The UN Security Council will maintain pressure on Iran to cease its uranium enrichment program if it moves forward with sanctions, but that won't likely change Tehran's course, writes CFR's Richard N. Haass.

Daniel Schäfer asks whether mid-range family owned businesses and industries in Germany that have an interest in trading with Iran undermine western efforts to isolate the Islamic Republic.

This report from the International Crisis Group provides an overview of the existing humanitarian crisis in North Korea and how tightening sanctions and domestic problems have deepened the DPRK human security tragedy.

This CRS paper argues that while the West has little leverage over North Korea, China and Russia can exert pressure on the country due to their extensive trade relationships with Pyongyang.

Analyst Joseph S. Nye Jr. says the Obama administration's emphasis on multilateralism raises the prospects for dealing with Iran effectively on its nuclear program but expects no diplomatic breakthroughs in the short term.

Kara McDonald argues, "one of the strongest multilateral sanctions architectures ever created already exists to pressure North Korea; it just needs to be enforced."

Stephan Haggard and Marcus Noland write that sanctions alone are not enough to force North Korea to relinquish its nuclear weapons, but that the United States and other countries can make an impact if they pursue North Korea's international financial intermediaries, such as China.

Financial sanctions have become a key tool of U.S. foreign policy. Measures taken against Iran and North Korea make clear that this new financial statecraft can be effective, but true success will require persuading global banks to accept a shared sense of risk.

President-elect Barack Obama has expressed willingness to have direct talks with Cuba, the latest step in what experts still view as a long road toward normalizing U.S.-Cuban relations.

Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Russian Federation, discusses Russian geoeconomic relations in a CFR meeting.

Fidel Castro—thorn in the side of the U.S. government, icon for many of the impoverished of Latin America—has resigned, leaving Cuba’s immediate fate in the hands of his brother Raul.

Rachel Loeffler writes that "financial sanctions, not appeasement or confrontation, are taking a toll. Now is the time to ratchet up the pressure."

Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran political analyst, says the sanctions imposed by Washington on Iran this week are unlikely to have much of a financial impact on Tehran.