What is behind Iran’s latest seizures of expatriates visiting from the United States? An insecure regime fearful of close ties with the West.

China is unlikely to exert more pressure on North Korea, so Washington should redirect its own role in brokering inter-Korean peace and engaging Pyongyang, says CFR’s Nicole E. Lewis.

President Obama’s weeklong visit to three African countries should reinforce trade and political ties and address some sentiments that the continent has been overlooked by the White House, writes CFR…

President Park Geun-hye’s scandal has intensified the need for constitutional revisions that would enable South Korea to better manage leadership crises, writes CFR’s Scott Snyder.

The country Nelson Mandela leaves behind remains racially divided with deep economic problems. But South Africa has also emerged as a robust democracy, writes CFR’s John Campbell.