Steven A. Cook says the news may look grim, but the United States is poised to remain the dominant power in the Middle East.

Examining the decline of violence in Iraq at the end of 2007, Stephen Biddle, Jeffrey A. Friedman, and Jacob Shapiro argue, "A synergistic interaction between the surge and the [Sunni] Awakening was required for violence to drop as quickly and widely as it did: both were necessary; neither was sufficient."

Ed Husain calls on Muslim communities to respond constructively to the controversial film about the Prophet Mohammed that has led to protests in Egypt, Libya, and Yemen.

In the wake of the deadly attacks on U.S. diplomatic missions in Egypt and Libya, Bobby Ghosh writes that the newly-formed democratic governments which replaced long-standing dictatorships, as a result of the Arab Spring, has contributed to greater instability and a more chaotic and unstable Middle East.

Isobel Coleman says the actions of Egypt's president Mohammed Morsi may help shape the outcome of the crisis in the region.

Ed Husain argues that the U.S. should counter the anti-American narrative behind protests in Egypt and Libya by building aid and trade relationships based on mutual interests.

Israeli authorities in the West Bank have long worried about stopping Palestinian terrorism.

Violence against U.S. diplomatic missions in Libya and Egypt highlights the difficult road ahead for U.S. relations with these struggling states, says CFR's Robert Danin.

Isobel Coleman and Ed Husain discuss the details surrounding the recent attacks on U.S. diplomatic missions in Libya and Egypt and how these attacks could alter U.S. diplomacy and future assistance.

A nuclear-armed Iran would not make the Middle East more secure, argues Colin Kahl; it would yield more terrorism and pose a risk of a nuclear exchange.

Elliott Abrams says the killing of the U.S. ambassador to Libya and attack on U.S. mission in Cairo raise troubling questions about leadership of these two countries.

Robert D. Blackwill, CFR's Henry A. Kissinger senior fellow for U.S. foreign policy, discusses the issues and contingencies surrounding Iran's nuclear program.

CFR's James M. Lindsay discusses the signing of the Oslo Accords on September 13, 1993, including the secret negotiations that produced the agreement, what its terms stipulated, and how it failed to produce lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Two attacks on American diplomatic buildings in Cairo and Benghazi, Libya, illustrate the ugly bigotry of two sets of religious fundamentalists in different ends of the world.

Elliott Abrams and Ed Husain, CFR senior fellows for Middle Eastern studies, lead a conversation on the current situation in Syria and discuss challenges that lie ahead, both for the country and the international community.

The growing likelihood of a protracted civil war in Syria does not necessarily warrant Western military intervention, which could "cause more damage, chaos, and instability than not," says Assad biographer David Lesch.

Elliott Abrams says every Democratic Party platform since 1992 has cited Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state—but this year wasn't so simple.

In Newsweek, Leslie H. Gelb weaves surprising lessons on when to make war and peace from interviews with Ryan Crocker, former Ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria.

A history of targeted killings and the U.S. policy stance toward their use in military practices.

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi's visit to Iran signals a shift in his country's foreign policy away from Washington's influence, which, paradoxically, could have some positive upshots for the United States, says CFR's Steven Cook.