The fast-emerging split between Turkey and Iran has revived a centuries-old rivalry between the Ottomans and the Persians.

Iran's power struggles are adding to the political problems of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but it remains unclear who will emerge most powerful among the feuding conservative factions, says expert Farideh Farhi.

Robert F. Worth questions what the absence of intellectual figures means for Arab Spring revolutions being led by the masses.

Joshua Kurlantzick discusses the unexpected series of reforms that has taken place in Burma since President Thein Sein took office.

Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya have embarked on widely different political transitions. But in each case, economic tools are the best way for the United States to support their democratic development, says expert Michele Dunne.

Spared thus far from the Arab Spring, Mahan Abedin suggests the House of Saud begin the process of reform before citizens start to clamor for more political and social rights.

The Carnegie Endowment's Christopher Boucek discusses the developing situation in Yemen and what strategies the U.S. might pursue to most successfully reduce violence in the country.

Paul Kennedy argues that the world is in the process of major historical transitions that will mark the end of an era.

Mohamad Bazzi says that unfortunately for him and for Libya, Muammar al-Qaddafi betrayed his own revolution, just as the other Arab strongmen of his generation had. His death marks the end of the rule of these old-style nationalist leaders.

Isobel Coleman argues that a stable, prosperous Libya undergoing a process of democratization will enhance the chance of successful transitions in neighboring countries such as Tunisia and Egypt.

While Qaddafi's death is a victory for Libya's interim government and its international backers, analysts caution that the country's new leaders will have to resolve factional disputes and establish a functioning civil society ahead of democratic elections.

Tunisians triggered the first of the Arab world upheavals, but can they sustain support for democratic changes? CFR's Victoria Taylor says the elections for a constitutional assembly will test Tunisia's political maturity.

Ed Husain argues that while the death of Muammar al-Qaddafi lifts the morale of the besieged protestors in countries like Syria and Yemen, it also offers clues to the real risks of chaos and extremism that can spread in the region.

Ray Takeyh says that the reaction of Iran's opposition and its establishment figures to Washington's recent accusations that Tehran was involved in an assassination plot on U.S. soil suggests a more tenuous relationship between the Islamist regime and Iranian nationalism than generally thought.

This meeting was part of the Women and Foreign Policy Roundtable Series, which was organized by CFR's Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Program.

Ed Husain says political, social, and economic expectations in Egypt are running exceptionally high at the moment, but even with parliamentary elections starting next month, there is a dearth of good presidential candidates.

Theo Padnos explains how the Assad regime exacerbated the Alawi-Sunni rivalry, bringing the country to the brink of today's sectarian war.

The upheaval in Arab states presents opportunities and pitfalls for Iran in the Mideast. The best way for Washington to counter a possible Iranian rise, say some experts, is to cultivate relationships with Arab publics.

Anthony Shadid and David Kirkpatrick argue that debates between Arab Islamists will shape the future of post-Arab Spring political orders.

The country's president, Ali Abdallah Saleh, has returned, and already he's brutalizing demonstrators.  Bruce Riedel writes that the power grab is about to lead to full-scale civil war.