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…

Joshua Landis, an expert on Syria and Lebanon, says the drawn-out Iraq conflict has fed an image of declining U.S. influence in Lebanon, which has led Hezbollah to try to weaken, if not overthrow, th…

Thomas W. Lippman, a specialist on Persian Gulf security, says U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s warning about a U.S. "defense umbrella" to protect regional states from any Iranian nuclear ar…

Palestinians are pleased at the uproar against Israel after its raid on a Turkish-led aid flotilla, but what they--and Israelis--want is more active U.S. engagement in the peace process and an agreem…

Martin S. Indyk, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel, says incoming President Barack Obama cannot solve the problems in the Gaza Strip unless he takes a broad approach that includes diplomacy with Ira…