CFR’s James M. Lindsay summarizes President Obama’s first year as "great expectations running smack into daunting realities," including the Afghan war, China’s rise, and Iran’s nuclear program.

Israelis and Palestinians are watching nervously to see how the tumult in the region shakes out, but with both sides using more advanced weapons technology and the peace process in the doldrums, the …

Thomas J. Miller, a veteran U.S. diplomat, says President Barack Obama should highlight the value of multilateral diplomacy and the tension between north and south Sudan in his UN General Assembly sp…

Daniel C. Kurtzer, a former ambassador to Israel and Egypt, says the negotiating atmosphere in the Middle East is looking "pretty dreary," but that he sees signs of hope in the Obama administration’s…

President Obama should make a trip to the region soon to signal a renewed commitment to helping resolve the conflict between Palestine and Israel, says CFR’s Robert Danin.