Major democracies have an obligation to assist local civil society in countries where popular demands for reform have not been met, says expert Mark P. Lagon.

Elliott Abrams, former chief Middle East adviser on the National Security Council, says the Obama administration’s move to send diplomats to Damascus for talks marks "a real policy change" but he is …

Steven A. Cook, CFR’s leading Middle East expert, says the latest attacks by Israel against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip were "not surprising" given the renewed rocket attacks on southern Israel f…

Just days away from parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is widely expected to form a new government in coming weeks, but what that coalition will look like is still unclear, sa…

David Makovsky, an expert on Israeli politics, says there is concern a forced resignation of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert could unravel his efforts on Palestinian peace.