Expert Rashid Khalidi says it is crucial for Palestinian rivals Hamas and Fatah to reconcile to effectively negotiate a two-state solution with Israel or face a troubling status quo.  

Haider al-Abadi has unified the country’s Shias, but may struggle to keep their support as he forms a new government and attempts to redress Sunni grievances, says expert Mohamad Bazzi.

The Boston Marathon bombings illustrate the stresses on domestic intelligence gathering and counterterrorism in a democratic system, says CFR’s Richard Falkenrath.

President Obama says "systemic failures" contributed to the Christmas Day airliner plot, but CFR’s Steven Simon says given the huge volume of intelligence analyzed daily, reforms won’t come easily.