Palestinians are committed to a two-state solution despite losing a UN membership bid, says Mideast expert Daniel Levy, but moving forward requires addressing Israeli political entrenchment and a lack of Palestinian unity.

A multilateral free trade deal, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, dominated President Obama's agenda at the APEC summit in Hawaii. This is part of a U.S. effort to increase economic cooperation with Asia to boost exports and create jobs, says expert Simon Tay.

Russia's accession to the WTO can boost U.S. exports to the country, but the U.S. Congress will have to graduate Russia from Cold War-era trade legislation, says CFR's Stephen Sestanovich.

The UN nuclear agency's latest report contains no "gotcha" disclosures about Iran's nuclear capability but creates a clear impression of a weapons program in the works, says expert Mark Hibbs.

The ongoing eurozone sovereign-debt crisis dominated the G20 summit in Cannes, but there is little the United States and other G20 nations can do to influence EU policymakers, says CFR's Steven Dunaway.

Following full UNESCO membership, Palestinians have increased efforts for statehood recognition, but the United States is continuing its push to bring them back to the negotiating table for direct talks, says CFR Mideast expert Robert Danin.

Iran's power struggles are adding to the political problems of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but it remains unclear who will emerge most powerful among the feuding conservative factions, says expert Farideh Farhi.

A growing population will add pressures to the world and the environment, and there must be greater focus on women's education and reproductive health, says demographic expert John Bongaarts.

Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya have embarked on widely different political transitions. But in each case, economic tools are the best way for the United States to support their democratic development, says expert Michele Dunne.

In a region buffeted by change, Turkey is developing into a Middle East model and leader. Cooperation on Kurdish separatists and on a NATO radar base signal warming ties with the Obama administration, says CFR's Steven A. Cook.

The fate of the EU is in doubt as a crucial summit prepares to address the economic crisis. CFR's Charles Kupchan says the union will likely survive and could even grow stronger by creating more capable institutions to oversee the euro.

The prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas could indicate a shift in Hamas' willingness to deal with Israel, but the release of convicted terrorists could also mean renewed violence, says former U.S. ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk.

The sentencing of former Ukraine prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko reflects her rivalry with President Viktor Yanukovych and could affect Ukraine's eurozone bid, says New York Times Moscow bureau chief Ellen Barry.

It seems unlikely that the plot to kill a Saudi ambassador involved the highest levels of Iran's government, says expert Kenneth Katzman, including the plan to use non-Muslim proxies to carry it out.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's visit to Washington is likely to see passage of the Free Trade Agreement and coordination on strategies for pushing North Korea toward denuclearization, says CFR's Scott Snyder.

As Greece inches closer to defaulting on its pile of sovereign debt, European leaders must move quickly to recapitalize the continent's exposed banking sector, says EU economics expert Jacob Funk Kirkegaard.

The potential return of Vladimir Putin to Russia's presidency is viewed by many in the country as "a step backwards," says CFR's Stephen Sestanovich, and could reignite a more acerbic tone with Washington.

The United States has effectively issued an ultimatum to Islamabad implying greater unilateral action against Pakistan-based extremist groups, but Washington must be prepared to act on it, says CFR's Daniel Markey.

President Obama committed himself to Mideast peacemaking from the outset, but success on the Israeli-Palestinian front has eluded him. By contrast, says Middle East expert Edward P. Djerejian, the administration has responded well to the Arab upheavals this year.

The U.S. needs to revitalize trade policy and spur foreign investment in this country--timely ingredients for a job-creating economic resurgence, says former senator Thomas Daschle, co-chair of a new CFR independent task force on trade and investment.