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.

A group of military officers staged a coup in the oil-rich western African nation of Mauritania August 3, deposing President Maaoya Sid’Ahmed Ould Taya and declaring they will hold power for two year…

Egypt’s next president is likely to be a member of the Muslim Brotherhood or a Mubarak-era figure. Either way, U.S. ties are likely to cool, says CFR’s Steven A. Cook.

The Taliban believes it will have the upper hand in potential negotiations with the Afghan government and its partner in Washington, but it remains unclear what the insurgent group’s goals are in any…

The death of an Argentine prosecutor reveals deeper problems in the country’s political system, says expert Sergio Berensztein.