Reza Aslan discusses the connection between women's empowerment and economics, as part of the Council on Foreign Relations' roundtable series on religion and the Middle East.

This meeting was cosponsored by the Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initative.

Secretary of State John Kerry is launching new Mideast shuttle diplomacy, but President Obama's commitment to brokering an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement remains to be seen, says expert Martin Indyk.

In the wake of President Obama's brokered telephone apology between Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan, Charles Kupchan argues for new foundations to an Israeli-Turkish partnership.

Ray Takeyh warns that the West is falling into a diplomacy trap set by Iranian clerics regarding the nuclear Non-Prolifieration Treaty (NPT).

Elliott Abrams forecasts "trouble ahead" in Europe, once its passport-holding jihadis return home from fighting in Syria.

At the start of the Persian New Year, leaders in Iran are faced with a host of difficult political challenges, both foreign and domestic, says expert Karim Sadjadpour.

The Arab League met in Doha, Qatar for their twenty-fourth summit and released its statement on March 27, 2013, which was read by Deputy Arab-League Secretary-General Ahmed Bin Helli.

The success of a UN investigation into an alleged chemical weapons attack in Aleppo province last week will depend on a number of factors and could prove inconclusive, says CFR's Gregory Koblentz.

Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Baghdad to meet with Iraqi leaders on March 24, 2013, after traveling with President Barack Obama on his Middle East trip.

Leslie H. Gelb contrasts the warm relationship between President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu in Israel this week with political and diplomatic realities.

Elliott Abrams analyzes President Obama's news conference in Ramallah.

Elliott Abrams analyzes President Obama's speech in Jerusalem.

Isobel Coleman writes that while it is widely recognized that food and fuel subsidies in Egypt are expensive and inefficient, Egyptian leaders do not want to touch the political third rail of subsidy reform. But they also realize that the country's fiscal situation is untenable without it. Sooner or later, serious subsidy reform is inevitable, and a well-planned process is preferable to the alternative.

President Barack Obama gave these remarks to Israeli university students at the Jerusalem Convention Center on March 21, 2013.

President Obama and Palestinian Authority President Abbas held this press conference on March 21, 2013.

Leslie H. Gelb reflects on the tenth anniversary of U.S. involvement in Iraq in the context of the continuing conflict in Syria.

President Barack Obama and Israeli President Shimon Peres gave these remarks after their meeting on March 20, 2013, during President Obama's first trip to Israel as president.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei gave his annual message on the occasion of the Persian New Year, or Norouz, on March 20, 2013. He calls this "The Year of Political and Economic Valor" and encourages Iranians to buy products made in Iran because of current economic sanctions.

President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu held this press conference on March 20, 2013 during Obama's first trip to Israel as President. They discussed U.S. security and monetary support to Israel, the Israel-Palestine conflict, and regional security.

Israel's new coalition government is widely divided on prospects for peace with the Palestinians, but the coalition is likely to last longer than many expect, says CFR's Robert M. Danin.