President Obama's trip to Brazil hit many new and positive notes, signaling the great potential for boosting ties between the region's two largest economies and democracies, writes CFR's Julia Sweig.

With the United States now militarily engaged in Libya and U.S. allies seemingly at odds over goals, it is imperative that President Obama more clearly define the nation's objectives and the means to achieve them, says CFR's Robert Danin.

U.S. supporters of a UN resolution aimed at protecting Libyan rebels should understand an entangling military commitment may now be underway, argues CFR's Ray Takeyh.

The Saudi intervention to help quell a Shia-dominated uprising in neighboring Bahrain is misguided and the kingdom should instead focus on guiding the way to political modernization, writes CFR's Ray Takeyh.

U.S. nuclear power faces renewed scrutiny amid Japan's crisis, but it is far too early to gauge the damage suffered by Japan's industry and the effect on U.S. atomic energy's future, says CFR's Michael Levi.

Japan's most powerful earthquake and the accompanying tsunami will sorely test its weak government and have a devastating impact on its struggling economy, says CFR's Sheila Smith.

The military leadership now running Egypt emerged from two weeks of anti-government protests with its reputation intact, but it has yet to prove commitment to the reforms demanded by the public, writes CFR's Steven Cook.

The latest inter-Korean talks were shadowed by North Korea's failure to apologize for the Cheonan sinking and Yeonpyeong Island shelling. This raises questions about renewed diplomacy on the North's nuclear program, says CFR's Scott Snyder.

Protests in Jordan have led to the fall of the government, but its monarchy is secure and should not be seen as another Arab regime ready to topple, says CFR's Robert Danin.

As nuclear talks between Iran and major powers resume, the moment is ripe for a U.S.-led diplomatic offensive, backed by economic incentives, to persuade Iran to abandon its uranium enrichment program, says CFR's Matthew Fuhrmann.

Military and popular support for Tunisian President Ben Ali's departure from power could mean pressure on new leadership for reform, and could also lead to modest concessions to reform in Egypt and elsewhere, says CFR's Steven Cook.

The Sudan referendum now underway will likely result in the south's independence, but unresolved disputes and population shifts require the Obama administration's continued intense diplomatic and humanitarian engagement, says CFR's John Campbell.

Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's return to Iraq after self-imposed exile in Iran bolsters voices that want all U.S. troops out by the end of 2011 and marks the transition of his group from a militia to a powerful political force, says CFR's Mohamad Bazzi.

The new Congress, featuring a GOP-controlled House and a Democratic-led Senate, is likely to be dominated by partisan squabbles over debts and deficits, sidelining foreign policy, says CFR's James Lindsay.

Support of the U.S. national security establishment was crucial in gaining Senate ratification of New START, but follow-on arms control agreements with Russia face a tough road, says CFR's Stephen Sestanovich.

South Korea's exercises on Yeonpyeong are a response to last month's North Korean attack and growing public anger, says CFR's Scott Snyder, who urges greater China-U.S. cooperation on the Korean peninsula and strengthening South Korean defenses.

Japan's new national defense policy makes only modest changes to its overall capabilities but signals new concerns about threats from China, says CFR's Sheila Smith.

The Afghan strategy review stresses destroying Taliban havens in Pakistan's tribal areas, but Pakistan isn't likely to take an aggressive stand without certainty that the U.S. is committed to both Afghan stability and eliminating extremists, says CFR's Daniel Markey.

The UN climate meeting in Cancun took modest but important steps on a wide range of challenges. But the road ahead is still rocky, writes CFR's Michael Levi.

Empty chairs at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony for China's Liu Xiaobo and a top UN diplomat demonstrate China's power and influence, along with its vulnerability on human rights issues, says CFR's Mark Lagon.