Though Bahrain’s crown prince is in the United States to restore frayed relations, the government is pressing its campaign against the protest movement, despite its ending of martial law and a call f…

Scott Lasensky, who specializes in Syria and other Middle Eastern areas for the U.S. Institute of Peace, says Syria has mounted a major crackdown to try to silence the growing number of intellectuals…

A UN Security Council resolution calling for Syria’s President Assad to step down faces stiff Russian opposition. Expert Andrew Tabler examines Russia’s motives, Syria’s internal fissures, and the pr…

The Obama administration’s proposed defense budget fails to align spending with calls to rebuild the military to handle irregular warfare, says expert Todd Harrison. He also cites an inability to get…

Sanctions may slow Iran’s nuclear drive but won’t halt it, says Iran expert Karim Sadjadpour, who calls for shifting to a containment policy that helps "expedite political transformation."