Khalil Shikaki, a leading Palestinian political scientist in the West Bank, says the fall of the Gaza-Egypt barrier has boosted the popularity of Hamas.

Mohamad Bazzi writes that Bush’s visit to the Middle East last week produced nothing to signal any hope of peace and democracy.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit speaks about the stability and foreign policy of the region,

Watch Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Egyptian minister of foreign affairs, discuss the potential outcomes of the proposed Middle East peace conference and prospects for peace in the region as a whole.

Listen to Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Egyptian minister of foreign affairs, discuss the potential outcomes of the proposed Middle East peace conference and prospects for peace in the region as a whole.

Ruling But Not Governing provides valuable insight into the political dynamics that perpetuate authoritarian regimes and offers novel ways to promote democratic change. In this new CFR book, author and Council Douglas Dillon Fellow Steven A. Cook highlights the critical role that the military plays in the stability of the Egyptian, Algerian, and, until recently, Turkish political systems.

Steven Cook discusses his new book, Ruling But Not Governing: The Military and Political Development in Egypt, Algeria, and Turkey and how it applies to current developments in the region.

Several high-profile cases show bloggers’ new political influence, but repressive regimes are fighting back.

A critical examination of how the legacies of military control in Egypt, Algeria, and Turkey affect political development in these countries, highlighting the often-overlooked difficulties of promoting democratic change in military-dominated political systems.

Congressional Research Service report that provides information about the current perspectives and policies of Iraq’s neighbors; analyzes potential regional responses to continued insurgency, wider sectarian or ethnic violence, and long-term stabilization; discusses shared concerns and U.S. long-term regional interests; and reviews U.S. policy options for responding to various contingencies.

Amr Hamzawy and Dina Bishara have released a Carnegie Endowment paper looking at the success of Islamist movements in Jordan and Egypt as a result of the 2006 Lebanon War.

Text of the statement before the House International Relations Committee, Subcommittee on the Middle East and Central Asia by Jon B. Alterman (Director, Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies) arguing that US aid to Egypt remains a valuable part of US policy in the Middle East despite dissatisfaction on both sides.

On bloggingheads.tv, Steven Cook and Slate's Eric Umansky discuss Arab-Israeli Conflict, Egypt, and democratization in the Middle East.

In their Op-Ed piece, Danielle Pletka and Michael Rubin comment on the inconsistency between Bush's declaration to promote democracy through foreign policy rhetoric and at the same time condoning the repression of competitive elections in Egypt, abandoning imprisoned Chinese dissidents, and mulling a peace treaty with Stalinist North Korea. Bush abandons his pledge to support democracy.