Ed Husain says "Osama bin Laden is dead, al Qaeda is not."

John Campbell argues that the elections in Nigeria reveal the need for the United States and its allies to reach out to Nigeria's North.

This session was part of the Democracy, Civil Society, and Countering Radicalism Roundtable, organized by CFR's Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initiative.

Bill Spindle and Margaret Coker explore the historical divides between Iraq and Saudi Arabia and demonstrate how recent uprisings in the region have heightened tensions between the two countries.

Ed Husain says the United States cannot ignore the Muslim Brotherhood as part of Egypt's future.

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon says that at the moment in Afghanistan, those who traffic in destruction are winning.

Ed Husain says extremists won't let democracy win that easily in Egypt.

Thomas Fuller discusses what role Islam will play in the new political landscape of Tunisia.

More than five years after Danish artist Kurt Westergaard published controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, lives continue to be lost. Malise Ruthven of the New York Review of Books investigates why.

Ray Takeyh says that what is unfolding in Arab streets is not an assertion of religious reaction but a yearning for democracy with all its burdens and rewards.

Ray Takeyh says President Ahmadinejad is beginning to attempt to consolidate his power in Iran.

Mohamad Bazzi says the people of Lebanon are once again staring into a political abyss.

The killing of Punjab's governor, Salman Taseer, was symptomatic of widespread religious intolerance and fanaticism in Pakistan, says CFR’s Ed Husain.

Jendayi Frazer and Nicolas Berggruen discuss Africa's crisis of governance and argues, "For fundamental reform, Ivory Coast should take a cue from China, not just the West."

Mohamad Bazzi says last year's unrest and violent crackdown in Iran were actually battles in a larger war that has been raging for centuries within Shiism: a struggle over who should rule the faithful, and how.

Ray Takeyh asks, "Just how stable is Iran's clerical regime?"

Mohamad Bazzi says that as Nouri al-Maliki has finally cobbled together Iraq's new government, the bitter compromises and power-sharing deals are likely to unleash a sectarian clash between Shias, the minority Sunnis, and Kurds.

The Economist reports that the Communist Party in China is tightening its control of the Catholic church.

CFR Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies John Campbell discusses the relations between Muslims and Christians in Nigeria. Campbell emphasizes that where religious divisions correspond to ethnic and economic differences, conflict often acquire a religious coloration.

Experts say Islamic law, or sharia, holds wide appeal for Muslim populations in many countries and is beginning to spread via democratic means, but it is also being used as a tool of Islamic militancy and extremism.