeli peace conference in Jerusalem—has injected some light into the picture.

David Makovsky, an expert on Middle East diplomacy, says Israel’s Prime Minister reacted positively to the recent Riyadh Arab League declaration and is interested in negotiating with Saudi Arabia.

Irish Prime Minister, Bertie Ahern, addresses Council members as the 2007 Russell C. Leffingwell Lecturer.

After years of holding "pariahs" at arm's length, in the last month the Bush administration has relented and opened new channels to Iran, North Korea, and Syria.

The interfaith peace movement in the Middle East has foundered recently. This briefing from the United States Institute of Peace asks whether there is still reason for hope that interfaith dialogue can produce beneficial results.

Former ambassador Martin S. Indyk says Secretary Rice’s decision to mediate between the Israelis and Palestinians marks a major change in the Bush administration’s approach to the Middle East.

Geoffrey Aronson, who participated in two years of intermittent talks between unofficial Israeli and Syrian representatives, said contacts continue even though they have not sat down together since last summer. Aronson says talks led to a “non-paper” and unofficial accord by which Israel would return the Golan Heights to Syria and in return get access to water in the region.

The ICG agrees with the assessment of Iraq as given in the Baker-Hamilton report but recommends even more radical changes in U.S. policy toward the region.

Excerpts from a speech made by the Israeli writer David Grossman in Tel Aviv on the 11th anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

Gerry Adams, President of Sinn Fein, speaks to Council members on the future of the Northern Ireland peace process.

Listen to Gerry Adams, president of Sinn Fein, discuss the future of the Northern Ireland peace process.

Watch Gerry Adams, president of Sinn Fein, discuss the future of the Northern Ireland peace process.

To understand the drivers of conflict and the keys to sustainable peace in eastern Sudan, the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), in partnership with the Nairobi Peace Initiative Africa, hosted a discussion workshop in Nairobi in August 2006. This briefing summarizes the main discussions and the background to the conflict.