While a nuclear-armed Iran presents "a terrible outcome strategically," a U.S. or Israeli military attack carries unforeseeable risks, says CFR President Richard Haass.

Unnoticed by the West, al-Qaeda is seizing a golden opportunity in Syria, says Ed Husain.

Isobel Coleman argues that the rise of Islamist groups in North Africa may threaten women's rights, but women's participation in the economy and in political movements has set them down a path that will be difficult to reverse.

Ray Takeyh argues that, even two decades after his death, the legacy of Aya­tollah Ruhollah Khomeini still permeates policymaking in Iran—and often in ways Western observers are unable to understand.

In an op-ed in the Weekly Standard, Elliott Abrams presents the argument for why President Obama should seek an Authorization for the Use of Military Force from Congress to be used against Iran.

With debate raging about how to quell the Syrian crisis, Mideast expert Edward P. Djerejian says the U.S. role in the region, which is experiencing "tectonic" shifts, should focus on influencing positive change without trying to direct events.

President Morsi's reshuffling of top military ranks rebalances political power toward the civilian regime but may unsettle minorities who had hoped the military would check the power of the Muslim Brotherhood, says CFR's Steven Cook.

Mohamad Bazzi reviews "Heaven on Earth," by Sadaket Kadri, which describes the historic debates around Islamic law. Bazzi asks how the Islamic parties in Tunisia and Egypt will shape the evolution of Sharia in the future.

The history of civil wars — and of efforts to stop them — demonstrates what is likely to work and what is likely to fail.

In this Contingency Planning Memorandum, Douglas Ollivant argues that the United States has a significant stake in helping Iraq overcome major threats to its stability—namely, the prospect of renewed ethno-sectarian violence or a breakdown of constitutional order.

Listen to CFR senior fellows Robert Danin and Ed Husain as they discuss the crisis in Syria, the international community's response, and the jihadist threat.

John O. Brennan discusses U.S. policy toward Yemen, the status of Yemen's political transition and economic recovery program, as well as the humanitarian and security situation throughout the country.

Ed Husain says different factions in Syria must work together to prevent all-out civil war, while other countries supporting these factions should be wary of the power they yield.

Steven A. Cook says Egypt's new president, Mohamed Morsy, is outsmarting the generals, looking to be "much more than the weak transitional figure the SCAF has sought to make him."

Robert Danin, Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies and Edward Husain, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, discuss the crisis in Syria, the threat of jihad, and the international community's response to the situation with CFR.org's Toni Johnson.

Elliott Abrams examines the recent upswing of anti-Jewish and anti-Israel activity in Scandinavia.

Al-Qaeda may become the Free Syrian Army's most potent weapon against the Assad regime, but its collaboration with rebel forces poses serious risks for the country's future, says CFR's Ed Husain.

Leslie H. Gelb says Kofi Annan's mission in Damascus was doomed from the start. Obama should not try to fill the void—but rather leave that mostly to Syria's neighbors.

In his latest exclusive dispatch from Deir el-Zour province, Ghaith Abdul-Ahad meets fighters who have left the Free Syrian Army for the discipline and ideology of global jihad.