Vladimir Putin’s Middle East trip was an effort to explain policies on Iran and Syria that have put it at odds with Israel and many Arab states, says CFR’s Stephen Sestanovich.

As election season approaches, and global crises in Greece and elsewhere intensify, U.S. foreign policy is in a state of drift that puts the United States at the risk of falling behind its rivals, sa…

U.S. midterm elections occur amid deep political divisions in Congress that are blocking policy reforms. CFR’s James M. Lindsay examines the foreign policy choices facing lawmakers.

Eileen Claussen, president of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, says U.S. domestic climate legislation might pass in 2010, after Congress deals with health care reform. But a global climate ag…

Sanctions may slow Iran’s nuclear drive but won’t halt it, says Iran expert Karim Sadjadpour, who calls for shifting to a containment policy that helps "expedite political transformation."