A year after President Hosni Mubarak's ouster from power, U.S.-Egypt relations are under threat as Cairo presses charges against U.S. nongovernmental pro-democracy workers. CFR's Steven A. Cook discusses the implications this has for U.S. aid to Egypt.

Europeans are closely watching the U.S. presidential campaign despite their ongoing economic troubles because the United States remains the number one power in the world, says German expert Josef Joffe.

The extraordinary risks posed by a nuclear-armed Iran require Washington and its partners to step up activity on economic sanctions and diplomacy, even while preparing military options, says CFR President Richard N. Haass.

A UN Security Council resolution calling for Syria's President Assad to step down faces stiff Russian opposition. Expert Andrew Tabler examines Russia's motives, Syria's internal fissures, and the prospects for ongoing violence.

The United States continues to pursue peace talks with Afghanistan's Taliban as a means to secure stability. Bruce Riedel discusses the challenges faced by the administration, including its ongoing tensions with Pakistan.

The Keystone XL pipeline debate shows the pitfalls of politics intruding on energy policy, says CFR's Michael Levi. He reviews the pros and cons of the issue and proposes additional steps to bolster U.S. energy security.

This week's meeting between U.S., South Korean, and Japanese officials signaled an opening for North Korea to rejoin the suspended talks on its nuclear program. CFR's Scott Snyder discusses the talks and says it's unlikely the dialogue will resume soon.

Syria's regime appears increasingly isolated and erratic in response to civil unrest, posing a challenge to the Arab League to prevent a spread of conflict, says CFR's Robert M. Danin.

With Islamists apparently gaining the most seats in Egypt's parliament, CFR's Steven Cook spells out challenges in the transition process, including the writing of a new constitution.

Iran's threat to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz is intended to signal its deterrent capacity to the United States and bolster leadership at home amid biting economic sanctions, says expert Michael Elleman.

Looking ahead to the Iowa caucuses and upcoming primaries in January, CFR's James Lindsay says Republican candidates are taking aim at President Obama's foreign policies, yet it's unclear what they would do differently.

As the last U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq this month, an emerging political battle among the country's top leaders has raised concerns over its stability. It underscores the difficult road ahead for the fragile democracy and potential for greater violence, says CFR's Ned Parker.

Arab states in the throes of political change must embrace economic policies that combat cronyism, spur private sector growth, and ensure safeguards for the poor, says the World Bank's Manuela Ferro.

The increasing resort to violence signals the likely fall of Syria's Bashar al-Assad and could trigger shifts in the regional balance of power away from Iran, says former senior U.S. Mideast adviser Dennis Ross.

Will Kim Jong-il's twenty-seven-year-old son assume power in a smooth transition or is a destabilizing succession struggle ahead for reclusive North Korea? CFR's Scott Snyder says the next few weeks will provide crucial signals.

Attacks on Shia Muslims in Afghanistan claimed by a Pakistani militant group are a disturbing omen -- for sectarian ties and the prospects for a peace deal with insurgents, says counterterrorism expert Brian Fishman.

The mass protests in Russia challenging the parliamentary vote reflect increasing hostility to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and have the potential to change Russian politics in a fundamental way, says CFR's Stephen Sestanovich.

With the upheavals in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia must grapple with a changing political landscape, including Salafis participating in elections, says F. Gregory Gause. At the same time, he says the country remains vested in curbing Iranian influence in Arab affairs.

An agreement by EU leaders to create a new fiscal union signals a political commitment to the future of the euro. Economist Iain Begg explains why it will not immediately solve the eurozone sovereign debt crisis.

The eurozone and Saudi Arabia are elevated threats in 2012 under CFR's new Preventive Priorities Survey, while Afghanistan and Sudan are reduced. CFR's Micah Zenko discusses.