As Israel’s governing coalition collapses, Syria unravels and a deal to halt Iran’s nuclear program remains elusive. CFR’s Elliott Abrams discusses the mood in Israel.

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 …

As the United States plans to spur Mideast peace efforts, CFR expert Elliott Abrams says progress in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will come through development and building a legal system in the …

The Egyptian and Libyan publics are the two most likely to be inspired by the ouster of Tunisia’s Ben Ali, and the United States should be pressing Egypt especially to open up politics and allow for …

Steven A. Cook, CFR’s Douglas Dillon fellow and an expert on the Middle East, says a sense of normalcy pervades Beirut despite the continuing political standoff.

Elliott Schrage, Facebook’s vice president of global communications, outlines a strategy for governments seeking to incorporate online social networking into their public diplomacy efforts.

Henry Farrell, a political science assistant professor at The George Washington University, says the European Court of Justice’s recent ruling against an agreement with the United States to share air…

Steven Cook says Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ call for a two-state negotiated solution was "a shrewd move" becuase it puts pressure on the Hamas-led PA government, but also serves to constrai…

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’s recent West Point speech promoted the need for better strategic thinking by the U.S. military to supplant a current emphasis on counterinsurgency tactics and natio…

Likening the leadership in Damascus to The Sopranos, Steven A. Cook, an Arab affairs expert at the Council, says the UN report on the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri is c…