With the U.S. ending its push for Israeli settlement freeze as a precondition for Israel-Palestinian talks, the Obama administration should now focus on managing expectations as much as conflict resolution, says CFR's Robert Danin.

Yesterday's high-level meeting involving Japan, South Korea, and the United States demonstrated that tolerance for Chinese support for North Korea has reached its limit, says CFR's Sheila Smith.

The unauthorized release of a trove of U.S. diplomatic documents, while revealing little new, could harm vital U.S. national security interests in Pakistan and Yemen, writes CFR President Richard N. Haass.

Egypt's parliamentary elections played out in a predictable, marred pattern and may presage a time of instability, writes CFR's Steven Cook.

The NATO summit in Lisbon ended with a new Strategic Concept, greater cooperation with Russia, and an agreement on Afghanistan, but these successes will be impacted by domestic politics and economic constraints among all the NATO members, says CFR's Charles Kupchan.

Reports of a newly operational nuclear enrichment facility in North Korea highlight the regime's defiance of U.S. policy and UN sanctions as well as China's increasing closeness with North Korea, says CFR's Scott Snyder.

The G20 summit in Seoul showed growing member disagreement on issues from exchange rate policies to global imbalances and increasingly less confidence in U.S. global economic leadership, says CFR's Stewart Patrick.

The Obama administration should follow its endorsement of India's bid for UN Security Council membership by initiating a plan for Council expansion based on clear criteria for permanent membership, writes CFR's Stewart Patrick.

The Federal Reserve's move to inject an added $600 billion into the banking system is bad policy, straining the international monetary order and U.S. credibility abroad, writes CFR's Sebastian Mallaby.

The electoral tide that brought Republicans into control of the U.S. House could frustrate the Obama administration's efforts on arms control and potentially encourage them on trade, says CFR's James Lindsay.

The election of Dilma Rousseff as president assures stability on domestic policies that have propelled Brazil in the Lula years, but China and the United States loom as foreign policy challenges, says CFR's Julia Sweig.

Hezbollah is reliant on Iran but is hardly its proxy, argues CFR's Mohamad Bazzi, who says the group's power feeds on the weakness of Lebanon's government.

China is irate about the Nobel Peace Prize given to jailed dissident Liu Xiaobo, but it should instead view it as an opportunity to move forward on political reform, says CFR's Elizabeth Economy.

A snag in the civilian trial of Guantanamo detainee Ahmed Ghalani could be a setback for Obama administration efforts to close Guantanamo.

Despite charges by Ecuador's president of a coup, the country is undergoing a serious police protest that got unwieldy, and Washington would be wise to steer clear of the dispute, says CFR's Joel Hirst.

Yesterday's National Assembly elections in Venezuela curtailed President Chávez's powers and opened the door to greater cooperation with the United States, says CFR's Joel Hirst.

Unless more investment is forthcoming, the MDG goals promoting gender equality and reducing maternal mortality may remain unmet, says CFR'S Gayle Tzemach Lemmon.

President Obama's UN General Assembly speech exhorted delegates to support human rights, democratic reforms, and the Mideast peace process. He will likely see a sluggish response, writes CFR's James Lindsay.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Geithner signaled the administration's frustration with China's exchange rate policy, while stopping short of endorsing congressional action. But unless China acts soon, the U.S. may have no other choice than to apply sanctions, writes CFR's Steven Dunaway.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan's reelection as head of Japan's ruling Democratic Party means some long-needed continuity in Japanese government, but the party needs to demonstrate its effectiveness, says CFR's Sheila Smith.