Pakistan’s interest in the Afghan presidential elections lies in an outcome yielding a legitimate government that brings stability to Afghanistan, says CFR’s Dan Markey.

Elizabeth Rubin, a journalist who has reported extensively on Afghanistan, says beyond the presidential elections, U.S. officials must become more closely involved in improving Afghan governance or f…

The battle for Kunduz highlights the military and political challenges facing Afghanistan and the narrowly defined U.S. mission there, says CFR’s Stephen Biddle.

Regardless of the outcome of the presidential runoff elections, the Egyptian military is seeking to assert control to protect its privileges, says CFR’s Steven A. Cook.

Vali R. Nasr, a leading expert on Shiites, says the fighting in southern Iraq amounts to a power struggle between pro and anti-U.S. Shiite militias. The country’s Shiite prime minister, he says, is “…